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38 reviews so far

26/10/2011 10:35am

helen walmsley

My husband and I went down for an afternoon tea. We knew that the cafe closed at 4pm so we just after 3.30. We were told that there was no hot food because the kitchen was now closed,and we had to have our tea in take-away cups because the kitchen was closed. Other people came in after us (but before 4pm) asking for some ice cream and they were told that the tills had now been closed and so no ice cream was available. We sat and had our tea while the staff were mopping the floors around us. Quite an unpleasant experience. If the cafe actually stops serving at 3.30, could this not be made plain on the signs?  

Lepe replies

Please accept my apology for the poor service you received on a recent visit to Lepe Beach café.

We work hard to ensure that our catering team provide high standards of service at all times and it is always disappointing when our usual high standards are not met. As a result of our investigation we have clarified our end of day procedures

• Hot food will not be served after 3.30 pm and a sign will be displayed informing customers
• All other menu items will be served up to 4pm
• All food and beverages will be served in non disposables, unless requested
• While two of the three tills will be closed down between 3.30pm and 4pm the third till will remain open until 4pm

We have carried out training with the all members of the catering team to ensure a full understanding of these procedures.

 

03/10/2011 11:17am

debbie collins

What a lovely afternoon we had wandering along the beach in the sunshine on 2nd October. What a shame about all the rubbish left behind by previous visitors. Why are some people so lazy and irresponsible that they think it is acceptable to leave their rubbish behind?

We only saw one bin that was full to the point of overflowing, but some people could not even be bothered to leave their rubbish next to the bin.

Lepe replies

We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed your recent visit to Lepe on one of the busiest days of the year (over 5,000 people visited this weekend!)

We are lucky that the vast majority of our visitors comply with the site policy of 'please take your litter home', which is the same as the rest of the New Forest National Park. Despite record numbers of visitors the rangers only picked up between 4 and 6 bags of litter on Sunday and Monday mornings. We only provide bins near to the café, if we provided more we would not be able to store all the litter they would attract. We also have to pay to have this litter collected from us.

 

22/08/2011 05:16pm

mrs c guinness

had a fantastic day will go again fantastic views and family friendly with the hire of the bbq friendly staff highly recomended

 

10/07/2011 10:40am

Christopher Perry

Why isn't there any information on your car parking charges board at lepe country park and on the beach car park for disabled drivers? Nowhere does it say that car parking for disabled is free,in fact says car parking charges apply all the time which gives the impression,disabled people have to pay for parking. Is this a deliberate ploy to fool disabled people into paying?

I also see that this information is a small one liner at the bottom of your parking charges on this web site and this is the only ref to disabled parking on your site! Come on hampshire county council,life is hard enough for us disabled people as it is!not all people have access to a computer!

Lepe Country Park replies

Unlike some authorities the current HCC policy is not to charge disabled drivers to park at any of their country parks. At Lepe there is information on the tariff notice on every Pay and Display machine which states: 'Free parking for disabled when displaying a blue badge'.

 

18/06/2011 04:57pm

mrs. a. drake

My husband and I bring our toddler grandchild at least once a week all through the year and we love it. I think the play area is wonderful, very well kept and has lots to do in it. apart from the lack of golden sand and freedom from seaweed, it is almost perfect!

However, there is something that is under the control of people which rather spoils the near perfection! That is, the amounts of broken glass on the beach, particularly at the sandier end near the lifebelt. It is lovely there for children to play in the sand and on the shore but there is such a lot of broken glass and bottles ready for getting broken as well as other rather tacky personal items. mainly I am concerned about the glass as it would be such an awful thing for someone child or adult to cut themselves on it. Whenever we are there we collect it up but have to take it back to our own vehicle as there is also nowhere to put it, no bins.

Lepe Counry Park replies

We are are sorry that you found glass on the beach as our rangers and Friends of Lepe volunteers do regular litter picking from the beach. We would like to be able to identify the exact spot you have experienced this problem so would be grateful if you could you contact us on 023 8089 9108 or call into the office next time you are visiting.

In general we only have litter bins near to the cafe and ask for litter to be taken home, as is the pattern in the rest of the New Forest National Park; the vast majority of our visitors comply with this. The reasons for this are that we cannot store any more litter than we currently do between collections, nor afford to pay for any more to be taken away.

 

03/05/2011 03:31pm

Dick Dapre

I wanted to visit Lepe without using my car, but was disappointed to find that there is no bus service, even in high summer. (The 1.5 mile walk from Langley down Lepe Road looks suicidal.) This effectively says "if you don't have a car, don't bother to come". Very unwelcoming and does nothing for sustainability.

Lepe Country Park replies

We would welcome the return of a regular bus service to Lepe, especially during the summer months and regret that there is not an easy way for non car owners to access the park. It has been highlighted as desirable in all recent access plans for the area but would require significant subsidy to the bus company to become established. Sadly in the current financial climate this is not going to be a high priority for the County Council but I will keep your comments on file and use to help lobby for this service when I have the opportunity.

 

26/04/2011 05:23am

Chrissie Ash

Wow!!! another beautiful day, sun shining and we are back (again) at our favourite place in the south. Sun, sea,good cafe and take away and toilet facilities, stunning views, lovely walks, dog friendly we will be back again and again.

Hats of to all the staff that make our visits so pleasureable every time. Thank you all.

 

25/01/2010 07:00pm

Andrew Wheeler

I've lived in the Waterside area all my life and have always enjoyed walking along the beach and in the park area.

Today, I visited the 'Pond' and was lucky enough to see:

* Green Woodpecker

* Long Tailed Tit

* Bullfinch

* Kestrel

Well done to all the people that keep Lepe Country Park so well.

 

Review Ref. 347250

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