The Pear at Parley, Ferndown

Official site of The Pear at Parley - thepearatparley.com

Official site of The Pear at Parley - thepearatparley.com

Formerly The River Park Inn and Twenty On The River, this potentially wonderful manor house is worth a visit for its architecture and the countryside location. You enter down an impressive tree-lined drive, with horses in the adjacent paddocks, to find a good-sized car park and an entrance marked by a cervine statue. Once through the entrance portal you see magnificent gardens – marred by a children’s adventure playground infested with the unruly young of the inconsiderate clientele whose usual experience of clubs might be hitting their women with them before dragging them into the nearest cave. A TOWIE feel to a Downton setting, they offer ‘entertainment’ (‘Balearic Beats from DJ Michael Speed’ and a Frank Sinatra tribute act were advertised). The young foreign staff were largely inefficient and served mainly as ornament. There was no real ale or real cider, while I found the wine menu uninspiring and expensive. The food was also expensive, although there were one or two items that sounded quite interesting, but not presented very well. No Country Club For Old Men.