Seeing Joe's and Tykes messages above has made me focus on a slightly different way of thinking.
Joe,in thinking this is purely a discussion about high prices which is not exactly, and Tyke saying, hang on there's plenty of reasonable pubs if you go and bother to look .Apologies for the paraphrase Tyke.
Tyke it's not a question of CHEAP beer - Folkies need to pay what Joe Public has to pay - no arguments, but maybe the popular places where we gather and sing /play, are attracting the premium prices. Maybe (almost certainly) Tyke reassures us,there are reasonable places/pubs, therefore should we not be investigating which other pubs who would love to have our high consumption , along with our songs and music.
Maybe we are victims of our own success, and that, in using the same pubs year in year out, some pubs are taking us, and their pricing, for granted.
Joe , Whitby is truly a great place, in fact some would say it is almost a spiritual home to celebrate Folk music and song and dance and all I am trying to encourage is a discussion on how, based on my own findings and other peoples experiences, how it might be possible to halt this perceived slide before it puts off too many Folkies from attending, whether for the whole week, or just day trips.
Cheers Betsy