The White Swan, Swanage

A white rendered pub and eatery, which does accommodation. The sort of Z-shape pub has a nice traditional look. They offer live music. There is a front patio and rear beer garden and is in the GBG 2010. The interior is open plan, but with three clearly distinct areas. The first area is the games area. This is in the small extension on the front of the pub as shown by the photo. The decor is white and a toffee wood panel and there is a pool table, dart board, a TV (not on at my visit) and a few comfy chairs. The second part is the bar/lounge around the actual serving bat that faces you on entry. It is in stone and wood panel and decorated with old local photographs - there is also a sofa waiting area between it and the dinig area at the top of the pub. The dinig area is in white and wood floor, on a couple of levels and has a few restauranty arty pics. We ate here and the food was fine. The service in both bar and restaurant was good and the clientele seemed to be mainly holiday makers and a good mix between families and adults. Beer; tap stuff with Ringwood Bitter, Dorset Piddle and a decent Otter Head on hanpull A good, better than solid, all round pub for beer and facilities. I would more than happily return.

I was quite keen to try out the beers from the local Piddle brewery and the pub seemed to be doing a fine job promoting them, with a big sign outside advertising the fact that it was available within. My father tried the eponymous 'Piddle', whilst I opted for the Silent Slasher; a 5.1% blond beer. It was a disappointing choice to be honest. The Slasher was cloudy and tasted fairly unpleasant and although the Piddle was better, I'm not sure I'd want to try it again. Still, two beers do not make a pub, and the White Swan is a very nice little boozer, situated in the town square; ideal for a pint to wash down your fish and chips - just not a pint of Piddle.