Square & Compass, Worth Matravers, Swanage

This rural gem is one of the few pubs which has featured in every edition of the Good Beer Guide. It really is a pub for all seasons - beautiful outside with a beer in summer; lovely inside with a real fire in the winter. It's a haven for walkers and is also dog-friendly. The only mobile phone network I could pick up here was French, so phone home before you start on the drink. The pub looks like a farmhouse from the outside. The interior is bare stone, flagstone floors and real fires. Nothing much has changed here over the years – no TV or fruit machines here. Two drinking rooms are separated by a narrow corridor which hosts the notorious serving hatch – notorious because it can quickly get jammed up when more than a few people want a pint, which in the case of this pub means quite often It can be a real wait sometimes but what can be done? If the hatch is demolished everyone will cry “shame!” so we'll just have to be patient. It's part of the charm I suppose. I found the funny museum a bit pointless - is it really worth having it? I'd wager that the room would be better off for drinking in given the popularity of the place. Perhaps put a relief bar in there for peak times? On to the beer – there were 3 ales on when I went (Ringwood Best, Barnsley Oak Leaf and Rudgate Ruby Mild) served well from stillage. The ales were also complimented by a decent cider selection so you could easily do a good session in here on a summer's day. Prices were slightly above average (between £2.80-£3.10 for the real stuff). Food-wise there are pasties to be had, which are OK if a tad expensive for what they are (and that they're served on flimsy paper plates). However better to have this than proper diners fayre which would block the place up even more than it currently is. Clientèle are a mix of locals, walkers, tourists and the curious ale-geeks (me). All in all the S&C is pretty dammed good but it suffers from its own notoriety at peak times. Despite the faults it's got to be worth the trek.

Official site of the Square & Compass - squareandcompasspub.co.uk

Official site of the Square & Compass - squareandcompasspub.co.uk

This really is a destination pub, as it’s effectively at the back of beyond. When I was in recently there was a mix between hikers who had undertaken a cliff walk, and some who had obviously driven there. It’s pretty small inside with the “bar” essentially a hatch through which the barmaids (at least there were barmaids when I visited) pass the drinks. The ale is gravity dispensed, which is very unusual these days. On my visit they had three real ales on (Palmer’s Copper Ale; HopBack Crop Circle; and Abbey White Friar) plus cider of course. The ales were around the £3 a pint mark. I had the White Friar – perhaps a little too sweet, but that’s just a matter of taste – and Crop Circle, which was an excellent summer ale. As you go in you are faced with the serving hatch; to the right is a small, but comfortable looking seating area; and to the right a small museum featuring some local history, with the emphasis on fossils. This is the first time I’ve seen a museum in a pub, though one or two have almost been museums in their own right. But this pub really comes into its own when the weather is good, as the view over the cliffs and out to sea is quite spectacular. Outside seating consists of a few picnic benches; lumps of wood and stone for tables and more stone and tree trunks for seats. I don’t know another pub anything like it. It’s definitely worth going out of your way to find - indeed I expect anyone who has visited has made a special effort to get there, as it’s hardly on the way to anywhere. Highly recommended.

best kept secret in England, Europe, the world. Best view, best live music, best festivals, best beer, best chickens... the Pasties keep you going Do not go there...and crowd out the people. advice.-don't plan on going anywhere afterwards...

An amazing pub in a fantastic walking area. A real unspoilt gem of a pub that has been owned by the same family name since 1907! A genuine free house with 4 or 5 ales and a raft of ciders on offer. Food is basic - pasties but you'll be too busy soaking up the ale and atmosphere to worry about food!