Quarterdeck, West Bay, Bridport

The bar is part of the Durbeyfield Guest House as mentioned, consisting of a single small room, comfortable and quite cosy, and the gravelled garden at the front of the hotel. The garden has a few seats and some sculptures to look at, and there are further artworks – mainly paintings by unknown artists – for sale inside. The room has a timber floor with a rug, there is a stone fireplace with an open fire, a group of sofas, some banquettes at the side, and the servery works through a hatch at the end opposite the window. The landlady was chatty and welcoming, happy to be absent until summoned by a bell on the bar. The atmosphere was peaceful, a couple of quiet customers undisturbed by the faint hum of heavy metal drifting in from the nearby biker gathering. There was only one ale on, Bays’s Topsail, which was well past its best. The limited keg range consisted of South Devon Orchards cider, Guinness and Murano lager. The pub is seasonal, shutting down in October and opening again in April, though you can still get a drink if you are a guest here. I shall give it another go next Summer when, hopefully, the ale will be on better form.

Located in the Durbeyfield Guest House, the Quarterdeck is a bar popular with locals in the front room on the left-hand side of a central corridor. The landlady thought we were stopping the night, but we asked if we could come in just for a drink. She was happy to let us in, as long as we didn't mind the swearing with my 10-year-old son present. Just 4 locals were present, 3 blokes and a woman. They certainly knew a few swear words, but were a really friendly bunch who were genuinely interested in what we were doing in West Bay, with the topic of conversation very quickly moving onto visiting pubs. Wadworth Henry's IPA was the solitary real ale. However, the friendly nature of this place was what impressed me most. The best West Bay had to offer.