The Firkin Shed, Springbourne, Bournemouth

Nice little micropub a short stroll from the football ground. 3 or 4 cask ales and a few Keg beers on. I didn't notice the cider choice to be honest! Can't recall which beer I had but I know it was decent!

Just over 3 years since my last visit to the Firkin Shed, I was surprised to see how downhill it has gone during that time. I still like the interior and there is a nice atmosphere to the place, even when a football match is on. However, the real ale selection has diminished, replaced instead by craft beers and real cider has disappeared completely. The last time I was here, there were 13 real ciders dispensed from bag in the box from cold room adjacent to the bar. On previous visits, I'd seen many more than that. In fact, this was easily in my top 10 pubs in the UK. Now, there is a list of 5 ciders, but all are in bottles. The landlady stated that they couldn't get the cider to pull through correctly, which seemed a bit odd, as they used to simply pour it direct from the box. This was a former CAMRA National Cider Pub of the Year winner. It is far from it now. Real ales on this visit were both from Eight Arch - Corbel & Quarter Jack. Craft beers were Electric Bear Tree Tops, Boscombe Cole Porter, New Bristol Mello Yello, Wild Weather Satellite, Vibrant Forest Pupa & Unity Only The Sea. I still like the Firkin Shed as a pub, but cannot understand the lame excuse for the lack of cider and real ale (apparently it had all been drunk before the football match on our Tuesday evening visit. Note that opening times also appear to have been reduced. It's advertised as 11pm during the week, but last orders was rung at around 10:20, with no more service after 10:30.

With the conversion of the nearby Dolphin to yet another Tesco store in 2012, there was a bit of a vacuum in this part of Springbourne, until the opening of this fine little micropub in 2015. Situated roughly 10-15 minutes walk from Bournemouth station, this is a simple shop converted pub that serves a loyal band of regulars but offers a warm welcome to strangers too. A nice banquette runs along the front wall of the simple single room layout, beneath a front window liberally lined with potted plants and strung with fairy lights. Low stools serve a series of low tables through the main body of the bare boarded room, with the only other seating coming in the form of a drinking ledge down the right-hand side, with a row of swivel-top bar stools. The servery occupies the rear left corner, in a small cabin-style structure with a wood panelled counter front, stained glass side pane, corrugated metal sheet canopy with a model Millenium Falcon crash landed on top, and a modern shelving unit bar back. The wall opposite has large beer boards hung on it, listing the entire draught range, and next to this is a TV screen which was being used to show a live Six Nations fixture to a small but lively group of customers, who the barmaid was supplying with bowls of roast potatoes from somewhere. The ceiling is covered in many different flags for various nations and organisations, and there is a low-key Star Wars theme throughout, including a life-size Han Solo frozen in carbonite image on the door to the toilets. There were just two cask ales on the bar on my Sunday afternoon visit - Stonehenge Heel Stone and Electric Bear Werrrd - but this is supplemented by nine or ten craft keg lines from the likes of Deya, Verdant, Vibrant Forest, Siren and Barefaced Brew. The friendly barmaid served me a very good pint of the Werrrd, which flew down so quickly that I still ended up with a long wait for my train when I got back to the station. The pub is a former CAMRA National Cider Pub of the Year and there were two real ciders and five bottled options listed on the beer boards. This is a great little pub - part of a small but thriving micropub scene throughout Bournemouth’s various suburbs - and a great boon to the local area, which is severely low of pub stock at present. The prospect of some interesting beer isn’t a given throughout much of the town, and with a location relatively close to the station, this place makes an obvious port of call for locals and visitors alike.

Excellent beer and cider micro-pub, with a small counter towards the back on the left-hand side. Everything is served on gravity, so no handpumps required, but this means that the full choice is not immediately obvious until you spot the 'menu' boards. Traditional furniture and as much mixed decor that can sensibly be fitted into the space. Only had time for a short stop, but enjoyed my quick pint of a red-rye beer and some friendly conversation.

A micropub in what was previously Blockbuster Video, the former shop has been decked out in timber and has a very welcoming atmosphere. The single bar has a corner taken out for the counter which isolates part of the bar. There is a tiny yard at the back for smokers, but drinks can’t be taken out there after 8pm. No hot food is available, but there is a small selection of pies and other cold snacks at a reasonable price. The landlord and landlady are incredibly friendly and welcoming, there is a real local feel and time slips away quickly here. There is minimal clutter on the walls, though there does seem to be a collection of stringed instruments hanging from the ceiling. There is a ban on mobile phone use. Six ales and 7 ciders on, I had pints each of Maverick chilli and ginger cider, Yeovil Mandolin Bitter and Vibrant’s Metropolis (the landlord told me this was his all-time favourite beer). All three were in perfect condition, and I wish I could have stayed for more. An excellent pub run by people who are passionate about their beer, and somewhere to which I shall most certainly return. A definite for a crawl.

Cracking new(opened 20thFeb2015)micro pub, just 10min walk from Bournemouth rail station.6 ever-changing real ales on gravity(served straight from the cask)+many real ciders+locally produced sausage rolls, pies&pasties.A true pub where conversation rules(£1 fine given to air ambulance charity for mobile use/swearing).30p off a pint upon presentation of current CAMRA card!Note-no drinking/smoking@front of pub.Also note closed Mon&open 12-4pm only on Sun&very busy Fri&Sat nights-only 60 drinkers allowed in due to fire regs.Very friendly licensee&his family run this great little boozer.The best thing to happen to the Bournemouth pub scene for many years!Go there-don't miss out!!(Note,CricketersArms nearby worth a visit-3 real ales)