The Bridge Inn, Weymouth

The Bridge Inn is located down a narrow road 50 yards from a bridge on the Preston Road. There is a large car park and outside the front of the pub there are picnic tables that are very popular on sunny afternoons. To the right of the pub there is a small children’s play area complete with climbing apparatus. At the rear of the pub is the bar where standard draught products can be purchased along with Old Speckled Hen, Abbot and Ringwood Best. There is a plasma screen that was showing muted Olympic coverage in the bar area. I didn’t spot any Sky Sports advertisements, but there is regular live music on Saturdays and a weekly quiz on Sundays. To the left of the bar is some seating and a dartboard. To the right of the bar is more seating and a pool table. The front seating area of the pub is used as a dining area and this was busy during my early evening visit. The kitchen is open from midday until 14:00 and from 18:00 until 21:00. After a quick scan of the menu on a chalkboard I gleaned that the mains start at around £9. I found the service to be polite enough, but when my wife went up to the bar the woman on duty asked her what she wanted and then stopped her mid-sentence as she went off to serve a local who had just arrived at the bar. My wife then had to wait for her pint whilst a six drink order was served. Very rude and bizarre behaviour! This is a nice enough pub, but after the shocking snub at the bar we decided to finish our night in the Spice Ship up the road.

Country style pub nicely situated down a cul de sac off the main road, with a large garden in front. The pub itself is of a decent size, L-shaped and traditionally furnished, with the main bar in front of you as you enter, the room jutting out to the front right being laid for diners, a covered-up pool table behind it, and to the left a further room with a dartboard. Normal sort of drinks selection available, with three hand pumps offering a fairly uninspiring choice of Abbot, Old Speckled Hen or Ringwood Best. Decent quality though and a nice garden to sit in with a beer on a warm evening. Food is apparently served 12-2 and 6-9, with most mains being around £8-10, though we didn’t try it. Live music on Saturdays and quiz night on Sundays are also advertised. There were quite a few drinkers there whom I took to be locals – I suspect the pub is a favoured watering hole for the middle-aged-and-upwards residents on the housing development behind, as well as pulling in tourist trade. It’s okay, I’d probably drink here if I was local, and I’d be happy to come here again if passing, but doubt I’d go out of my way to do so as there are far more interesting pubs in this part of the country.