The Guide Dog, Bevois Valley, Southampton

The pub I’d been most looking forward to and, maybe unusually, one that met and exceeded my already-high expectations. Tucked away up a side-street from the main road (though visible from it) it’s an unassuming building. The interior is a comfy single room almost akin to someone’s lounge. On entering it immediately felt like a welcoming place, with a friendly and engaging barman (who looked like Frank Lampard’s brother to me) and a number of affable locals. Nine pumps with seven on (Fullers Pride/ESB, Flowerpots x2, Plain Ales, Oakleaf and Dark Star). My extended stay involved working through a few of these and every beer was in great shape, no mean feat for a hot weekday afternoon. Also some interesting bottles in the fridge eg Brew Dog. Other pub features included daily papers, loads of UK-wide CAMRA mags, darts, free Wi-Fi and large TV (with horse racing on at customers request). Filled rolls behind the bar, £1.20 a go and cheesy-topped too. The crazy, almost Magic Eye, tiling in the gents isn’t one to encounter unwittingly. Interest was taken in my crawl route at the bar, with a few suggestions thrown in and a bit of guidance as to the best route. Frank Lampard's brother even popped out of the pub to point me in the right direction of the Rockstone, nothing too much trouble it seemed. An absolutely cracking pub and I’d make a point of going back to Southampton for a day because of this one. A rare but well-deserved 10 from me.