Pints of View Summer 2026 - the branch magazine of Mansfield & Ashfield CAMRA.
Favourite Pubs
You may or may not have heard of the ‘Famous Five'. No, not Enid Blyton's band of child sleuths (though there is a connection here), but the five pubs which have been in every edition of the Good Beer Guide...
My favourite pub happens to be one of those, but it is its location and individuality that never fails to put a smile on my face. The pub was introduced to me by my brother-in-law on my first holiday in Dorset - not just as a place to go for a drink, but somewhere to experience - that's quite a thing in an area boasting Corfe Castle, Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door, Tyneham and much more.
The Square and Compass faces out to sea, across the lynchet-striated slopes of the Purbecks, in the quiet village of Worth Matravers; part of the landscape that inspired Enid Blyton's much-loved books. My family call it 'Where's-me- trousers' - and thankfully, there's no embarrassing story to be told, it simply sounds similar and amuses us!
Until the recent erection of a phone mast in the village, when you drove into the village and alighted at the nearby car park (complete with 'Wood Henge'), you may have noticed the time on your phone had gone forward an hour; this was likely due to a poor signal, and your phone picking up one from France instead, but was no less strange.
The curiosities don't stop there: at one end of the pub is a fossil museum housing a 60-year collection of the current proprietor, Charlie Newman and his father, Ray, the grandson of the pub's first Newmans, who took on the tenancy in 1907. Most of the fascinating finds are local, and the collection includes great examples of Ichthyosaur and Pliosaur.
Once you've viewed the museum and got a drink, if the weather is nice, retreat to the garden where the 'furniture' is made from Purbeck stone and large hunks of wood, and enjoy that wonderful view. If the weather isn't ideal (which it evidently sometimes isn't, given the wind-bent trees along the field edges), you could cosy up inside, in either the lounge or the snug, separated by the central serving hatch. The interior is a mix of flagstone and wood flooring, with exposed stone and panelled walls. Low-slung beamed ceilings add to the cosy atmosphere. CAMRA have designated it as a nationally important historic pub interior, and it's Grade II listed by Historic England.
Hattie Brown ales from nearby Swanage always feature, with 'Moonlite' being a perfectly quaffable sunny-day hoppy pale ale and one of my all-time favourite ales. Another one of their beers, 'Dog on a Roof', is a nod to the pub dog, which can, literally, often be spotted on the roof of the cottage. Guest ales are from the likes of Butcombe and Palmers, and all are served on gravity. Charlie's home-pressed cider is a favourite of my wife, Clare. 'Sat Down Be Cider', 'Eve's Idea', and 'Kiss Me Kate' are Dry, Medium, and Sweet, respectively, catering to all tastes. The pub was awarded CAMRA Cider Pub of the Year in 2008, the year of our first visit.
The pub is perpetually busy in the summer months, entertaining locals, tourists and hikers passing by on either the coastal trails or the Priest's Way, which runs from the village to nearby Swanage. So, if you're ever in the area, be sure to seek out this hidden gem - you won't be disappointed.
Summer 2026 Pints of View | 27