BOSCOMBE.

Another Wetherspoon pub which follows the general style of the rest. A little smaller than most with a narrow frontage but hidden depth. Strangely the no smoking section is right at the front by the large doors (can get cold at a weekend when the bouncers insist on keeping them open). The pub was the old Continental cinema - many a childhood dream formed there and this is reflected in the local pictures and stories about the cinema. You can find them on the walls at the back and on the way to the toilets - upstairs for the able bodied. There were two guest ales on at the time: Itchen Valley Wykhams Glory and Winter Fest by a brewer whose name escapes me for now. Both were kept well and tasted just right. They were even served to the top of the glass! Food was again excellent, if a little long in the waiting. The side salad is particularly filling and a main meal in its own right. I also noticed that the nut roast was available for Sunday lunch for vegetarians. These latter are particularly well catered for, though the pasta bake was a bit sloppy and tasteless. As with a large number of Wetherspoons, it holds regular beer festivals. A small heated beer garden out back - but garden is a misnomer as all you get to stare at is the brick wall where the screen used to be. Access for the disabled is possible to all of the pub except the raised drinking areas at the front. Just recently the Sir Percy Florence Shelley has taken part on the bi-annual Wetherspoon beer festival, having up to 20 real ales on - note not at the same time.