In this ocasional series, Roger looks at Britain's great heritage of traditional pubs clustered around our railway stations. Here, he hops aboard the Swanage service.

Rail Ale: Dorset

This is especially good news for beer lovers, for Swanage and the Isle of Purbeck have a fine collection of pubs, some of them of historic importance. At present, the Swanage Railway runs from the coastal town to Norden Junction via Corfe Castle. The small town with the famous ruined castle - largely destroyed by Cromwell's artillery during the English Civil War - has three pubs with both fascinating history and good beer.

There's nothing so modern as a beer engine and handpump in the Fox. Just as in the 16th century, the ales are tapped straight from casks behind the bar. The range of beers changes constantly but on my most recent visit I enjoyed both Timothy Taylor's Landlord and Greene King Abbot. As a devotee of Landlord, it's an intriguing experience to drink this celebrated Yorkshire bitter without a North Country thick collar of foam. The Fox has a covered well, which suggests beer was brewed on the premises centuries ago.

The Greyhound claims to be the most photographed pub in England - not surprising as it stands at the foot of the castle mound. It's a 17th-century coaching inn on the corner of the road that runs from Swanage to Wareham. Inside a collection of small, intimate rooms leads off from the main bar. Right: looking towards The Greyhound, with the Bankes Arms to the right and castle in the background.

In Swanage, the best pub in the town is the Red Lion in the High Street (left). It was built in the 17th century and has two bars and a garden. The pub is a great supporter of local breweries and one bar has an impressive collection of pump clips of many of the beers that have appeared there. Caledonian Deuchars, Ringwood Best and Taylor's Landlord are regulars, with at least three guest beers from smaller craft producers. From Swanage buses (40, 44 and 50) take you to two other pubs of note.

No visit to Purbeck is complete without a visit to the renowned Square & Compass in the village of Worth Matravers a few miles from Swanage (44 bus). The ancient ale house, used by smugglers, the Bohemian set from London in the 1930s and RAF personnel in World War Two, has been in the hands of the Newman family for more than 100 years. Cider is brewed on the premises using apples from Wareham forest. On the spacious forecourt, chickens peck at the earth while the pub dogs roam among drinkers on warm days.