TWO Dorset pubs have been ranked on a list of the 10 best beer gardens in the United Kingdom.

Weymouth's Smugglers Inn at Osmington came in at number seven - while The Square & Compass at Worth Matravers, near Swanage, was only beaten to the top spot by The Drovers Inn, Loch Lomond, and the first placed Ben Nevis Inn at Fort William.

The list of top ten of UK beer gardens was compiled by Holidaycottages.co.uk using data from Yelp.

While third in the UK, Dorset's The Square & Compass came out as most popular beer garden in England - and the Hall and Woodhouse owned Smugglers Inn is the fourth most popular in the country.

A spokesman for the Smugglers Inn said: "As a 13th century destination The Smugglers Inn proudly welcomes its guests year after year, run by Mary and her team who strive to continue being a landmark site in Dorset."

Shannon Keary, at holidaycottages.co.uk, said: “We wanted to see where the ten best beer gardens were located, hopefully helping people decide where they should go once the doors are open, and also where to visit on a staycation this year.

"It is also really great to see that independent bars, pubs, and restaurants are all featured in this list.

"We know that the hospitality industry has suffered in the past year, and it is encouraging to see so many highly rated British independents on this list.

"We hopefully will encourage many people to visit and support them in April and beyond."

The top ten pub beer gardens in the UK:

1. Ben Nevis Inn, Fort William

2. The Drovers Inn, Loch Lomond

3. The Square and Compass, Worth Matravers

4. Cottage Loaf, Llandudno

5. The Drunken Duck Inn & Restaurant, Ambleside

6. Fort Inn, Newquay

7. Smugglers Inn, Weymouth

8. The Angel at Burford, Cotswolds

9. The White Eagle, Anglesey

10. The Albert, Windemere