52 cafes in 52 weeks - challenge

[Dogtrousers]

We’ve spent a lot of time cycling on canals and through villages and we are amazed at the lack of tourist infrastructure on the canals and how empty the villages are! There would be a tea shop every five miles in the UK! However the path surfaces are vastly superior so I’ll happily go without coffee in exchange!

This chimes with my experience of cycling in France (specifically Normandy). The infrastructure is very spread out and villages don't have much, if anything. Some can appear to be completely deserted, yet are beautifully maintained. Smaller towns will generally have a nice cafe/bar tabac type place where you can get coffee (only) and can nip next door to the boulanger for a croissant. Or a little restaurant where you can often get a good prix fixe menu.

To an outsider opening times can be a real mystery and a whole town may be closed, or conversely may be having an unexpected Festival of Carrots or something and be absolutely rammed. Not understanding the rules of who sells what and when can be part of the fun. Or can be rather frustrating, depending on how much you actually need the thing you want.

Someone on another thread was complaining of being turned away from small restaurants in France and suspected that "the kitchen is closed" was an excuse to turn away cyclists. From my personal experience it's more likely that actually the kitchen is closed. Because it's 7pm on a Thursday, of course. Everyone knows that.

 

[Sallar55]

French restaurant /bar times are 12-2 for meals but turn up after 1-30 and you could be disappointed. We will always stop when we see vans parked up at lunch time, white van men know where the best plate du jour places are.

 

[DCLane]

We're currently travelling to the Vendée and, having left early due to issues at Dover but got through security OK-ish, have several hours to use up this afternoon before heading to our accommodation near Rouen.

We've stopped in Le Touquet, which is almost like Center Parcs by the sea with houses. Lots and lots of expensive café's - lunch was lovely at L'endura Plage but my French is VERY rusty.

Not added as I wasn't on the bike - they're on top of the car at the moment. With a Dawes Kingpin hidden inside since currently French customs allow one bike per passenger and son no. 2 has both his race bike and his training bike with him and I've brought mine so with three passengers that would be the full quota.

 

[Cathryn]

Cafe 37. A rest day on our tour in gorgeous Chalons en Champagne! What a lovely little town! Spent a happy half hour at Comptoir de la Licorne (Unicorn Cafe) with a lovely grand crème!!

 

[Sallar55]

The pink fronted cafe in Rothesay no13

 

[Cathryn]

Cafe 38! Le Commerce in the little town of St-Dizier! Lovely situation on the square, good people watching. Nice staff, happily refilled our water bottles! Good coffee!

 

[Cathryn]

Cafe 39. Les Maronniers, Rolampont

Imagine the scene. It’s mid afternoon, easily over 30 degrees. We’ve done 45 miles and have 10 more to go. But we’ve run out of water. No taps, no graveyards. Nothing. We drain the dregs from our bidons, eat our remaining oranges, savouring the juice and set off resolutely. But we are so thirsty and I’m feeling very guilty for being such a poor, ill-prepared parent!

We cycle into another silent, shut-up, empty French village on the canal. But…this one isn’t empty! It has…a cafe! The first en-route cafe we’ve seen so far! We throw our bikes against a wall, collapse in the shade and demolish two bottles of iced coke each (they only had 330ml bottles) before tackling the pichet of cold water set before us! Before we leave, the boys soak their casquettes and buffs in the iced water and I stuff ice into my sports bra! And refreshed, like new people, we sail off along the canal.

I will go to nicer cafes this year but I won’t go to any better-timed cafes!! Utterly brilliant!

 

[DCLane]

Café 41, week 30: Ocean Café, Sion in the Vendée

This is the café stop for the morning ride from the site I stay at in France. Leave 7.30am, short ride, café stop, ride back. All in 24km.

25 of us this morning, all ages, male and female, all types of bikes. We order on arrival so it's not too long a wait or chaotic, and riders roll in at their own pace. There's a bakery opposite and a bike shop next door.

The bike shop, which wasn't open when we left, is organising the local race that son no. 2's doing this evening.

 

[Cathryn]

Cafe 40. Hostellerie des Maronniers, Pontailleur sur Saône.

Expensive and not very friendly. But very comfy soft seats and a well timed loo!

 

[Sallar55]

No 14 the Junction in Lochwinnoch, Stornoway blackpudding.

 

[DCLane]

Café 42, week 31: L'echlle, Les Sables d'Olonne in the Vendée

Hardly anywhere was open at 9am this morning either by the beach or by the harbour, so a group of us from the site we're staying on stopped here. Photo to follow of the world's smallest Pain aux Raisins we got from a local boulangerie: of the three on Google maps only one was still open, with a big queue

Quick coffee and a ride home.

 

[Always Cross]

Cafe 32 Chopper Cafe near Burbage proper transport Cafe. I only had a mug of tea and sticky toffee pudding went down lovely.

 

[Cathryn]

Café 41. Chez Paupotte, Premanon, Jura

Lovely cool little coffee shop in a tiny ski town at the top (ish) of the Montée de Premanon! Delighted to stop for coffee and Millionnaire’s Shortbread before finishing the climb! Cracking day on the bike today!

 

[Tail End Charlie]

A few to add after a week away near Ludlow.

Cafe 26, 2.8.22 Sleap Airfield near Shrewsbury. Great place, lovely cheese on toast (mozzarella and cheddar on tiger bread), carrot cake pretty good and watched a plane take off and another land. Seating inside uses seats from a plane and outdoor seating gives great view over the runway.

Even had to book in as I was on a tandem!!

Cafe 27, 3.8.22 continuing the tour of airfields, Shobdon airfield between Presteigne and Leominster. Much busier airfield, several flights took off and landed whilst we were there. Even watched one plane pull up to the petrol pump and fill up, exactly as you do in a vehicle. The toilet is in one of the hangars, so spending a penny is interesting in itself.

Cafe 28, 3.8.22 Croft Castle, near Ludlow, typical National Trust cafe, scones are always good.

Cafe 29, 4.8.22 Baker's Bistro in the centre of Ludlow.

Cafe 30 4.8.22 Bill's Kitchen in the market square near the castle in Ludlow. Open till 8pm each evening. Very good piece of carrot cake.

Cafe 31 5.8.22 Cottage cafe, central Ludlow (down from the Feathers pub, which is a very old building). Describes itself as "Ludlow's Hidden Gem" which I'd agree with, it's down a little alleyway and I had a very tasty milkshake. Don't know why I chose a milkshake as I can't remember the last time I had one, but that one definitely had my name on it.

Cafe 32 5.8.22 Yarpole community cafe. Great spot in the church (which doubles as a shop). Very interesting detached belfry outside where there is more seating. Had a "revved up" cheese scone (their words, it's a cheese scone with extra cheese and slices of apple), this place is recommended for the surroundings, if nothing else.

Cafe 33, 6.8.22 Harp Lane Deli, central Ludlow. Good location and good coffee.

Cafe 34 7.8.22 Stokesay castle tea rooms, just outside Craven Arms. It is beside the car park so you don't have to enter the castle to visit it (although the castle itself is well worth a visit). Cheese and mushroom toastie hit the spot for me.


I'm not counting this in the challenge as you have to pay to enter the gardens and thus the cafe, which is a shame because Hodnet Hall's carrot cake was delicious, rivalling Peak View's offering, my first one in this challenge on 1.1.22 (although PV shades it as it had more chunky nuts). To show you what you are missing.

 

[Sallar55]

No 15 Sonos cafe next to Wheelcraft, Norman the mechanic having a coffee break, a little bribery goes along way when you want a quick fix on your bike.