Good Motoring Breakfast Cafes ?

[Number5]

Has anyone ever built a list of good Cafe's/ Diners, suitable for the needs of Motoring enthusiasts, aroumd which we can all plan a decent hoon ?
i.e Those that have:
a). A good scenic location
b). On-site parking of their own
c) Good driving roads around it
d) Good menu
e). Open by 9am on Sundays for breakfast

We've pretty much exhausted all those we know around the South West amd I imagine other people are in the same boat in their own areas too.

We have a couple here in The South West that are Ideal but going back to them regularly means driving the same roads week in, week out so I thought perhaps a thread of suggestions may be a good idea ?

We have
1) the AV8 cafe at Cotswold Airfield where you can line the cars up, sit on the terrace overlooking the airfield and enjoy breakfast, which is a typical example..
2) Beachenhurst Lodge (Forest of Dean) where you can sit out on the picnic benches in summer
3). Tortworth Estate Cafe (Gloucs) which fits the bill (but doesnt open until 10am on Sundays)
4) National Diving Centre (old Quarry) near Chepstow (Gloucs) Great food and location but has a dusty gravel car park !

I'll edit in the postcodes later, but I'm sure everyone must have their favourites or know of some good ones ?

Please suggest some but remember to include the County & Postcode so everyone has a clue if its near them !

(I suppose the key element is being able to park up and see/admire the cars over breakfastor coffee & cake, rather than leaving them down in the local Pay & Display or on street parking)

 

[Fishy Dave]

I've got an ideal one for you, Compton Abbas airfield, near Shaftesbury, Dorset (close to the Wiltshire border). Postcode is SP5 5AP, website is here: http://www.comptonabbasairfield.co.uk/
I was here yesterday for a Lotus Seven Club meet, the weather helped of course, but there was a great turnout of different cars and bikes, lovely food and you can watch the aircraft take off and land all morning (Tiger Moth, Harvard, Autogyro and many, many assorted modern 2 seaters. Perhaps best of all from our pov is the nearby Zig Zag hill, a series of hairpins up a hill, made for rwd. I'll post yesterdays video later on.

Cheers, Dave

 

[Beatman]

+1 for both AV8 & Compton both a good place to sit and eat, plus the drive out to both on a roof down day is great. :driving:

Also the Lockside at the Cumberland basin Bristol, good food & service and parking with a view of Clifton.

 

[mr wilks]

Great post topic , no finer hobby than a drive out somewhere with a coffee & cake thrown in
So many to choose from but my current 3 faves are
Scartop Cafe
Middle of the Moors near Haworth - good parking & great outside terrace ( Yorkshire ) BD22 0JL

Cafe D,lune /http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187064-d2440229-Reviews-Cafe_d_Lune-Lancaster_Lancashire_England.html#photos
Hidden away near Glasson Dock - good parking & views off the bay (Fylde Coast )

Abbots Harbour / http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g209940-d1762617-Reviews-Abbots_Harbour_Licensed_Cafe_Restaurant-Skipton_North_Yorkshire_England.html
Another off the track hidden gem off the A59 between Gisburn & Skipton . Great spot next to the canal & again good parking + open all day

Also a regular at The Emporium in Clitheroe but parking not great & depending on day/times it gets mad
busy http://www.theemporiumclitheroe.co.uk/ try their duck pizza !!!

 

[Marlon]

Drive out to Cockerham Sands (remote unspoilt quiet coastal walk, LA2 0BB) then pop into Thurnham Hall afterwards (LA2 0DT) for a coffee and cake in the regal setting of the Grand hall (friendly staff & open log fire in winter)

Also nearby - the Stork at Conder Green (LA2 0AN) do a great selection of homemade cakes

 

[Fishy Dave]

My other local venue for a car meet is the Rowdey Cow, near Devizes http://rowdeycow.co.uk/ . The owner is a friend and Caterham owner, very good food, locally sourced or made (Ice Cream on site) and very close to Caen Hill Locks, which are a nice place to walk off the full English afterwards https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caen_Hill_Locks
I've not looked for good driving routes nearby although I'm sure there are some.

 

[Number5]

I'm glad this thread is taking off. I thought you'd all just call me a fat b'stard for seeking out more cake shops !

If everyone keeps adding to it I'll run through them all and summarise them into regions at the top of the thread, once we've got a decent amount.

It's difficult to research via the Web as you get such varied results. Ive tried searching for Motorists cafes and you get Service stations, Bikers cafes come up with some results but parking a few motorbikes is far easier than 4 or five cars. Therefore, ideally we need personal recommendations and reviews. It also seems that a lot of pubs are now offering breakfasts, which is OK and great for parking, but its not really the sort of place you'd look to take the wife on a Sunday morning drive !

Thanks everyone for those so far, keep them coming.

 

[Number5]

+1 for both AV8 & Compton both a good place to sit and eat, plus the drive out to both on a roof down day is great. :driving:

Also the Lockside at the Cumberland basin Bristol, good food & service and parking with a view of Clifton.

The Buttery on Bristol Docks (BS1 6UD) is renowned for its bacon butties and offers parking and a great view of the water, but its purely an outdoor venue, so no good on wet days. A definite for summer though.

 

[buzyg]

Has anyone ever built a list of good Cafe's/ Diners, suitable for the needs of Motoring enthusiasts, aroumd which we can all plan a decent hoon ?

Yep a company called Michelin do a bit of a guide. oke:

http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/web/Restaurants/Restaurants-United_Kingdom

French though, so I'm sure we can do better. :wink:

 

[Number5]

Yep a company called Michelin do a bit of a guide. oke:
http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/web/Restaurants/Restaurants-United_Kingdom :

Yes Buzy, but look at those on the map around your area aand see how many fit the bill.
All those plotted around Bristol, I know, are either Gastro Pubs or Restaurants, not Greasy spoons or mrs Miggins Cake shop !

What happened to Cap'n Jaspers, is it still there in Plymouth ?

 

[Zed Five]

Good selection on the main road at Matlock Bath. Fine at 8.00am at weekends. No good after 9.30.

How about the Ponderosa Cafe. Horseshoe pass, north wales?

 

[Zeld4]

Yep a company called Michelin do a bit of a guide. oke:
http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/web/Restaurants/Restaurants-United_Kingdom :

Yes Buzy, but look at those on the map around your area aand see how many fit the bill.
All those plotted around Bristol, I know, are either Gastro Pubs or Restaurants, not Greasy spoons or mrs Miggins Cake shop !

What happened to Cap'n Jaspers, is it still there in Plymouth ?

It was still there in January when I was in Plymouth

 

[buzyg]

Yep a company called Michelin do a bit of a guide. oke:
http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/web/Restaurants/Restaurants-United_Kingdom :

Yes Buzy, but look at those on the map around your area aand see how many fit the bill.
All those plotted around Bristol, I know, are either Gastro Pubs or Restaurants, not Greasy spoons or mrs Miggins Cake shop !

What happened to Cap'n Jaspers, is it still there in Plymouth ?

Yep it's still there. Not a place you would ever have a car meet though.

Just kidding on the Michelin guide, as you no doubt guessed. It may have started out as a guide for the traveler, but it's certainly not that these days. A quick look at their map and not one of the dozens of places I could recommend around here are mentioned.

So what is the format for the guide then? Name, Postcode, quick crib and tyre marks out of 10.

Oh and pictures of pies.

 

[Number5]

Yeah John
County, Postcode, Photo and a brief write-up would be great.

We find that if the boys get out at 6-7am on a Sunday we get a good drive on empty roads, then as it starts to get busy we hit a cafe for 9am and then pootle home at 25mph after 10am before SWMBO has risen.

Alternatively, a little Sunday Afternoon jaunt through open country roads to a Farm type Cafe, with the wife goes down nicely !

The Ponderosa Is a typical example. I believe, (although Ive never managed to get there yet !)

 

[matthurley]

Caerphilly Mountain Snack Bar
https://www.facebook.com/CaerphillyMountainSnackBar

cF83 1hj

 

[mr wilks]

Maybe you could put a map together with flagged locations as reference similar to Stuart Truman's "where are we all " map ?

Here's ne for the Scottish boys or those on tour north of the border :driving:
home made cake was top drawer at Taste cafe in Braemar

 

[paulgs1000]

Hartside café on the brilliant A686. Top of the pass and wonderful views. Can get busy on a sunny Sunday but plenty big enough to cope. Food is typically basic but varied . Fabulous driving road but watch out for groups of motorcycles - not just ones and twos. Increasingly becoming popular with cyclists

Hartside Cafe, Alston CA9 3BW

Phone:01434 381036

 

[AlienZed]

Good selection on the main road at Matlock Bath. Fine at 8.00am at weekends. No good after 9.30.

How about the Ponderosa Cafe. Horseshoe pass, north wales?

Ponderosa one of my favourites, good brekki, good atmosphere, cars and bikers, and great roads to blast around :driving:
M

 

[Zed Five]

Good selection on the main road at Matlock Bath. Fine at 8.00am at weekends. No good after 9.30.

How about the Ponderosa Cafe. Horseshoe pass, north wales?

Ponderosa one of my favourites, good brekki, good atmosphere, cars and bikers, and great roads to blast around :driving:
M

Just watch out for camera vans on the pass and try not to go over the edge!

 

[Number5]

Good work Mr Willks, Paulsg1000, Zed Five and Co.
Some lovely entries there.

I'll start to do something with them on the weekend hopefully.