any good tea stops in the 'Avon' area?

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
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foxyrider
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any good tea stops in the 'Avon' area?

Post by foxyrider »

i'm on a temporary 'secondment' to the area and whilst i can surely find some good riding i don't know the cafe scene. So any recommendations for good stops within say 50 miles of Brizzle? Tea essential, cake appreciated and warm snacks essential as we go into the winter months.

Cheers
Convention? what's that then?
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Norman H
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Re: any good tea stops in the 'Avon' area?

Post by Norman H »

A year or so ago I spent a week on the Arlingham peninsular near Frampton-on-Severn, a bit north of Bristol. There's some excellent riding in that area and I remember a couple of tea rooms in Berkeley, one on the corner of the cross roads in the middle or the town and another in a courtyard a short distance away. There was also the Black Shed Cafe at Slimbridge and the Garden Centre at Almondsbury. For something a little stonger than tea I can also recommend the Three Horseshoes pub on the green at Frampton-on-Severn for excellent beer and cider.

I also passed through Bristol on my LEJOG and I stopped at the cafe at Chew valley reservoir. It's about a quarter of a mile off the B3144 at the Chew Stoke end of the reservoir
hayers
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Re: any good tea stops in the 'Avon' area?

Post by hayers »

Farm shop at wooton under edge does great bacon / sausage baps - fuel for the hills!

The Hewelsfield and Brockweir community shop / cafe is always a nice stop - either before heading further into the Forest of Dean or looping back to the bridge.

+1 for the Berkley tea rooms
whoof
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Re: any good tea stops in the 'Avon' area?

Post by whoof »

In addition to the above.

Stable Tea Rooms at Chew Valley Lake
http://newmanorfarmshop.co.uk/

Strawberry Line Café Yatton
http://www.strawberrylinecafe.co.uk/

Simple Gorgeous Cheddar
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restauran ... gland.html

Victorian Cafe WSM
http://www.victoriancafewsm.com/

Stables Cafe Saul Junction
https://thestablescafe.my-free.website/

If you mean 50 miles from Bristol and not there and back
Morris' Garden Centre Usk (wheel your bike straight in through to the cafe)
https://www.uskgardencentre.co.uk/

Sprokwobbles (me neither) Usk
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restauran ... Wales.html

Brockweir Community Shop and Tearooms
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restauran ... _Wale.html

Abbey Mill Tintern is OK as long as you don't get the miserable woman who doesn't like cyclists.
http://www.abbeymill.com/food.html?LMCL=UphPkX

The Old Station Cafe at Tintern used to be nice but it's changed hands and now run by a chain, also may shut for the winter.
hayers
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Re: any good tea stops in the 'Avon' area?

Post by hayers »

whoof wrote:The Old Station Cafe at Tintern used to be nice but it's changed hands and now run by a chain, also may shut for the winter.


I think the previous people now run the cafe at the dean forest museum in littledean - nice and seems to be frequented by cyclists - bit further out of bristol though - but some lovely riding round there
whoof
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Re: any good tea stops in the 'Avon' area?

Post by whoof »

hayers wrote:
whoof wrote:The Old Station Cafe at Tintern used to be nice but it's changed hands and now run by a chain, also may shut for the winter.


I think the previous people now run the cafe at the dean forest museum in littledean - nice and seems to be frequented by cyclists - bit further out of bristol though - but some lovely riding round there

Yes I think I saw something in a local paper about this. Would make a good stop on a 100 mile trip around the Avon.
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rmurphy195
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Re: any good tea stops in the 'Avon' area?

Post by rmurphy195 »

Norman H wrote:A year or so ago I spent a week on the Arlingham peninsular near Frampton-on-Severn, a bit north of Bristol. There's some excellent riding in that area and I remember a couple of tea rooms in Berkeley, one on the corner of the cross roads in the middle or the town and another in a courtyard a short distance away. There was also the Black Shed Cafe at Slimbridge and the Garden Centre at Almondsbury. For something a little stonger than tea I can also recommend the Three Horseshoes pub on the green at Frampton-on-Severn for excellent beer and cider.

I also passed through Bristol on my LEJOG and I stopped at the cafe at Chew valley reservoir. It's about a quarter of a mile off the B3144 at the Chew Stoke end of the reservoir


Black Shed at Slimbridge is much nicer now its reopened. There's also a Canal and River Trust cafe further along the canal (near saul Junction I think), and a couple of teashops and a big pub in Frampton. If you are a National Trustmember of course you can use their cafes without having to pay the entry fee!

Centre of Goucester has loads of places, including a witherspoons of course.
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rjb
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Re: any good tea stops in the 'Avon' area?

Post by rjb »

If you can drag yourself over the Mendips and drop south to the somerset levels this cafe is a cyclists paradise.
Pot of Tea and cake £2.50
North Curry Community cafe, (closed on Mondays)
https://northcurry.com/?businesses=nort ... offee-shop
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foxyrider
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Re: any good tea stops in the 'Avon' area?

Post by foxyrider »

Thanks guys, some good ones to start me off! 50 miles from Brizzle is about the limit although if there's somewhere worth going a bit further on i might stretch the ole legs :lol:

As an aside, why the heck do tea shops etc put the napkin under the bun/cake on the plate? is the plate not clean? certainly said napkin is of little use damp and covered in cream so why bother at all? :?
Convention? what's that then?
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AndyK
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Re: any good tea stops in the 'Avon' area?

Post by AndyK »

Another one: the cafe in Prema Arts Centre in the village of Uley, near Dursley in Glos, perched on the western end of the Cotswolds. Excellent. Closed Sun & Mon though.

foxyrider wrote:As an aside, why the heck do tea shops etc put the napkin under the bun/cake on the plate? is the plate not clean? certainly said napkin is of little use damp and covered in cream so why bother at all? :?

It's one of life's great mysteries, along with: Why do tea shops close at 3:30 on Sunday, just when it's time for tea?

(Yes, I know they say they close at 4pm, but in real life that means they look seriously grumpy if you try to order after 3, and by 3:30 all the chairs will be up on the tables and the staff will have their coats on.)
whoof
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Re: any good tea stops in the 'Avon' area?

Post by whoof »

Remembered a couple more

Mells Shop and Café.
https://www.mellsvillage.co.uk/mells-cafe/
I've been meaning to go to the Wall Garden Café but haven't got around to it.
https://www.thewalledgardenatmells.co.uk/cafe

Arts Community Café Trowbridge
http://www.trowbridgearts.com/index.php ... Itemid=272

Caen Hill Locks very good to see the canal lock flight
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restauran ... gland.html
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andrew_s
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Re: any good tea stops in the 'Avon' area?

Post by andrew_s »

Clearwell Caves has a decent cafe.

Bream coffee shop (top of the hill at the SW end of the High St)

Dean Heritage Centre, Lower Soudley (might be the place @hayers meant by Littledean - it's a couple of miles away)
Bmblbzzz
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Re: any good tea stops in the 'Avon' area?

Post by Bmblbzzz »

Tortworth farm shop
Berkeley Tea Rooms
Summer Cafe, Malmesbury
Sweets, somewhere on the Somerset Levels
Yatton station cafe
Banjo's in Upton-on-Severn is stretching your 50 mile limit, in addition I've never been there myself but heard it's decent
Much nearer, Warmley waiting room
Pepper's, Bull Lane, Gloucester
hayers
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Re: any good tea stops in the 'Avon' area?

Post by hayers »

andrew_s wrote:
Dean Heritage Centre, Lower Soudley (might be the place @hayers meant by Littledean - it's a couple of miles away)


Ah yes, you're right.

The museum is well worth a trip - took the kids in the summer - they were interested as were we
Steve
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Re: any good tea stops in the 'Avon' area?

Post by Steve »

One place to avoid would be FROME.

Diabolical choice of cafes, with nothing between pretentious converted chapel full of vegan Guardian readers with shrieking toddlers in organic nappies, and greasy spoons you could lubricate a chain with.
(Now step forward someone with better local knowledge!)

Quite happy to recommend the friendly place down the road at Mells, however.

This advice based on nothing more than a day ride through the area, a couple of years ago. There's nothing better at putting one off a place, than arriving on two wheels expecting a good feed in hospitable surroundings, and being bitterly disappointed!
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