‘COME FOR THE ROADS, STAY FOR THE CAKE!’

The hunt for Britain’s best biker café rolls into North Yorkshire

It’s said throughout the Dales that ‘all roads lead to Hawes’ and whilst that may be an exaggeration in real terms, it’s certainly true that the best ones do. We took a ride over the legendary Buttertubs Pass to visit this week’s Golden Sausage contender, the Penny Garth Café, and joined the lunchtime regulars to find out if there’s more to this established hub than just a convenient place to meet for those exploring the incredible local roads.

“I’d give it 10/10 right across the board,” says David Short, who rides in at least once a week with mate Neil Burnett on their Triumph Bonnevilles. “The food is superb and there’s always a friendly atmosphere, plus it’s the best motorcycling area you can have – what’s not to like?” Charles Crowley and Peter Benbow offer up a perfect 10 too. “The reputation speaks for itself,” says Charles. “Good food, quick service and excellent facilities.” And our sausage bap left nothing to be desired after the hype we’d just received, however the real treat was one of owner Christian Westen’s home-made brownies. “We make everything fresh,” says Christian’s number two in the kitchen, local lad Ryan Iveson. “And that includes all the cakes and pastries. We understand bikers so do our best to cater for them – we’ll make sure groups are all served hot food at the same time, we provide visor cleaning facilities and also a 24hr webcam so that you can check on the weather before heading over.”

The Penny Garth could be in the running on location alone, but we spoke to a cross section of customers and it would appear that whilst many come for the roads, they all stay for the food. Especially the cake. NEXT WEEK