‘WE’VE GREAT ROADS IN EVERY DIRECTION’
The ‘café in the sky’ makes for a perfect gastronomical pitstop
North Wales is blessed with some of the finest roads and most stunning scenery, attracting thousands of bikers. One of the more well-known sections is Horseshoe Pass, which has at its summit the world-famous Ponderosa Café, so with the pass reopened following a spate of wildfires we made the 1400ft ascent to check out the ‘café in the sky.’ The Ponderosa is centred around a no-frills self-service restaurant which caters for hundreds of bikers every weekend. Although there are often queues, the turnaround is surprisingly speedy. “It’s always really quick,” says Andrea Goodier, while sprucing up her visor at the cleaning station, “but it’s also nice to have a chat and meet people while you’re waiting.” Husband John agrees and adds: “It’s much better than your average greasy spoon. Plus it’s a great place to stop for an afternoon ice cream.” With a long ride ahead of us, we made the most of a delicious big breakfast. The Ponderosa certainly has a lot to shout about, with an unrivalled 360º vista that includes the brooding Snowdonia and the Clwydians. And whichever direction you ride in, there are great roads to savour, especially if you head deeper into Wales.
“It’s been a family business for going on 35 years,” owner Simon Clemence told MCN. “There are great roads in every direction, which makes us a perfect halfway house. It’s only around 40 minutes to Merseyside or the West Midlands from here, so as a meeting spot it’s the perfect location.”