Combing my hair….

This is a sign no cyclist wants to see. Particularly when your toes are telling you they have turned black and dropped off. Unfortunately this was our fate today on Tony’s Winter Warmer. It is not really that surprising, the deserted Peak District roads on a freezing January Sunday are great for cycling, not so great if you are running a cafe. The obvious time of year to close for a few days. Undeterred we pressed on.

Now some cafes have signs on the door to indicate that they welcome cyclists.

The signs that a cafe doesn’t welcome cyclists are usually less obvious. Something to look for is tea in a porcelain cup and saucer.

This isn’t a perfect indicator. Firstly, I am sure there are some cafes which serve tea in the finest china and are happy to see customers in lycra. Secondly, and more importantly, the china is not a forward indicator. By the time you see it, you will be under no illusions about your second class status and the unacceptability of carrying a folded £10 note in your back pocket instead of knowing the price of a cup of tea in every cafe in the land and carrying the exact change, just in case you should be thirsty in their vicinity. Hey ho, thank goodness for the simply fabulous Youlgreave YHA cafe. They clearly have inherited some of the ethos of the former occupants.