OT A head-scratcher for the South West.....

[The Wanderer]

.... pointless asking in the local NGs as the signal to noise ratio is ridiculous.

OK, it was maybe 30-40 years ago. The normal route down to Cornwall through Devon is the A30. I recollect deciding to go through Somerset and North Devon, perhaps, maybe through Taunton, Tiverton, Crediton, Bude and onto the north Cornwall coast.

I recollect stopping at 'The Black Cat Cafe' somewhere on that journey. I think there was lso a Black Cat garage. The cafe was on a corner on top of a bank, and one approached it by climbing some steps set into the bank. I found some references to it a few years back but can't find any trace now. I'm guessing it's closed now, Anybody know the place, or can shed some light?

[devonsteve]

The cafe and garage you describe are on the Tiverton to Bampton road , both are now closed but the signs are still there , about 20 mins from me

[devonsteve]

To be a bit more accurate the prmises are located at the junction of the A396 and the B3227

[The Medway Handyman]

Was it a Little Chef at one point?

[David WE Roberts]

Sadly, almost everything was a Little Chef at one point....

[The Wanderer]

Thank you muchly.

I guessed it would have closed long since, as have so many of our road side cafes. Looking at the map, I can't for the life of me work out why on earth I would have travelled that particular road, unless I decided I wanted a spell from A roads and thought I'd travel the B 3227 for a while! :-)

[The Wanderer]

Don't think so. From memory the location was a bit out of the way.

[The Wanderer]

Nay, nay and thrice nay! There were some excellent greasy spoon cafes around a few years ago, sadly most of them are either closed or housing estates.....

:-(

[The Medway Handyman]

There was one on the A30 about there though - on a hill.

[Jules]

I'm glad stuff like this bugs someone else, too :-) Also glad you found your answer.

Thankfully greasy spoon transport cafes seem to still be alive and well here in the US - although none of them know how to do proper bacon...

cheers

Jules

[The Wanderer]

Hmm, that always tended to be something of an issue for me - most greasy spoons barely cooked the bacon. I like mine well cooked!

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember The Wanderer saying something like:

One thing I'm grateful to Elfin Safey for, is the modern lack of Elastoplast hanging off greasy spoon servers' fingers, as memorable incident recalls.

[Jules]

US bacon's always streaky and with a very high fat/meat ratio - they don't do big slabs of back bacon like UK transport cafes always seem to dish up :-( Can't even buy it in the shops to cook yourself, either.

My grandad used to own a chippy - I remember how he used to tell a tale of losing a plaster when at work once. He never did find it, so the assumption was that it went home in someone's food, but nobody ever did complain.

cheers

Jules