Independent coffee stops worth riding to

Every café is visited in person and photographed by me. I sit down with the owners to learn what makes their shop unique, alongside stories about motorcycling and building a rewarding sober life.

SoloBay open on a phone mounted to motorcycle handlebars, showing a map with blue parking pins and filters for bike bays, car parks and free parking, with the bike’s dials blurred behind

SoloBay Founder Interview: Built After a Third Parking Ticket

Arta, founder of SoloBay, on parking tickets, council data, E5 fuel and why he wants his app to take the payments.

A Flat White Life pouch from North Star Coffee on a pink shelf, with a stained glass church window behind

Nottingham Coffee Festival 2026: Meeting the Roasters, Part 2

In the first part of this story, I met five exhibitors and heard how they found their way into coffee. But Nottingham Coffee Festival is far too big to take in all at once. So,…

Nottingham Coffee Festival banner hanging above stacked 200 Degrees Coffee cups inside St Mary's Church

Nottingham Coffee Festival 2026: Meeting the Roasters, Part 1

I set off early on the bike and headed up the motorway for the 100-mile journey to Nottingham Coffee Festival on Saturday 17 October. About halfway there, I pulled over to break out the thermos,…

Pink and blue neon "We are open" sign hanging outside Asylum Coffee in Swindon

Asylum Coffee Swindon: From Bangkok to a Hidden Unit

You wouldn’t accidentally stumble into Asylum Coffee unless you were looking for it. It is in an industrial estate in Swindon, far from the high street cafés and passing foot traffic. Look past the unusual…

Espresso pouring into a cup at a coffee shop in Hertford

The Best Coffee Shops in Hertford: 5 Independent Cafés Worth Visiting

When I first started visiting Hertford, I remember being amazed that I could sit in one coffee shop and see at least four others from the same seat. It’s a town that clearly loves its…

The Old Spike café frontage in a brick building, with maroon awnings over the window and door

How Old Spike Blends Coffee and Social Impact

I was riding back from an appointment with Laith at Saint Nine in Southwark when I saw a sign outside Old Spike, another coffee shop, which said, “You can help create employment opportunities and reduce…

5 Essential Artisan Coffee Stops in Watford

Watford’s got a thriving artisan coffee scene and what I like about the selection below, beyond the quality of the coffee and atmosphere, is how different they are from one another. These coffee shops are…

The Mixing Shed Café: In the Middle of Everywhere

It was my second visit to The Mixing Shed Café, tucked away near Saffron Walden. As always, the roads leading here did not disappoint. There’s long stretches of straight roads with countryside views for miles…

The black timber Wooden Hill café at Maulden with bunting and flower pots, a Royal Enfield in the foreground and the roastery van behind

Knocking on Doors: The Persistence Behind Wooden Hill Coffee

Riding into the Maulden Cafe of Wooden Hill Coffee, the smaller of the company’s two sites, feels a little like being transported back to rural Pennsylvania. That’s where I grew up. The former bait shed,…

A Royal Enfield parked outside the red-brick Old Depot building in Northampton, home of Yellow Bourbon Coffee Roasters

No Laptops, Just Vinyl: Inside Yellow Bourbon

Tucked into weathered brickwork on a tiny side street in Northampton town, you could be forgiven for missing it entirely. A bold yellow-and-black entrance is marked only by a modest Yellow Bourbon Coffee Roasters sign…