Whilst the west side of the UK experienced an awfully wet summer, the West Suffolk Wheelers Cycling Club’s Wednesday rides benefited from a prolonged period of warm, dry, days from June right through to October. We got really wet once and dripped all over the floor in the Tea Pot Pottery café in Debenham. They were very good about it but then they were taking money from us; the floor is tiled so no harm was done. Another ride was curtailed because of lowering dark clouds, when we took refuge in The Hunter Gallery in Long Melford, the sort of place where you pay a fiver just to open the front door. The lady owner was very nice about our disparate bunch descending on her gallery for scones and tea, and we were very nice in not shouting “Rip-Off” at the prices of the varied selection of artworks on sale. It was only on the way home that the heavens opened and we got soaked. So that’s twice then.

For the most part the Wednesday series of rides were sun-drenched, balmy, colourful, scenic and a joy to experience. The rides have increased in popularity through the year. Stalwarts of the ride have been Stephen Hill, Justin Wallace, Richard ‘Tom Tom’ Seggar, Ron Fisher, Tony Panting and Peter Heath. Other riders, some more regular than others, have included, Sharon Calton, Mike Cross, Peter Gay, Anne Fish, Kevin Flanagan, Barry Denny, Jeff Agricole, Julian Coleman, Neil Dykes, Simon Bourne, Ed Bucknell, Mike Bowen, Shaw Fox, Gareth Doman, Adi Grimwood, Steve Mayes, Jonathan Howe and Tricia Dennison, - 24 riders involved over the summer. Guest riders have included Peter Hogg, Richard Muchmore, Richard’s cousin John from Jersey, a vicar from East Harling, (was he Gary?) and Glenn Grant from the Eagle Road Club, Essex.

The ethos has been one of a relaxed, social ride, (most of the time!), full of banter, with the emphasis firmly on the quality of the cakes at the tea stop; fruit or cheese scones are a particular favourite of the group.. In fact, certain members like to think they have become connoisseurs of the scone and talked about forming the Wheelers very own SAS, the Scone Appreciation Society, to provide feedback to the various establishments we favour with our presence, and more importantly, our money. But cakes of any description must be homemade, and freshly homemade at that. Thus we only frequent Tea Rooms and Cafés of a certain standing. No ‘Greasy Spoon’ cafés for us thank you very much. Quality is all.

Our search for the ‘Outstanding Scone’ has taken us far and wide this year, with tea rooms visited for the first time at Dedham,( Essex Rose Tea Room); East Bergholt, (The Fountains TR); Ashbocking, (The Crockery Barn TR); Wickham Market, (Tea Pot TR); Ely, ( Peacocks TR); Wicken Fen,( National Trust TR); Stisted TR, and Finchingfield, (Jemima’s TR).

Local favourites have included, Woodlands Coffee Shop at Hollow Trees Farm, Semer; No 1 Delicatessen and Café, Clare; Corn Craft TR, Monks Eleigh; Mere Moments, Amandines, The Angel, all 3 TRs at Diss; Bressingham Garden Centre TR; Coffee and Co., Newmarket; Spencers TR, Wickham St Paul; Thetford Garden Centre TR and the Tea Pot Pottery TR, Debenham.

The reader might be forgiven for thinking that the Wednesday riders are simply cake lovers with a cycling problem and this may not be far from the truth! But we have covered many miles whilst putting the world to rights and perhaps earning the epithet of the Last of the Summer Wheelers. Quite who Compo, Clegg, Foggy, and Nora Batty are I’ll leave you to decide.

The major revelation in 2009 was the discovery of the massive computing and navigating power of Richard Seggar’s brain. No longer did we need to agonise over the quietest, most scenic route to any particular point of the compass. Give Richard a moment to fire his synapses and we were off on a mystery tour, down lanes many of us have never explored before and in directions which are seemingly and obviously wrong. Not so.

Earning the tag of ‘Tom Tom’, Richard’s routes have a 98% success rate; he is not infallible however, his wires once becoming a little crossed on the return from Lincoln’s Tea Room at Hingham. But then we were in Norfolk and it wasn’t a Wednesday, so that don’t count do it Rich?

At the risk of being controversial I would now like to nominate my personal

‘Wednesday Wheelers’ Tea Rooms/ Café Awards for 2009.

Warmest Welcome............................................No 1 Delicatessen and Café, Clare

Best Scones, (fruit, and cheese categories)..........Woodlands Coffee Shop, Semer

Best Cake, (Tony’s 75th birthday cake)...........No 1 Delicatessen and Café, Clare

Best Pot of Tea.....................................................Tea Pot Pottery TR, Debenham

Best Coffee, (+ free refill)................................No 1 Delicatessen and Café, Clare

Best Jam, (Little Scarlet Strawberry)...................Essex Rose Tea Room, Dedham

Best value for money....................................................Mere Moments Café, Diss

Best Wildlife interest (Wasps).....................National Trust Tea Room, Wicken Fen

Best Outside Seating Area..................................Woodlands Coffee Shop, Semer

Best View from Tea Room...........................................Thetford Garden Centre TR

Most Innovative, (10% discount for cyclists).................Stisted Tea Rooms, Essex

Overall Best Café/Tea Room 2009...............Woodlands Coffee Shop, Semer

The Overall Award is based on the consistently, good range of fresh, homemade cakes and scones, quality Tea Pigs tea, light welcoming indoor seating area, large, pleasant outside seating area with umbrellas, clean toilets, friendly staff, and value for money.

The Woodlands Coffee Shop price for a fresh, homemade, fruit scone with jam and a pot of tea was £2:65, only beaten by Mere Moments Café, Diss at £2:35. The Quality of fresh cakes and scones at Woodlands is always high.

Having decided my overall award for 2009, I visited the Hollow Trees Farm website www.hollowtrees.co.uk only to discover that the Woodlands Coffee Shop won the Best Coffee Shop title in the Suffolk Food and Drink Awards 2008.

This proves how discerning our group of cyclists is, through visiting a large number of similar establishments in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex during 2009.

We appreciate, a warm, friendly welcome, (a smile costs nothing), efficient service, quality fayre, commodious surroundings with clean toilets, and reasonable prices.

Very well done to Woodlands Coffee Shop!