Somerset café named best in England for cyclists

• Feed Station in Merriott chosen as #1 café destination for England’s cyclists
• Panel of expert judges including Angellica Bell select cycling café as favourite

The Somerset based café stood out among its competition for its attention to detail, and was a clear winner for Cycling UK’s judges, which included Celebrity Masterchef winner, Angellica Bell. 

 

Angellica said: “This is a lovely café, full of character it only opened last year and has already had an enormous impact on the local community.”

The idea for the Feed Station was born several thousand kilometres away from Somerset on the slopes of Mount Teide in Tenerife where Tour de France winners Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas trained. 

Its four founders and of course keen cyclists David and Jenny Wilson, Adrian and Louise Pearce discussed their plans as they trained in the wheel tracks of some of Britain’s most successful cyclists.

Jenny Wilson said, “I remember so well, right at the beginning of our journey cycling in Tenerife with many extremely able cyclists, including Team Sky’s David Lopez and hearing about their experiences in cycling cafes. 

“We would grind up the island’s mountain at the back of the group full of chatter and excitement, full of ideas for our cycling café and never could we have imagined at that time that we would win this award today!”

The Feed Station resides in a former grade II listed Sunday school which was lovingly restored by the four friends, and opened in December 2018. 

The location came up by chance, as Jenny explains, “We were looking for that perfect café stop en-route where we would be welcomed in our lycra, safe bike storage, great coffee and bacon rolls with perhaps a wood burner in the winter months to warm our bones -  we didn’t find it. So, we created it and the Feed Station was born!”

Contact information

For more information contact the national Cycling UK Press Office on 01483 238 315, 07786 320 713 or email [email protected]

Notes to editors

1. Cycling UK, the national cycling charity, inspires and helps people to cycle and keep cycling, whatever kind of cycling they do or would like to do. Over a century’s experience tells us that cycling is more than useful transport; it makes you feel good, gives you a sense of freedom and creates a better environment for everyone. www.cyclinguk.org 
2. For more information on the Cyclists Café of the Year, see https://www.cyclinguk.org/tags/cyclist-cafe-year 
3. The full list of winners for Cyclist Café of the Year 2019 are as follows: Lanterne Rouge, Scotland; The Feed Station, England; Pedal Power, Wales; The Auction Room, Northern Ireland; Bank View, Lifetime Achievement; Velolife, People’s Choice.
4. The Feed Station is based at Sandy Hole, Merriott, TA16 5QR and further information is available at: https://www.thefeedstationmerriott.co.uk/ 
5. Images available at: https://www.skyfish.com/p/cyclinguk/1623910