1 Ace Cafe
A406 North Circular, London
Tel: 020 8961 1000
In the early Sixties I was a mod girl, into obscure r&b records, Motown and Biba dresses. Rockers, with their long greasy hair, drape jackets and crepe soled shoes worried me. They had done since they pulled all the seats out of the Astoria cinema during Blackboard Jungle and thrown them at the screen. So I was quaking when dispatched by the steely editor of the music paper that employed me to go and interview the Wild Angels, England's answer at the time to Hells Angels at the famous rockers' haunt - the Ace Cafe on the North Circular Road.
In fact the boys in their leathers turned out to be sweet, nervous and flattered that anyone would want to talk to them (unlike their American counterparts who I met later and confirmed every terrifying picture of enormous, snarling, vicious human beings you might never want to meet, dark night or not). With the jukebox blaring, formica tables, bikes parked up outside and fried food littering the table, the Ace was everything a Sixties rocker could desire, and a cup of tea you could stand a spoon in was certainly welcome after I'd been taken up the North Circular and back on a speeding, low slung machine that cornered at an ankle-bruising angle. Sadly the Ace closed soon afterwards (around the time that Little Richard started wearing mascara and the rockers put their drapes in storage) but re-opened last September after 30 years.
These days it's a biker's paradise, parked out on Sundays by the biggest, glossiest machines in the land. There's still a jukebox blasting rock'n'roll, the all-day breakfast is a house favourite, but it's the bikes that rule: there's Italian day, Yamaha owners' day, BSA day and so on. Once a month there's a car night - hot rods, VWs you name them, and runs to Southend, Margate and Brighton are regularly organised. Next weekend there's the annual Ace reunion with old rock'n'roll stars and a run to Brighton at which over 40,000 bikers are expected.
Penny Valentine
2 Oakdene Bikers' Cafe
A20 at Wrotham in Kent, just off junction 2 of the M2
Tel: 01732 884 873
I'm here on Wednesday evening, the day of the week that the Oakdene Cafe is officially taken over by bikers. The car park (or should I say bike park) dwarfs the whitewashed brick shack with green trimmings that houses the cafe itself, and is filled to overflowing with all manner of bikes, plus the odd heavy-duty lorry.
Oakdene started life as a standard transport cafe, and since initiating the late opening on Wednesday nights eight years ago, has reinvented itself to become a household name in biking circles. The queues for a heart attack on a plate (giant all-day breakfast comes in at £4.95) can go out the door, even just before closing, which is 10pm on a Wednesday. Outside, the atmosphere is like a village fair, with heavy-booted bikers trading information, arms folded and standing to attention.
Enthusiasts flock from all over the UK to visit Oakdene and showcase their pride and joy outside. It's well equipped, space-wise, to deal with the hordes who who descend upon Janet Jevons and her son, Stephen, who have run the cafe for more than 20 years. Wednesday nights and Sundays have been earmarked as the night when the bikers officially take over, but you'll find a similar situation on other visits. A taste of the authentic bikers' stopover, this cafe has become a destination in itself.
Kirsty Buttfield
3 Squires Cafe
Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire, A162, Knottingley to Tadcaster road
Tel: 01977 684618
www.sherburn-cafe.co.uk
In 'Hotel California', the Eagles sing about rolling up the dark desert highway with 'cool wind in my hair', no doubt on a cruising motorcycle typifying the era of the song. It is only fitting, then, that last month the B'Eagles, an Eagles tribute band, performed at Squires to a battalion of leather-clad, helmet-clutching aficionados.
Squires started off as Squire Bradbury's milk bar in 1954, and has been extended, taken over, and finally moved this year, to a giant site just down the road. There wasn't a big enough bike park at the old spot. If what you're looking for is a serious all-day breakfast, you've come to the right place, but bear in mind that the only acceptable fashions are leathers and anyone flouting these rules will be laughed out of the place.
Harry and Sue met in the old milk bar in 1962, married a few years later and bought the site in 1974. During their 28 years running the show, Squires has become a bikers' Mecca. So much so that it's been necessary to move to the new site, to accommodate the influx of bikers making their way here. Now seating a whopping 700 customers, the 5.5 acre site has ample space for the hundreds of bikers who visit daily. This is your quintessential biking layover, complete with breast-flashing biker women (just inspect the website - this year in the Ladies Room there is a 'Get Your Tits Out Topless Special'!)
The clientele is about a 50-50 split between hardcore Harley Davidson fanatics and racing bikers out for a spin. Regular events are arranged through the cafe, including live music (a new fixture) and monthly rides. At such an enormous size, this is an easy meeting place for enthusiasts in the North of England, to exchange thoughts and snoop on one another's two wheels.
Nancy Tangrob
4 Wessons
Horam, East Sussex
Tel: 01435 813999
Once the Ogri Cafe, named after 1972's famous (at least to bikers) cartoon biker character, Ogri, the cafe has recently changed its name to Wessons, but you can catch glimpses of Ogri on the walls, and even pick up a souvenir T-shirt, if it happens to be your bag. Steve and Loz Wesson have been enthusiasts for years, and are big fans of the American diner culture. This philosophy comes across in the presentation of Wessons.
Biking cafes make sense to Steve, who tells me: 'I grew up in the Midlands in the 1970s, there were lots of bike shops, and the cafes that went with them were always busy. You don't pack a picnic when you go out riding, so biker cafes will always have a following.'
The couple run a family business: Steve takes care of the leathers and other merchandise, and Loz runs the cafe, which is a hybrid of Forties tea room, Fifties cafe and American diner. The site is relatively new, having been open just over two years, but the Wessons' background is in Brighton, where they ran a workshop, importing spares, which is still in operation a few yards from the site. Patrons range from truly scary bikers to visitors on Vespas, and all are welcomed.
Once again, we're talking an outrageously huge all-day breakfast at £4.50, plus they have a 'Big Mama Challenge': If you can consume ALL of the following, plus chips, you get a free drink. Steel yourselves, folks. Four pieces of burger bun, three burger patties, bacon, lettuce, cheese, onions, tomatoes, tomato relish and mayonnaise, all held together by a skewer. Wessons is a regular destination for lots of clubs; so depending on the calendar there may be 150 bikes jamming the parking space outside the cafe. Add the textbook 1950s tunes on the stereo, and you could be an extra on the set of Grease.
Kirsty Buttfield
5 The Durlston Castle
Swanage, Dorset
01929 424 693
It's clear from the outset why this has become a popular haunt for bikers over the years. The seaside castle was built in 1887, and has always served food. These days it houses an ¿ la carte restaurant, as well as a self-service cafe, seating more than 100 jolly bikers. The terms don't really go together, I know, but everyone seems to be in such cheery spirits. Perhaps it's the sea air. A monster car park probably attracts the bikers on day trips, as well as egg and chips (served all day). Fresh seafood features regularly on the menu, but as it's bought from small local suppliers, it varies a lot, and you'll usually find it on the specials board. The most popular item on the menu is the rack of lamb with port and redcurrant sauce (£9.95).
Hundreds of bikers make their way here, despite the fact that it doesn't serve an all-day breakfast and doesn't benefit from a long-time owner, though you'll meet Ben Elvin behind the bar, who has been here for a few years and can tell a tale or two about some of the former punters. This is trendier than a true bikers' cafe and there's less of the rough-and-ready element - it's also a popular venue for rock climbers. The music coming over the PA is local radio and there's a drum'n'bass night once a month. However, the sea views from the garden are breathtaking, and the cosy decor in the pub section make the Durlston Castle a welcome option all year round.
Kirsty Buttfield
