If you’re the kind of person who plans holidays around the places you want to eat and drink out, you’ll want to add these destination coffee shops to your daytrip hitlist
Gylly Beach Cafe, Cornwall
Cornwall’s beaches helped England secure the number two spot on Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2020 Top Countries list and there are few more gorgeous examples than Gyllyngvase. Fortunately for visitors to Falmouth it’s also home to one of the country’s best-positioned speciality coffee spots. Bright white sands and gentle waves make a breathtaking backdrop for a mid-morning coffee; cradle a Cornwall-roasted Origin flat white while you watch the paddleboarders from the picture windows.
Yeo Valley Canteen, Somerset
With lots of alfresco seating and unspoilt views over Blagdon Lake, Yeo Valley Canteen is an off-the-beaten-track find (a surprisingly short detour from the M5) worth rerouting your travel plans for. Most can only dream of having a staff canteen like Yeo Valley’s but, thankfully, the milk maestros have been kind enough to share it with external visitors. Daytrippers and speciality seekers share the space with the dairy’s workforce as they sip velvety flat whites crafted from Yeo Valley milk and beans roasted by Extract in Bristol.
Dyfi Roastery, Mid Wales
Speciality coffee shops in rural Mid Wales are few and far between, so when you learn about one located in the heart of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve it’s worth planning a visit. This isn’t just a coffee shop in a picturesque setting however: Dyfi Roastery is also a micro-roastery and lifestyle store focused on provenance, where everything from the ceramic cups to the seeded loaves are chosen with care.
Caora Dhubh Coffee, Isle of Skye
This tiny little takeaway must have one of the best coffee shop locations in the UK: on the shore of Skye’s Loch Harport with dramatic views of the Cuillins. It’s rural, it’s remote – and it’s right opposite the Talisker Distillery. Don’t visit expecting a Highlands style tearoom though: Caora Dhubh is all clean-lined and design-driven modernism, with its black sheep motif signalling to caffeine-weary travellers that they’ll find quality coffee here.
Pilgrims Coffee House, Holy Island
You’ll need to check the tide tables if you’re planning to visit Holy Island’s coffee shop as if you spend too long enjoying your brew you could be spending the evening on the tidal island just off the Northumberland coast. Pilgrims Coffee House owner Andrew Mundy roasts the cafe’s staple blends, Daily Bread and Holy Grail, along with a myriad of single origins in a yurt in the garden. After a roam around the square-mile isle, stopping for a perfectly poured flat white and slice of cake is a must.
