10 Fabulous Eateries; 10 Fabulous One Off Places

The last thing you want to spoil the mood on the journey is a limp sandwich and pitifully weak coffee.  You want a delicious bite in an independent café served with a genuine smile. You want salad grown in the field next door, dollops of jam made with the summer’s fruit glut and tea brewed in a proper pot.  Well, allow us to steer you. The Extra Mile is a treasury of delectable eateries within striking distance of main roads where you can enjoy decent food and warm welcomes without adding much to your travel time. We’ve been curating a collection of the very best independent cafes, farm shops, pubs and restaurants for more than five years and we know a great Battenberg and frothy coffee when we see one.  
 
The team at the Extra Mile have chosen 10 of their fabulous eateries and matched them up with 10 of our fabulous One Off Places……..The places we’ve matched up below are not too far from the destinations, or if you want somewhere about halfway from home. If you’re heading somewhere else, you’ll find oodles of options on our website. Or buy a copy of the book and stash it in your glovebox for on-the-hoof reference.  

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If you’re staying… in this Cornish off-grid coastal retreat in Looe: 
Stop here en route… Tre, Pol and Pen - A most modern farm shop with something for everyone. Feast in the café, browse for gifts in the shop or grab some chops for the barbeque.

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If you’re staying… in this lighthouse in Cumbria: 
Stop here… The Dalesman - Excellent meals conjured from local produce, served in a beautiful 16th century coaching inn. Well worth taking your time over.  

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If you’re staying… In this converted railway coach  in Herefordshire: 
Stop here… The Malthouse - Pull into Ledbury for a quick breather and beeline to the Malthouse Café and Gallery for chilled lemonades, American pancake stacks, and platters piled with home baking.  

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If you’re staying… in this Margate prison chamber in Kent: 
Stop here… Squerryes  - Better known for its fine sparkling wine, a secret awaits at Squerryes. The estate is also home to an A-grade deli where you can pick up warm patisserie, locally smoked charcuterie and fragrant blended teas.  

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If you’re staying… on this Liverpool houseboat: 
Stop here… The Lambing Shed  - Stock up on Cheshire’s finest produce in this breezy farm shop and grab sandwiches, house-cured bacon rolls and rich coffee in the café before you head off.  

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If you’re staying…in this coastal barn in Northumberland
Stop here… Moorhouse Farm  - Hearty cooked breakfasts, slices of cake and scrummy ice creams are the order of the day at this farm shop. Enjoy yours overlooking the rolling countryside, and quiet cranky kids with a tour of the farm animals.  

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If you’re staying…in this hobbit house in Shropshire: 
Stop here… The Cattle Shed  - A beautiful, rustic café in a former cattle barn serving excellent breakfasts, Hereford beef burgers, mouth-watering cakes and smooth coffee. Open seven days a week.  

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If you’re staying… in this woodland bothy in the Yorkshire Wolds: 
Stop here… That Tea Room  - Pause a while in this traditional tea room. Its ceiling is strung with old pots and its counters groan with cakes, scones and treats. Far from a one-trick pony, lunches and breakfasts are also on the menu.  

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If you’re staying… in this coastal micro-home in Bridgend: 
Stop here… Forage Farm Shop  - Barista coffee, home-sourced meat, local produce and artisanal gourmet goods set in a staggering wooden barn: you’ll be hard pushed to find a better place to break your journey.  

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If you’re staying… in this back-to-nature bolthole in the Scottish Highlands 
Stop here… The Croft Café  - Cosy up in this traditional old bakery building while you chat to the Kiwi crofter about free-range animals, life and children, and get the local low-down on secret swimspots.  

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The Extra Mile Guide is an insider’s guide to alternative and delicious places to stop just off motorways and main roads.  The Extra Mile Guide exists to steer you away from mediocre motorway service stations and garage forecourt food and into the arms of some of the UK’s best farm shops, independent cafes, and cosy pubs, all of which are within striking distance of motorway junctions and main A roads.  And for readers of the One Off Places blog, you can enjoy a discount of 10% off their books, valid until the end of February 2023, when you enter the code oneoff at the checkout.