Aqua biking (Hill Top Cafe, Rackheath)

Hill Top Cafe,

Rackheath,

Opening times Mon-Fri 07:00-14:00,

Sat-Sun 08:00-14:00

Yesterday's ride with guests Chris (wife) and Barry and Helen (and their Tandem) had been in the diary for sometime but due to the dodgy looking weather forecast many e-mails (tandem riders don't seem to text) had been shared to decide if it should go ahead. Just as it looked like the ride would be called off the sky's cleared and all looked set fair for a lovely cycle. However by the time we had met at the start point the weather gods had clearly tricked us as the sky's had re-darkened and it had started to drizzle. The weather gods then really rubbed it in as the further we rode the heavier the rain got. Ha Ha weather gods, very funny.

We were soon taking part in a new hybrid sport of bike and canoeing, known as banoeing. As puddles spread across the road you had to decide if to ride through or walk round as in each puddle you could hit a hidden pot hole or fall off if the water was too deep. The winner of baneoing is the one with the wettest feet when measured at the cafe stop.

Today's cafe was the Hilltop cafe at Rackheath. I was keen to go here as it is open from 6:30, which is the earliest I can find in Norfolk and could be a good early stop on my world record 'cafe visits in one day' attempt later this year (See post Will it be a record?).

On arrival we ignored the tables in the under cover out door seating area and dripped our way inside hanging all our wet jackets, gloves and shoes across several tables.

Cold and wet in the Hilltop Cafe undercover outdoor seating area

The Hilltop cafe is only small but they seemed very friendly despite us turning their indoor seating area into a Chinese laundry. The sign outside had said breakfast, lunch and home-made cakes so I was very exciting at what the cake selection might offer. Sadly the only home-made cakes available were Norfolk shortbread (a biscuit), apple and date crumble (a desert) and sausage roll (a savoury snack) so strictly speaking no home-made cakes. Worse still there was no mention of hot chocolate on the menu. This combination could void the cafe according to cycle/cafe rating rules (see post There must be rules!). However fortunately hot chocolate was available after all and the apple and date crumble looked a bit like flapjack (which counts as a cake) so ratings and reviewing could now happen.

I ordered Hot chocolate and 'flapjack' (apple and date). Chris, Barry and Helen all ordered filter coffee (which they all thought was good coffee) as their guest drinks but Barry and Helen's tandem decided to pass on a drink and wait for us outside. As Chris, Barry and Helen were all cold, wet and hungry they went for the full English breakfast as their cake option. 

Hilltop cafe English breakfast (minus black pudding) which is not a cake!

English Breakfast is defiantly not cake! So I excluded them from playing any further part in rating the Hilltop Cafe. However the fry up's were really good. The 'flapjack' (date and apple) was nice but I would have preferred something a little more cakey.

It was now time to see who had won baneoing, and it quickly became clear that Chris was a natural as she was able to wring gallons of water out of her socks while the rest of us had just got damp footwear. We didn't even need Arthur Ellis's dip stick to declare her the winner. For some reason the news of her victory did not cheer her up as she continued to mutter about being cold and wet and stupid blogs.

The Hilltop cafe is a nice friendly cafe for a cycle stop but aimed more at the fry up market then the coffee and cake brigade. 

The weather gods were kinder to us on the way home with no further rain and only a strong head wind to contend with. 

As an aside. 
My Blog is all about the best cafes, or tearooms, for Hot chocolate, hot drinks and home-made cakes when on cycle rides. For those who prefer breakfast at their cafes then you might be interested in 'the fry up inspector' blog which also seems to be Norfolk cafe focused. Here is the inspectors view of Hilltop Cafe Rackheath  The fry up inspector Hilltop cafe review

Hot Choc Quality	Guest Hot Drink Quality	Effective Cake Selection	Cake Quality	Ambiance and Atmosphere	Café Rating
6.0	7.0	3.0	6.0	6.0	5.6