Tea on the Green, Rowlands Castle

For every South Down Velo member, this is simply ‘The Caff’. For close to 40 or so club members every Saturday morning, Tea on the Green is part of the Saturday morning ritual. In the winter, a place to shelter from the wind and rain, in the summer a place to catch a few rays whilst reinvigorating tired legs.

The vast array of cake is a welcome sight. The anticipation of coffee and cake is enough to persuade the weak-willed to take a short cut before Chalton.

Tea on the Green makes a virtue out of being cycle friendly – not once have they complained about the pile of bikes leant against the window or the effect on the floor of 40 sets of cleats clicking and clattering around. I do wonder if there is some vast clean up operation after we head off towards Southbourne – how long does it take to remove the pungent odour of 40 mud spattered cyclists ? Do they manage to clean up before the I-team arrive?

After many years of visiting the caff every Saturday morning, what would I recommend? It has to be a bacon sandwich, a latte and a cheeky slice of cake. And if you are not a cyclist, I would recommend that you go somewhere else at 11.30 on a Saturday (unless sweaty men in lycra is your thing!)

Philip Wise – Chichester – Financial Advice, Financial Planning