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00:00So I'm here at the food stop cafe, near Bridge North,
00:29with Alistair Norman, the biker.
00:33Alistair, how long have you been coming here,
00:35and what makes it special?
00:37Oh, Lord.
00:40I've been coming here probably on and off since the 70s.
00:45Special, it's just somewhere which everywhere meets.
00:49Everyone comes down here, they'll meet up.
00:50You talk to anybody.
00:52It's a regular stop for people
00:53if they're going to ride out into Wales,
00:55either going or coming back.
00:57Stop here, have a bite to eat,
00:59and carry on to wherever they're going to.
01:01And what do you think you'll miss most about coming here?
01:06Just the chance of somewhere to ride out on a weekend,
01:08have a bite to eat, sit and chit-chat,
01:10talk to other bikers, just enjoy the view,
01:15and a good sandwich.
01:17Okay, and what sandwich have you gone for there?
01:19That's bacon and sausage.
01:20Okay, out of 10?
01:22Oh, got to be a 10.
01:28So I'm with Dave Perks here at the Food Stop Cafe, Bridge North.
01:33Dave, talk me through your bike.
01:35This is a bit of a beast, isn't it?
01:37This is an old 1987 Harley Sportster,
01:40which I bought when I was 21, so that's 18 months ago.
01:42Well, I'd like to think anyway, but it isn't.
01:45I've had it many, many years now.
01:46It never let me down.
01:47It's a great bike.
01:48It's a great bike.
01:49It's a great bike.
01:50It's a great bike.
01:51It's a great bike.
01:52It's a great bike.
01:53It's a great bike.
01:54It's a great bike.
01:55It's a great bike.
01:56It never let me down.
01:57But, yeah, still going as am I.
02:00Nice.
02:01Where are you from and where are you going today?
02:04From Kidderminster, and I'm only going on,
02:07just going to have a little ride around today.
02:09Take this for something.
02:11You always get one, don't you, starter?
02:13And so we're at the Food Stop Cafe.
02:16How long have you been coming here and what makes it a special place?
02:22Well, we've been coming here for about 20-odd years now,
02:26and it's just been such a fantastic place to come.
02:29You meet all kinds of people here.
02:32I've sat with guys who are millionaires, business owners,
02:37and I've sat with guys who have been riding in on ancient bikes
02:41that are just literally held together with cap and tape.
02:43And there's a great sort of sense of camaraderie here,
02:48and everyone just comes here and is happy to have a chat,
02:53have a coffee, and just share their life experiences with you.
02:56I mean, you could write so many books on the stories you hear.
03:01I've sat here with backpatch bikers from clubs,
03:06and, you know, these guys have got reputations,
03:09but we sat here on a nice sunny day.
03:12They chilled out and you just chat to these guys.
03:14And like I say, everyone's human.
03:16I shall miss the place really, really well,
03:18but I understand why it's got to close down.
03:21I think nobody stays the same, unfortunately,
03:23but it would be a great loss to the whole BikingArea community.
03:27Yeah, some people here have been saying
03:30that other places will be doing the breakfast,
03:33but it might be a case of the regular crew that come here
03:37might be a bit split up between various cafes.
03:41I think you'll miss seeing all the same faces
03:45sort of on the weekends.
03:49Coming here, I've never met so many...
03:51This is one place where I've sat with so many strangers
03:55and just chatted than anywhere else ever in my life, really.
04:00But like you say, yeah, I'm sure people will just split
04:03to different places closer or further away,
04:05depending on where they want to go, and it'll be a shame.
04:08It's just a shame that this place can't carry on
04:11in some other version, keep it all together.
04:14But yeah, I'll miss some of the old places, I'm sure.
04:18I'd like to think they'll miss me as well.
04:32So I'm here with Shelly Pinky Pew
04:35and her little friend, Trike Rat, at the food stop cafe.
04:41Just having a chat to people here, really, about the cafe
04:45and how they feel about it closing down.
04:48Talk to me, Shelly, how long have you been coming here?
04:51I have been coming here literally for decades.
04:54For as long as we go back in its aid.
04:57This guy has worked so hard for so many years,
05:02the most integral part of the Viking community in this area.
05:07He's been known to open up even on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day.
05:12If the gang says they're coming up, he'll open for us.
05:17He's opened up early on mornings when there's a big event out.
05:22You just couldn't ask for a friendlier Viking meeting place.
05:27And it's always good value.
05:30And so what's your breakfast of choice
05:33that normally you would go for here then?
05:35Usually bacon and mushroom potty.
05:38Is that a 10 out of 10 selection?
05:41Absolutely.
05:42And what about...
05:43And it's always a bit of sausage, really.
05:46Karen is a bad influence on the dog, isn't it?
05:49Always the odd sausage that might have been a little bit overcooked
05:53so the dogs will have to share it.
05:57And how does Trike Rat enjoy life on the road?
06:01Oh, he absolutely loves it.
06:03He goes everywhere, does everything.
06:06Bikes for life, different Santa rides all over Christmas.
06:12Very size Trike, the one I'm on at the moment.
06:16He just keeps me going while the big one's being fixed.
06:21Because he just can't stand not being out in the community.
06:25He is a true little biker.
06:33That's it.