It seems to me that the way to tell if a holiday or break has been a success is by the length and intensity of the withdrawal period afterwards. This week, I’ve been mostly daydreaming about Shropshire, the land that time forgot and hopefully won’t be in a hurry to change.

But what is it that makes, in this case, a good cycle tour? Is it companions, food, roads, accommodation, weather, the release from the daily constraints to pedal where you please, when you like and to take any inviting lane that takes one’s fancy?

Well, before getting to carried away, it’s all of those and more, but what, in my opinion, is crucial to a proper day’s riding is the mid morning stop. In the past, the choice would simply be described as a café; you know the sort, broken Tarmac parking out front, large glass windows all steamed up and the ubiquitous sign proclaiming “All Day Breakfast”.

Now, a more refined establishment, the Tea and Coffee House, is sought. After all, breakfast was dispensed with two-odd hours ago, so what is needed now is cake and tea of course. Ideally, the tea is served in a china or porcelain pot with another for hot water and coffee comes in one of those plunger things, but the choice, size and texture of the cake is of the essence.

On the whole we ask for nothing too fancy. After all, once we’re divested of various cycling garments the table usually ends up resembling a clothes horse emitting a somewhat earthy aroma. Admittedly it’s a challenge to most proprietors, yet somehow the inoffensive nature of cycling allows a certain relaxing of etiquette despite the gymnastics of manoeuvring pots, cups, plates and maps.

This last item is surely soon to be superseded by GPS, making back lane U turns history but helping to find a tea room selling great Lemon Drizzle cake? Sadly, no.