Masham in Harrogate is the biker capital of the UK, new research reveals

Last Updated on: 22nd November 2023, 04:25 am

The North Yorkshire town has more biker cafes per person than any other place in Britain – with Bakewell and Barmouth also among most biker-friendly regions

A small town in Harrogate has been declared the biker capital of the UK.

Masham – a civil parish of just 1,200 neighbours – was awarded the prestigious title as part of research conducted by dealership Vertu Motorcycles – which analysed locations deemed to be most biker-friendly.

Using data from UKbikercafes.co.uk, Vertu found that Masham has more biker cafes per resident than any other place in Britain: A ratio of 1 to 52.

The remote North Yorkshire location was joined on the list of Britain’s best biker regions by Bakewell in Derbyshire and Barmouth in Gwynedd – which has cafe-to-person ratios of 1 to 119 and 1 to 120 respectively.

Finding biker hangouts with like-minded clientele is an easy task in these areas, likely helped by the wide roads and quieter rural/coastal surroundings which bikers love so much.

Bournemouth, Portsmouth and Manchester are the most biker-friendly out of all the urban, densely populated UK cities – ranking 13th, 14th, and 15th respectively.

Southern regions were also more predominantly ‘biker-friendly’, according to Vertu’s data.

The south-west and the south-east were found to have the most biker cafes in the UK: 177 and 171 respectively (and 350 across the south in total).

The only exception is Greater London which, with its urban landscape and gridlocked roads, has just 19 biker cafes – the fewest number in the UK.

Open roads clearly define the most biker-friendly areas when viewed regionally. For example, there are 58% more biker cafes on the eastern side of the Midlands compared to the west; largely due to the east’s access to coastal routes and stunning countryside.

The best biker-friendly locations and top cafes by town/city are as follows:

Masham

1. Fat Monkey, Unit 5b Plews Way, Leeming Bar, Northallerton DL7 9UL
2. Platform 1, Bedale Station, Bedale Rd, Aiskew, Bedale DL8 1AW, UK
3. The Old Granary, 17 High St, Pateley Bridge, Harrogate HG3 5AP, UK

Bakewell

1. Wetton Village Hall, 5 Holiday Cottages, Wetton, Ashbourne DE6 2AF, UK
2. Insomnia Coffee Company & Café, Kingsgate Hope Valley S32 3XU
3. Route 66, 134 N Parade, Matlock DE4 3NS, UK

Barmouth

1. Bath House Café, The Quay Barmouth LL42 1HB
2. Caffi Cymunedol, Bethania Nant Gwynant Caernarfon LL55 4NH
3. Red Kite Café, Silver-Lead Mine Museum, Aberystwyth SY23 3AB, UK

Brigg

1. Choppersbar, 80 Goulton St, Hull HU3 4DL
2. River View Cafe Beverly, 7 Riverview Rd, Beverley HU17 0LD, UK
3. Seven Districts – Coffee Roasters – Lincoln, Farmers Arms, Market Rasen Rd, Lincoln LN2 3RD

Melton Mowbray

1. A1 Stadium Diner, A151, Colsterworth, Grantham NG33 5JN
2. Fatknacks Roadside Diner, A43, Stamford PE9 3QL
3. The Coffee Shot, 17 Main St Stathern Melton Mowbray LE14 4HW

Lancaster

1. Bridge House Farm, 81 Main St, Wray, Lancaster LA2 8QB, UK
2. Goat Gap Café, Lane End, Lancaster LA2 8HS, UK
3. PiTTstop Café, First Floor Irving House White Lund Ind Est Morecambe LA3 3AY

Burton upon Trent

1. Canalside Farm Shop, 5 Mill Ln, Great Haywood, Stafford ST18 0RJ, UK
2. Hunger Hanger, 33 Dakota Rd, Derby DE74 2TL, UK
3. Truckers Rest Café, Tollgate Cottage, Watling St, Four Crosses, Cannock WS11 1SF, UK

Chelmsford

1. Cafe on the Water & Gift Shop, Giffords Ln Downham Chelmsford CM3 8HX
2. The Blue Egg, Unnamed Road, Braintree CM7 4PY, UK
3. The Cabin Dairy Café, 17 High St, Burnham-on-Crouch CM0 8AG, UK

Chester

1. Biker’s Food Emporium, 2 Picow Farm Rd, Runcorn WA7 4UB, UK
2. Coffee 500, St Michaels Industrial Estate, 17 St Michael’s Cl, Widnes WA8 8TL, UK
3. Fourway Café, Harrington Caravans, Northwich CW8 2HG, UK

Bath

1. No 10 Tea Garden, Unnamed Road, Bradford-on-Avon BA15 2HB, UK
2. Farrington’s Farm Shop, Manor Farm, Farrington Gurney, Bristol BS39 6UT, UK
3. Willoughby Hedge Café, West Knoyle, UK, Warminster BA12 6AQ

Bedford

1. Hog Roast Kitchen, 24 Stirling Rd Longstanton Cambridge CB24 1BD
2. Metal Monkey, 19C Market St, Kettering NN16 0AH, UK
3. The Pumphouse Café, 6 Nene Court the Embankment Wellingborough NN8 1LD

Oxford

1. Brackley Central Café, Station House, Top Station Rd, Brackley NN13 7UG, UK
2. On Yer Bike Café, A41 Bicester Rd Westcott Bicester Aylesbury HP18 0JX
3. The Old Prison Café, A429 Fosse Way Northleach Cheltenham GL54 3JH

Bournemouth

1. Bashley Manor, B3055, New Milton BH25 5TQ, UK
2. Coffee & Drift Café, Quay View Admirals Court Quay Rd Lymington SO41 3ET
3. The Waterfront Bar & Café, The Beach Madeira Rd Totland Bay PO39 0BQ

Portsmouth

1. Boat House Café, 19 Blakes Rd Bognor Regis PO22 7EE
2. Goodwood Aerodrome Café, Goodwood Aerodrome, Goodwood, Chichester PO18 0PH, UK
3. The Chocolate Frog Company & Café, Oakhanger Bordon GU35 9JA

Manchester

1. Fork in the Road, 5 Bradnor Rd, Wythenshawe, Manchester M22 4TS, UK
2. Relics ‘n’ Rust Lifestyle Shop and Café, Commercial Brow Hyde SK14 2JW
3. Tuck Inn, 186-196, A5004, Whaley Bridge, High Peak SK23 7JX

A Vertu Motorcycles spokesperson commented: “Biker-friendly communities are a fantastic way for like-minded bikers to share their passion and join a group of other motorcycle-lovers on the open road.

“While biker cafes aren’t for everyone, they can be a great place to visit, should you be looking to expand your biking community.

“This is something we are looking to bring to more people across the UK with our Vertu Motorcycle Club, which hosts biker-friendly events in Grantham and Nottingham, with more locations soon to be announced.”

For further insights from Vertu Motorcycles, visit the Vertu Motorcycles blog.