Great West Way Travel Magazine | Issue 08

conversations. The Apple Cart Café is a warm, welcoming place on the High Street,
while The Charlton Cat has a seriously tasty selection of cakes (try the rhubarb and
custard) and an outdoor courtyard with fabulous countryside views. And make sure you
pop into Marshalls Bakery to sample their legendary Wiltshire Lardy Cake.
Thanks to its handy location on the route from London to Bristol, the ancient town
of Marlborough has always attracted tired travellers (and their thirsty horses) in need of
a pick-me-up. Today it continues to cater to passing visitors with all sorts of interesting
cafés. The Polly Tea Rooms is perhaps the most well-known. First opened in 1912, it has
been ranked one of the best places to enjoy afternoon tea in the UK by The Telegraph.
It’s also had some very high-profile visitors over the years, from John Betjeman to
the Duchess of Cambridge, who used to pop in with her friends while a student at
Marlborough College. Go all out with Polly’s Luxury High Tea, which is everything you’d
imagined afternoon tea could be.
Add a touch of romance to your tea break in beautiful Bath. Have a dreamy Tea
with Mr. Darcy or perhaps some Crawfords Crumpets at The Regency Tea Room, part
of the Jane Austen Centre. Or try some of the city’s famous Bath Buns at Sally Lunn’s -
soft, sweet rolls created by a Frenchwoman attempting to create a treat reminiscent of
the brioche she missed from home. For a more contemporary experience, there are lots
of speciality coffee shops frequented by hip locals - Colonna & Small’s, Society Café
and Picnic Coffee are current favourites.
44 GreatWestWay.co.uk