Eating at Sonya’s has become an extreme activity

I’ve posted before about Sonya’s, a little coffee shop and restaurant in Yelverton. The decor isn’t much – in fact, it’s rather plain, but the staff are friendly, it has a good atmosphere, and the coffee & walnut cake is quite yummy.
I cannot comment on the rest of the menu, as all I’ve ever had there was a slice of cake and a cup of coffee, but given that they’re always busy, I take it the food must be quite good.

The downside of eating at Sonya’s is the cycle parking. You basically have three choices: a) lock your bike up across the road, by the bus stops, b) lock up at the entrance to the parking area or c) leave your bike outside, not locked to anything.
Options a and b means leaving my bike out of sight, so I tend to avoid them. While I trust the good people of Yelverton, there is a great deal of through traffic, and I typically cycle with tools, etc. in my panniers.

Normally I leave my bike just outside Sonya’s. On good weather days they normally have two little tables out, and whenever I can, I’ll take one of those tables. That way I usually end up right next to my bike.

Except, I may need to rethink this strategy! See, very recently, somebody apparently thought their car was in reverse, when in fact it was in 1st gear. Instead of backing out of the parking, they shot forward and smashed into a shop front. The sad thing is there was an old gentleman walking past just as this happened, and he has sustained very serious leg injuries.

The picture above is of the trusty steed leaning against the shop, obviously after it has been boarded up. There are two doors in the photo – the one on the left leads into Ward & Chowen, the estate agency whose window got smashed, while the door to the right is the entrance to Sonya’s. The car mounted the pavement just a few metres from the outside tables at Sonya’s, meaning eating there has become a risky activity!

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In all seriousness though – had I cycled on the pavement, some do-gooder would have berated me for having done so. More likely than not, I’d have “statistics” quotes at me saying how many near-death experiences they have had with pavement cyclists.

You will notice that neither the Evening Herald, nor the BBC cared to mention any statistics about how many people have been killed or injured by cars on pavements. Oh no, that level of hysteria is reserved only for cyclists.

1 thought on “Eating at Sonya’s has become an extreme activity”

  1. Nice post. BTW, it's my first visit.

    'that level of hysteria is reserved only for cyclists'

    Yes it's incredible isn't it. It's all about media bias, people don't notice the cars racing around, potential death only inches away, but they do notice cyclists on pavements. Rather reveals the truth about the lie: "I didn't see them" excuse, doesn't it!

    People will typically refuse to believe the ratio of deaths caused by cyclists versus motor-vehicles on the pavements.
    It just goes to show more cycling is safer, if only because it means fewer cars.

    Reply

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