STOPOVER

Whenever I am driving I value the opportunity for a coffee stop, and today when deciding on an afternoon out in Chichester and West Sussex . . . you’ve guessed it, I couldn’t resist a refresher at a Costa.
Going back over the years it has always been the same. Driving in Europe, I would always find an excuse for a break for coffee, whether on an autoroute or autostrada, or out in the country.
Time was when we made regular trips to Scotland from the south coast, and rather than take the motorway all the way, would often opt for ‘A roads’ instead.  The reason at that time was that we would count how many stops for all-day breakfast we could sensibly make in a seven hour drive.  Changes to motorway service areas have changed all that, because you can be sure of the cheery name of a coffee brand in almost every part of the country and count on uniformly drinkable coffee. Traditional transport cafes held a special regard for a particular type of fare, but the coffee or tea would often leave a lot to be desired.
There  was one occasion when we deliberately set off before 5am with the target of reaching  an hostelry we knew of in the Scottish Borders before closing time early afternoon so that we could take in their rather special and tasty haddock and chips. Come to think of it, we were at the end of our journey and had completed the journey by the time we arrived so took in something a little stronger than coffee.
Today, like yesterday, and no doubt tomorrow there will be a shot of caffeine somewhere.