Warwickshire railway carriage cafes stay on track with new leases

THE cafes that bookend the Greenway - and remind users of the popular Stratford attraction that it used to be a thriving railway line - can look to the future with a ring of confidence after agreeing new leases.

Bobby’s Café overlooks the racecourse, while at the other end of the five-mile route, Milcote Café is by the former station, with both using converted railway carriages as their base.

The Greenway is one of Warwickshire County Council’s ten country parks and greenways and the two families that operate the cafes have now agreed new five-year leases.

The carriages have been a familiar atttraction on the route for many years but both owners are relative newcomers.

Dave and Helen Spink, from Oxhill, recently took over the reins at Bobby’s Café for their first foray into hospitality after a career in online retail. Their teenage son and daughter are also working in the café.

Dave said: “The business was previously run by three women and they have designed a unique destination for people that like something a little bit quirky and different.

“The new lease gives us a certainty and we hope that five years will lead to ten years. Everyone has made us feel very welcome and we are looking forward to our future here.”

At the other end of the line, Keith Cottam has been running Milcote since the summer of 2021.

He lives in Long Marston and bought the café after ringing up the former owner to ask if they had a job for his daughter. Father and daughter now run it together.

He said: “I ran a café previously at Warwick Parkway but when the lease ran out there, I was looking for my next opportunity.

“It’s really busy greenway and a great place to do business. I’ve invested a lot of time and money in the space, including support from the council for more benches outside and a ramp for disability access.

“To have a new lease secured now is really good news. I have a few ideas for expansion up my sleeve, including an extension – which would be a waiting room of sorts for the railway carriage.”