Detour Pit Stop #128: Baffle Haus Old Post, Bonvilston, Wales

For a cars and bikes and Caffeine hit in South Wales there’s no better pit stop than Baffle Haus.

A rugby player, a cricketer and an entrepreneur get off their bikes and walk into a café… That may sound like the start of a bad joke, but it was actually the beginnings of George North, Andrew Salter and Sam Daymond’s Baffle Culture and its two Baffle Hauses.

“We met at university. We have always had interest in both cars and bikes and just automotive in general,” says Sam. “But like any, like anything, as you're growing up, you fall into education, sport, music and follow different paths. But when we came out of university and we had our own disposable income, naturally, our first thing to do was to get onto two wheels. First we just fell in love with the culture of automotive but at the same time, got really interested in coffee and street food and micro breweries. But whenever we went to places where bikers went to often, they wouldn’t be tailored towards them. Meets would be based around tea rooms or a pub. And there was nothing in Wales.

“We started off a little Instagram page to post pictures of our own bikes and other people's bikes and cars, just out of a passion of the automotive industry, and it gathered a bit of momentum over time. Then we were fortunate to be offered a little space up at Cedars (on the A4042 near Pontypool), and we started doing coffee and cake up there in March 2021.”

At the end of 2024 the Old Post on the A48 west of Cardiff was added, offering a bigger space with plentiful parking. That’s opened Baffle Haus up to a wider audience but nothing in the ethos has changed. 

It’s here, over a tasty Haus Burger made from locally-sourced beef, that I catch up with Sam. “The cows are actually just a couple of fields away,” he points out.

“We’re still a 100 per cent independent company as a group of mates, so it's a big lifestyle thing for us,” adds Sam. “We wanted to create somewhere that we want to spend time and because of the location of the two we're able to stay present at both of them. It's 45 minutes between them and it means that we can do one in the morning and one in the afternoon.”

“Our Cedars location is perfect for the Brecon Beacons,” says Sam. “This location has been great for the Landau circuit and there's coastal roads down towards Swansea bridge, plus we’re a quick 15 minutes from Cardiff, where there's a lot of cars and bikes tucked away.”

Even on an April Thursday afternoon both Baffle Hauses are booming. In fact, there’s barely space to snap a quick photo at the Cedars. You’ll find it easier to visit if you’re on two wheels for sure, while drivers should have no trouble parking at The Old Post as there’s room for 90 cars and 60 bikes.

At either venue you’ll find a warm welcome, with comfy Chesterfield sofas to flop into and bare timber tables where you can tuck into the hearty food and get a caffeine boost before you explore the wonderful Welsh roads.

Words Nik Berg Twitter/X | Instagram
Photography Nik Berg & Baffle Haus

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ROADBOOK

CLASS: CARS AND BIKES AND COFFEE

NAME: BAFFLE HAUS OLD POST

ROUTE: Swansea Road, Bonvilston CF5 6TQ

COUNTRY: UK

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