The "Packhorse Cafe" in "If...." (1968)

[Alan Looyd]

Can anybody out there help me with finding the location of the infamous bike ride from the wonderful If... ?

I know the majority was shot around Cheltenham, but where was that Cafe ??

The actor David Wood reckoned it may have been somewhere on the A1 !, yet the bike ride does definately take in some roads around Tewksbury.

Can anyone shed a little more light on this

Many thanks

[Steve Crook]

(Alan Looyd @ Apr 19 2006, 11:04 AM) Can anybody out there help me with finding the location of the infamous bike ride from the wonderful If... ? I know the majority was shot around Cheltenham, but where was that Cafe ?? The actor David Wood reckoned it may have been somewhere on the A1 !, yet the bike ride does definately take in some roads around Tewksbury. Can anyone shed a little more light on this Many thanks

It's been reported here before & I put it on the IMDb locations page for the film.

It's the Packhorse Cafe on the Tewkesbury Road, Cheltenham.
But it's not there any more.

There's a web page at if.... (1968) Malcolm McDowell, Lindsay Anderson, David Sherwin that has quite a few location details from the film.

I think David Wood misremembered it.

Steve

[Alan Looyd]

Steve

Many thanks for that info......my quest is over !

But what about any location details for O lucky man ????

Anything ?

regards]
Alan

[Steve Crook]

(Alan Looyd @ Apr 25 2006, 07:37 PM) Steve Many thanks for that info......my quest is over ! But what about any location details for O lucky man ???? Anything ? regards Alan

Start with the same places, the IMDb page for the film has a couple of locations listed.
If you then google for those with the film's title you could well find some more

Steve

[Michael L Rick]

Despite much "correspondence", with a variety of correspondents (all with their own ideas) on IMDB, I have been unable to locate the above transport cafe (where Malcolm McDowell and Christine Noonan have their naked "wrestling match"). Can anyone assist? Maybe you were one of those truck-drivers that watched the "closed set" through the windows of the cafe??

[mariocki]

Able to post some screen grabs Michael?

[Michael L Rick]

I have tried ("Avengerland" made the same suggestion), but my "Dell" refuses to co-operate!

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by Michael L Rick Despite much "correspondence", with a variety of correspondents (all with their own ideas) on IMDB, I have been unable to locate the above transport cafe (where Malcolm McDowell and Christine Noonan have their naked "wrestling match"). Can anyone assist? Maybe you were one of those truck-drivers that watched the "closed set" through the windows of the cafe??

You probably can't locate it because it's not there any more.
As it says above

It's the Packhorse Cafe on the Tewkesbury Road, Cheltenham. But it's not there any more.

Steve

[Michael L Rick]

Steve,

Thanks. I should have been more precise and said the location "site".

Despite the "Tewkesbury Road" being somewhat ambiguous (it's probably the road "to" Tewkesbury), I think I know where the cafe was, but a "site-inspection" is required to confim (maybe in the summer). There was even one location-hunter on IMDB from the USA who was proposing to come over with his motorbike (appropriately enough!) in search of the site. And I thought I was obsessive!

As ever with location-finding, local knowledge is often the best guide (it certainly worked for me with "Psychomania"), so I wrote to the editor of the local paper, asking if any of his readers remembered the filming. Unfortunately, I didn't receive a reply: he probably thought I was a crank!

[luke1081]

Hi there, Im a Cheltenham resident born and bred; and very interested in local areas that have been used in filming. If anyone would like, if you were able to get a screengrab of the Packhorse Cafe (evidently not there anymore though any distiguishing landmarks may feature in the grab), I would happily have a look along Tewskesbury Road for it (I live pretty much on it!).

[luke1081]

Another thing....not sure how accurate it is but Wikipedia suggests: "The J&H Packhorse Cafe...was originally on the A5 just south of Dunstable in Bedfordshire (near the village of Markyate) and not in the Cheltenham area as originally thought."

[tellingbone]

I was told that same story several years ago.