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| Trail Map |  Hike it with Google Earth | Terrain View |
| Distance: 4.4km | Time: 2 hours | Difficulty: Easy- Moderate |
| Ascent: 138m |
Any hike to a café inevitably ends up being a popular one here on Hiking the Holyland.
My first café hike post was years back in 2018, when I outlined a short trail through the Jerusalem countryside from Ein Karem to Café Derech HaGefen. Many years and hundreds of hikes later, there are still not too many café hike posts on Hiking the Holyland. That may be because most of our hikes happen far away from civilization. And it may be because I seem to prefer nature picnics to café meals.
But every once in a while, a cute place close to beautiful natural terrain pops up on my radar. And I know that it’s time to write another Hike & Dine post.
Just a few weeks ago, a friend from our Israel Trail group was telling me about AgroCafe near Beit Shemesh. According to his report, AgroCafe served the best coffee in all of Israel. He had never even liked coffee at all until he tried it there. And being a coffee lover myself, I knew that we had to go check it out.
AgroCafe was kosher (check!) and located right next to beautiful Park Britannia (another check!) With a brief look at a trail map, I was able to plan out a simple, circular hike that would allow us to tour some uncharted terrain at Park Britannia and hit up AgroCafe for breakfast. It was just a matter of finding a time to hike it.
This past Friday, the opportunity presented itself. We were looking for a relaxing, nearby trail that we could hike with my daughter. And the Park Britannia cafe hike loop seemed like just the thing.
We set out on a beautiful, cool morning towards the rain-kissed woodland of Park Britannia. Here’s how we hiked this beautiful (and delicious) trail:
How Have We Not Been Here Before?
We pulled into an unfamiliar parking lot at Park Britannia. Since we’ve hiked quite a bit over the years, I was stunned to find myself in an unfamiliar place. It looked similar to much of the terrain we had previously seen in Park Britannia, but we were on a completely new trail.
We grabbed our water bottles and headed along a paved road, through a glorious woodland. Faint, green growth was just starting to pop up from the soaked earth to the sides of the path. The rainy season was having an effect on Israel’s terrain.
Meandering along, we soon reached the turnoff to the next trail. This one led up a rocky ridge, right into the depths of the forest.
Forest Bathing
We followed the pathway, enjoying the rich pine scent, the chirping of birds, and the cool morning breeze. This trail was absolutely glorious, and I was so happy to be there. The sensory experience of wandering through a forest always has a calming effect on my soul.
Soon, we reached a wooded picnic area and a clearing. One man sat on a wooden picnic table, playing guitar and singing while looking out at the spectacular view. After watching him for a minute or two, we moved forward to take in the scenery ourselves. And we noticed some caves and ancient ruins begging to be explored just below.
We ambled through the ruins, peeking in at one cave after another. After which, we continued on our way.
Bike Trails and More Woodland Walking
This loop hike combined a few different trails – parts of it were on the Israel Trail, and parts were on a red marked trail, which turned out to be a narrow cycling trail, otherwise known as a Single. Hiking along trails like these is always nice; on a single, one has a feeling of really being hugged by nature. On the other hand, since they are officially cycling trails, it’s important to watch out for passing cyclists, and get out of the way as they coast down.
When we heard a group approaching, we simply stepped to the side of the trail to watch them go by. The last in the group, seemed to be moving a bit slower than the rest. “The difference between regular and electric bikes!” she called out with a smile.
First Fall Flowers
During our Park Britannia wandering, we were thrilled to see new autumn flowers peeking through the soil, little pink “Naked Ladies”, or Stavanit. We crouched low to take photos and noticed that the flowers were sprouting everywhere. They were so small and delicate that we just hadn’t noticed them under the thick shade of the trees.
Soon, we reached the end of the organized trail, where we made a right into a flat, field-like area next to a highway. From there, it was just a matter of finding a convenient exit point to the road and to Srigim, where AgroCafe was located.
Into the Big City
By the time we reached the café, it was late in the morning, and we were more than ready for a great cup of coffee. On the outside, AgroCafe looked like a pretty average place. But once inside, we could see that these people were serious about their coffee.
Stepping up to the counter, we ordered two cups of coffee and few sandwiches. There was no real menu to choose from, and no waiters to wait for (no pun intended!). The only things to eat at AgroCafe that day were two types sandwiches and a small selection of cakes- no mulling over an extensive menu required!
We sat down and sipped our truly delicious coffee from stylish cups, then dug into our food. One had onion jelly, salsa, and labane, another homemade tahini and sauteed portabella mushrooms. Everything was fabulous.
And we had cheesecake for dessert.
Gotta’ Get Souvenirs
After brunch, we bought a couple of bags of coffee beans to take home. We also explored the place a little, peeking in on a fun looking coffee workshop being hosted in a back room.
I am quite certain that we’ll return to AgroCafe soon.
Carrying our treasures, we made our way back out of town and along the highway towards the Israel Trail. Within ten minutes or so, we were at our car.
Our journey through the forest at Park Britannia to AgroCafe had been a fun hike, full of new discoveries. This gorgeous trail combined relaxing beauty and designer coffee in one fun-filled morning adventure.
Hikers’ Notes:
Here’s what you need to know to hike this trail through Park Britannia to AgroCafe:
- This is an all season trail.
- Great for kids.
- Suitable for dogs, and I guess you could sit outside at AgroCafe.
- While we love to hike right to a cafe, this trail would probably be better executed as two separate stops: a loop trail, and a cafe breakfast. You could even pick up coffee and sandwiches to go, then drive over to the forest to enjoy the meal in nature before your hike. If you hike it the way we did, expect to climb over highway barriers, and return along a noisy road. (Only a very short part of the total hike, but if this isn't for you then do it in two stops.)
- To follow the trail, use the trail map, trail marker gallery, and Google Earth file in the table at the top of the page. There are many confusing color changes along the way, so make sure to study the trail map.
- Check out the AgroCafe website for opening hours right here.
Don’t forget to read my guide to the navigational features in this post before you hit the trail!
Trail map from Amud Anan.
