I should think many TN members will remember this Transport Café, those coming South pulling on to have a brew and let their brakes cool down and those on their way North having a break before they had to tackle the climb over The Fell , which in the days of greatly under powered motors coupled with minimal and virtually non existing brakes was hazardous to say the least although the Drivers of old took it all in their stride ! Cheers Bewick.
Who owned the café or who ran it 
I only went in a couple of times on the way to Whitehaven in the mid 60s . trundled up in the s21 , 5lw and I was ready for a brew . It was middle of winter , no snow but bitter cold . When I went through the door the heat hit me like a blow but then I had to go back to the foden and I was frozen again by the time I reached the top . Dave
robert1952:
Two Mike Jeffries paintings of Shap. Robert10
Great subject!
I started in 1969, so had several months of driving my Leyland Comet, loaded with timber, then in December, when I bought a BMC Mastiff (I bought a second in July 1970 and that was a Leyland) toiling over the A6 Shap. I have seen several photos taken from the same position as the first painting. My opinion is that this view would have been southbound, after the main steep drop from the summit, round the nasty little bend at the bottom, (how many drivers had it in ‘Aberdeen Overdrive’ at this point?) climbing again past the Leyland Clock ‘Leyland Motors For All Time’, over that hump and down towards the ‘Jungle’.
I stopped often at the Jungle. Leaving from Barrow northbound, I was starving by the time I got there. Southbound, I might have stopped at Elvanfoot on the A74 and would be ready to stop again at the Jungle.
I confess also that another attraction was a red haired waitress or cook there that I fancied. She was probably about 19, but I was a very innocent 21 and looked about 16 at the time. (Shame I don’t look young now, but you know what they say, ‘beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes all the way to the bone!’)
The first time she served me she said ‘Lorry drivers only in here, you must go to the other restaurant’.
It was split into two, like the services - car and lorry drivers.
I glowed bright red and said ‘that’s my Leyland with the timber on!’ Whenever I went thereafter she repeated ‘Lorry drivers only in here…’
I never did have the nerve to ask her out.
The Jungle lasted only a short time after the opening of the M6. Despite promises of drivers that they wouldn’t be taking the new motorway route - they did!
The next and only time I saw my red headed dream was at Charnock Richard a few years later. I took my meal to a table and was about to start to eat when a voice said ‘lorry drivers only in here, you must go to the other restaurant!’ I was about to appeal when I realised who it was. She still looked attractive, and by now I was brave enough, but the baby in the carrycot alongside her made me realise I’d missed my opportunity!
John
robert1952:
Two Mike Jeffries paintings of Shap. Robert10
Hi Robert, what a surprise, I never knew that painting of me in my restored Mandator existed 
Mike has obviously transposed an actual photo of much later actual trip over Shap, (about 2003 IIRC) and put it into a winter setting. Brilliant artistic licence.
My first visit to the Jungle Café would have been in about 1959 or 1960, I was in a Bedford S Type driven by Fred Holden, then in his sixties, and it was my first trip over Shap. We had some muck spreaders as the load from Massey Ferguson at Trafford Park destined for an agricultural machinery dealer at Penrith. It was very foggy that day, a real pea-souper, so I didn’t see much of the legendary Shap. I also remember the heat inside the café and how busy it was. That Bedford (914 CTE new in 1958 I think) was powered by their own fairly newly introduced in-house Diesel engine. A couple of days later I did the same trip, same load, with Fred’s son Ray in their other Bedford S Type (TTC 57), early 1950s model with a Perkins R6. Ray used the Redwings Café on top of Shap. Funny how I can still remember the reg. numbers of those Bedfords, I cannot even remember the reg. number of the car I had before the one I drive now. 
Lance Biscomb:
Who owned the café or who ran it
It was a Family/ Chap from Kendal IIRC, but I don’t think he was a native of the town. Cheers Dennis.
John West:
robert1952:
Two Mike Jeffries paintings of Shap. Robert10
Great subject!
I started in 1969, so had several months of driving my Leyland Comet, loaded with timber, then in December, when I bought a BMC Mastiff (I bought a second in July 1970 and that was a Leyland) toiling over the A6 Shap. I have seen several photos taken from the same position as the first painting. My opinion is that this view would have been southbound, after the main steep drop from the summit, round the nasty little bend at the bottom, (how many drivers had it in ‘Aberdeen Overdrive’ at this point?) climbing again past the Leyland Clock ‘Leyland Motors For All Time’, over that hump and down towards the ‘Jungle’.
I stopped often at the Jungle. Leaving from Barrow northbound, I was starving by the time I got there. Southbound, I might have stopped at Elvanfoot on the A74 and would be ready to stop again at the Jungle.
I confess also that another attraction was a red haired waitress or cook there that I fancied. She was probably about 19, but I was a very innocent 21 and looked about 16 at the time. (Shame I don’t look young now, but you know what they say, ‘beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes all the way to the bone!’)
The first time she served me she said ‘Lorry drivers only in here, you must go to the other restaurant’.
It was split into two, like the services - car and lorry drivers.
I glowed bright red and said ‘that’s my Leyland with the timber on!’ Whenever I went thereafter she repeated ‘Lorry drivers only in here…’
I never did have the nerve to ask her out.
The Jungle lasted only a short time after the opening of the M6. Despite promises of drivers that they wouldn’t be taking the new motorway route - they did!
The next and only time I saw my red headed dream was at Charnock Richard a few years later. I took my meal to a table and was about to start to eat when a voice said ‘lorry drivers only in here, you must go to the other restaurant!’ I was about to appeal when I realised who it was. She still looked attractive, and by now I was brave enough, but the baby in the carrycot alongside her made me realise I’d missed my opportunity!
John
Hans Christian Andersen has absolutely nothing on you John 
but entirely believable all the same ! Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
Lance Biscomb:
Who owned the café or who ran itIt was a Family/ Chap from Kendal IIRC, but I don’t think he was a native of the town. Cheers Dennis.
I recall being told that a family from Chorley, called Woodcock, owned it at one time: does that ring any bells, Dennis?
gingerfold:
My first visit to the Jungle Café would have been in about 1959 or 1960, I was in a Bedford S Type driven by Fred Holden, then in his sixties, and it was my first trip over Shap. We had some muck spreaders as the load from Massey Ferguson at Trafford Park destined for an agricultural machinery dealer at Penrith. It was very foggy that day, a real pea-souper, so I didn’t see much of the legendary Shap. I also remember the heat inside the café and how busy it was. That Bedford (914 CTE new in 1958 I think) was powered by their own fairly newly introduced in-house Diesel engine. A couple of days later I did the same trip, same load, with Fred’s son Ray in their other Bedford S Type (TTC 57), early 1950s model with a Perkins R6. Ray used the Redwings Café on top of Shap. Funny how I can still remember the reg. numbers of those Bedfords, I cannot even remember the reg. number of the car I had before the one I drive now.
My first trip over was in an S-type too- WAD301. A couple of years later, I’d graduated to a Park Royal-cabbed AEC Mercury, ADG611B. I can remember many trips over Shap in both lorries, but struggle to recall what I had for dinner yesterday! Got to be an “age” thing. 
240 Gardner:
Bewick:
Lance Biscomb:
Who owned the café or who ran itIt was a Family/ Chap from Kendal IIRC, but I don’t think he was a native of the town. Cheers Dennis.
I recall being told that a family from Chorley, called Woodcock, owned it at one time: does that ring any bells, Dennis?
Hiya Chris, on concentrating the brain cell it was a regular feature in our local paper The Westmorland Gazette on things past that mentioned the closing of the Jungle shortly after the M6 opened. And definitely at the end it was owned by a chap that lived in Kendal but no doubt it must have changed hands over the years and maybe was owned by the family you mention. It is a year or two since the article was in the paper and I was surprised at the time because it was news to me to learn who were the last owners. Cheers Dennis.
My most endereing memory of the Jungle was whilst working for Tideswells running from Kingsley to East Kilbride, think it was a timed delivery of 07:30 to St Ivel. On a winters night in 1969, having pulled on northbound for a break i got back in the A E C 8wheeler box van and the barsteward wouldnt start. Wondering what to do, a Smith of Maddison BigJ driver came to the rescue and cut about 10 foot of rope of his trailer and gave me a ■■■■■■, being an A E C it only wanted a couple a feet and it fired up. Great bunch of people to work with, Think them days are long gone?..
3piece-wheel:
My most endereing memory of the Jungle was whilst working for Tideswells running from Kingsley to East Kilbride, think it was a timed delivery of 07:30 to St Ivel. On a winters night in 1969, having pulled on northbound for a break i got back in the A E C 8wheeler box van and the barsteward wouldnt start. Wondering what to do, a Smith of Maddison BigJ driver came to the rescue and cut about 10 foot of rope of his trailer and gave me a ■■■■■■, being an A E C it only wanted a couple a feet and it fired up. Great bunch of people to work with, Think them days are long gone?..
Was it a 240 Gardner big j 
gingerfold:
robert1952:
Two Mike Jeffries paintings of Shap. Robert10
Hi Robert, what a surprise, I never knew that painting of me in my restored Mandator existed
My first visit to the Jungle Café would have been in about 1959 or 1960, I was in a Bedford S Type driven by Fred Holden, then in his sixties, and it was my first trip over Shap. We had some muck spreaders as the load from Massey Ferguson at Trafford Park destined for an agricultural machinery dealer at Penrith. It was very foggy that day, a real pea-souper, so I didn’t see much of the legendary Shap. I also remember the heat inside the café and how busy it was. That Bedford (914 CTE new in 1958 I think) was powered by their own fairly newly introduced in-house Diesel engine. A couple of days later I did the same trip, same load, with Fred’s son Ray in their other Bedford S Type (TTC 57), early 1950s model with a Perkins R6. Ray used the Redwings Café on top of Shap. Funny how I can still remember the reg. numbers of those Bedfords, I cannot even remember the reg. number of the car I had before the one I drive now.
I think you also feature in those old lorry calendars too .
Punchy Dan:
3piece-wheel:
My most endereing memory of the Jungle was whilst working for Tideswells running from Kingsley to East Kilbride, think it was a timed delivery of 07:30 to St Ivel. On a winters night in 1969, having pulled on northbound for a break i got back in the A E C 8wheeler box van and the barsteward wouldnt start. Wondering what to do, a Smith of Maddison BigJ driver came to the rescue and cut about 10 foot of rope of his trailer and gave me a ■■■■■■, being an A E C it only wanted a couple a feet and it fired up. Great bunch of people to work with, Think them days are long gone?..Was it a 240 Gardner big j
Pre 8LXB days Dan’l, so it must have been an AEC 505 engined Big J &4-in-line trailer ! Cheers Dennis
Travelled over Shap many times in the 60s when I worked with
Dobson (Edin) We often stopped at Clara’s Digs.
Parked in the Riverside Car Park next to digs.
This is what it could get like on the summit in winter.
Does anyone remember the snack shack up on the top.
lczjs:
Travelled over Shap many times in the 60s when I worked with
Dobson (Edin) We often stopped at Clara’s Digs.
Parked in the Riverside Car Park next to digs.
This is what it could get like on the summit in winter.
Does anyone remember the snack shack up on the top.0
I used to deliver Clara’s papers when I were a Lad ! Always gave me a decent tip, well the best one I ever got IIRC ! The Digs were always busy usually full of Scotsmen 24/7 night trunkers during the day and day men and trampers in the evening. Cheers Bewick.
I think that this story which an old workmate told me early in the seventies deserves to be on this thread. There must of been hundreds of stories like this which never got written down and are now forgotten and I think that this one is worth sharing.
Sometime in the sixties Ken was working for a transport company in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester. I can’t remember now who he said that he was driving for at the time but it was the time of the Manchester Wakes weeks which I think used to be in July.
All the Northern industrial towns had their own Wakes Weeks back then when most of the cotton mills closed down so that the mills and the factories could do some major maintenance work. Most of the workers and their families used to go to places like Blackpool, Morecambe or Rhyl for a week leaving most of the towns almost empty.
A lot of the transport firms still kept running although it wasn’t unusual to see lorries parked up for a time due to the absence of drivers who had taken some of their holidays. As Ken had just bought his first house he told his boss that he was available to work as he needed all the extra cash that he could get. He had gone into work on the Saturday morning and his boss told him to get his gear out of his cab and put it into one of the newer motors that he could use for the next two weeks while the regular driver was on his holidays.
Ken went off to load somewhere in Manchester and got back to the yard just before lunchtime and being loaded for Scotland he knew that it would be a 6 a.m. start on Monday morning. He handed his keys into the office and said I will see you at six on Monday then and he was a bit surprised when his boss said “why don’t you have a bit of a lie in on Monday and make it an 8 a.m. start Ken as the roads might be a bit quieter on Monday”.
That’s a good idea thought Ken, it might be nice to start a bit later on a Monday for a change.
On Monday morning just before eight o’clock Ken arrived at the yard to find his boss talking to three lads in their late teens.
Ah Ken, I want you to meet these lads he said, they will all be following you up to Glasgow.
Ken told me that in the sixties university students in their summer holidays would go working to get some extra money. As you could drive a lorry if you had a car licence some students would get a job for a few weeks with a transport company if they knew the right people. Ken wasn’t too keen on the idea but his boss assured him that they would be no trouble and if anything disastrous happened then Ken’s boss said that he would be responsible and take all the blame.
The four lorries eventually set off up the A6 and Ken said that he had to keep stopping so that they could all catch him up. One of them asked Ken “how do you double de clutch again” as he had already forgotten what the boss had shown him earlier that morning. The other two new student drivers also shown a keen interest as to what Ken was doing.
By the time that they had reached Kendal Ken was really cheesed off at having to wait for them all so when they eventually caught up Ken asked “are any of you using Aberdeen Overdrive”. What’s that they all replied.
Ken explained that what you want to do if your coming up to a long steep hill is to knock it out of gear when you are going down hill and when you start going up the other side wait until your speed drops down to about ten miles an hour, give the accelerator a quick rev and as the revs drop down dip the clutch and slip it into second gear. There’s a café about seven miles on the left hand side called The Jungle, you will see me parked up there and we shall all go in and have some dinner.
Ken arrived at The Jungle and after about fifteen minutes none of the others had turned up and by the time that one of Charlie Alexandra’s had pulled in Ken was getting a bit worried and asked the driver had he seen three lorries from Cheetham Hill.
“Seen um” it’s like The Somme back there, there are bits of wagons all over the place replied the driver. Ken jumped into his lorry, did a ’U’ turn and drove back a couple of miles to where the traffic had started building up.
Apparently, the first driver while he was disengaging ‘Aberdeen Overdrive’ when he was half way up the hill had put it into fourth gear and stalled it. The lad following him had run into the back of the first lorry and the lad at the back had run into the back of the second lorry.
Ken said that he had wished that he gone to Blackpool that day and after all these years I can always imagine Ken standing in the telephone box at The Jungle saying to his boss “you are not going to believe this”.