FLIP:
Great idea for a book LW. I like you love the A1 & always have. I live less than 400yds from the side of it now too (though the road had no bearing on that ). Has anyone mentioned my favourite cafe,the name of which escapes me? It was between the road & railway just north of Grantshouse,unfortunately derelict now but they used to serve cracking grub in there. Loved Musselburgh too but there were so many great eateries in the good old days of The Great North Road. Good luck with the book, I’ll be investing in a copy when it’s released! ( by the way,should I confess to having been a member of…The A1 Truckers Club? I’ve still got the sunstrip !)
Flip was it the cafe that sat down a bit on the left going north and had a souvenir shop for the tourists and give me time and I should recall the name
hi lads,only new it as grantshouse cafe, it closed as a cafe in the early 70tys opened as a tourist and tarten shop for a while then went back to a cafe,last time i went past it was been used by some plant/machine outfitt,always used the little cafe just before dunbar,it was just after the railway bridge nextto the blacksmiths,this closed when they put the first dunbar by pass in,after that used the cafe at haddington, some of the older drivers will remember these cafe’s, bumper
That little cafe is now very derelict they had placed boulders across so you couldnt get in to park in there either & now I understand that the grass has grown round it too
Heres a question on the same subject. When Morpeth, Alnwick and Berwick were bypassed in the 60s (70s?) were they dualled from the start or were they dualled at a later date?
Lonewolf Yorks:
Heres a question on the same subject. When Morpeth, Alnwick and Berwick were bypassed in the 60s (70s?) were they dualled from the start or were they dualled at a later date?
A lot is still single carriage way now but part has been upgraded to duel but only in last 10 years or so
this iron age chariot & body were found while excavating for the a1 at ferrybridge no cause of death could be found though he was reputed to have had a meal at iron age kates kabin was on his way north to do a changeover at scotch corner this was hauled by 240 horses(one stuck out the back)from the book a road through time-alan
hi, lone wolf the morpeth by pass was built has duel carriageway, alnwick was single at first then dueled later,lot of horrendous accidents when single track, berwick is still single, the single parts of the A1north of morpeth is ideal for taken HGV photos has you can get them both ways,bumper
At one time you actually turned left at the entrance to Haggerston Castle and went west for half a mile, then turned north again at a T junction. The corner is cut off these days but I’m not sure when it was done. Best educated guess is 1970 so far.
Lonewolf Yorks:
At one time you actually turned left at the entrance to Haggerston Castle and went west for half a mile, then turned north again at a T junction. The corner is cut off these days but I’m not sure when it was done. Best educated guess is 1970 so far.
This date is some were near right, i was on night trunk to Berwick at this time and remember the long Z bend, but i don’t remember the T junction.Vic, ex Tayforth.
A bit further south now. Several years ago, maybe 20, a TV presenter called Lucinda Lambton did a programme that covered interesting sites between London and Edinburgh ( off the A1 of course ) recalling a trip she made as a young girl. I have forgotten most of it as it was a long time ago but do remember a bit about where 3 county borders met right beside the road. Because of it’s location this spot was used to hold illegal bare-knuckle fights and drew huge crowds. I think the counties were Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and either Nottinghamshire or Rutland. The idea was, if the police turned up from one county the fighters would cross over into another, so couldn’t be arrested. I hope this helps, regards Haddy, Gt.Yarmouth.
There was another TV program maybe 20 years back, I think it was on Tyne Tees Television where the interviewer travelled north with one of Glendinning’s car transporters. They called in at Norman’s and then he ran up to Edinburgh. It was something to do with the road improvements between the Donny motorway and Scotland. They were also talking to a Highways blokey and he was saying how it was planned to have motorway running right from the Blue Star to Newcastle in ten years.This would about 1985, so I don’t know what went wrong. There was also a poliss on from Wetherby and he was twisting his face about wagons holding the traffic back on the approach to roadworks. There was a shot taken from the bridge at Bramham and there were two of Gurteens tippers doing just that. I had this programme on tape but don’t know what happened to it. I’ll see if I can spot it on Google and if I do I’ll let you know.
I don’t think Jacksons garage between Morpeth and Felton has had a mention,Two brothers done 24 hr brakedowns on the a1 in this area in the70s. I think they are still there now.
v7victor:
I don’t think Jacksons garage between Morpeth and Felton has had a mention,Two brothers done 24 hr brakedowns on the a1 in this area in the70s. I think they are still there now.
Is that the 1 on the right hand side just North of Morpeth with all the “old” trucks in as well as some land rovers normally ex army ( or in there colours ) If so it is still there as well as the big lay by
). Has anyone mentioned my favourite cafe,the name of which escapes me? It was between the road & railway just north of Grantshouse,unfortunately derelict now but they used to serve cracking grub in there. Loved Musselburgh too but there were so many great eateries in the good old days of The Great North Road. Good luck with the book, I’ll be investing in a copy when it’s released! ( by the way,should I confess to having been a member of…The A1 Truckers Club? I’ve still got the sunstrip
)
If so it is still there as well as the big lay by