Simon:
Well, to give the place a start Spardo, how about directions to the Bakehouse. That way those of us who go that way now can drop in and give it a try■■?
Well, after 10 years, Simon, I finally realised that you had made that request. I know I am slowing down a bit, but that’s ridiculous. 
So, travelling south on the A6 you pass sortie 28 and then almost immediately bear right onto the A40 towards the Blanc.
Leave at sortie 3 and travel south till you hit the D1079, the old N79.
Turn left and, after about 6kms, the Bakehouse is (was?) on the right hand side. It was actually named the Auberge de St. Cyr because it is in the village of St. Cyr de Menthon.
Not much parking for wagons but we managed to cram in as many as needed to fill the resto to bursting on Saturdays and Sundays, before the big convoy pushing to the Blanc after about 8 or 9 Sunday evening.
If anyone does pass that way, I’d love to know if it is still going. It must be about 12 years since I was last in there.
Google image Bakehouse May 2013: Google Maps
Driveroneuk:
Google image Bakehouse May 2013: Google Maps
That’s the place. Lorries were parked all the way along the left hand side of the road, and squeezed in wherever possible in the parking beyond the resto. The showers were in the flour store which was through the door at the back of that small area just before the main building.
BTW, after posting my directions to the place above I then realised that I had had a massive senior moment in that I had replied to a post way back on page 2. 
I have just spent a very pleasant half hour reading through all the subsequent pages, including other posts of my own, one of which answered Simon’s request for directions to the Bakehouse. 
I should mention that I got to this thread while searching for a thread by a friend of mine, David Laan, who rang me the other night for a chat and who told me that he had posted a thread about trucks in Ghana and Ivory Coast. I couldn’t find his thread, and ended up here, anyone knows where it is?
Spardo:
I should mention that I got to this thread while searching for a thread by a friend of mine, David Laan, who rang me the other night for a chat and who told me that he had posted a thread about trucks in Ghana and Ivory Coast. I couldn’t find his thread, and ended up here, anyone knows where it is?
This one possibly … viewtopic.php?f=35&t=124061
That’s the one Bullitt, thanks for that, a thread as interesting as I knew it would be.
I wonder why putting ‘Ghana’ into the search facility here didn’t turn it up though.
Bit late replying to this. The boss of the Bakehouse was Raymonde. He the village Mayor of St.Cyr ,the undertaker & also a champion cyclist. He died a long time ago. I believe that the girls that worked there all came from orphanages & Raymonde & his Mrs. gave them a home.
Roy Simmonds ( Ex - Martintrux ) was last heard of working in a transport office in Kent. He had to give up TIR because burglars targeted his flat while he was on the road.
Charlie’s of Luneville is still there but you wouldn’t recognize it. Fina have built a huge truckstop on the site.And its on an expressway. Charlie died of a heart attack years ago.
But on the same road, do you remember the Fina on the Swiss side of Tunel St.Marie? It was run by Harry & Violet & their daughter Rachel. Harry ran off to Madagascar .Married a local girl & had a baby daughter. Harry then died of a kidney ailment that was treatable, but he was broke so he couldn’t afford a doctor & died. Violette still runs the Garage. Rachel is living near St.Tropez & working in the Casino.
Jeanette’s can only be reached by car these days as that stretch of the road is banned to trucks. She was always bitter about the local French & Swiss because they collaborated with the Germans in the war. I think she loved Patsy because he was a British ex-Commando who had seen active service.
I believe that Patsy’s firm is is still going;International Express.
hi vince are you the same guy i met some years ago in ancona i was on route to kosovo just at the end of the war there …i was pulling for astran with a black f12 and i had my young son with me we took the ferry together…you was on for ralfe with a new f16 if its you…
Back to the original question Vidotrans from the Netherlands sent a convoy to India after the the tsunami. There are pictures and a diary on their website.Vidotrans HTG
I feel that some of the points raised on this forum need clarifcation. It is possible to drive any to any point on the Europe/Asia landmass, If the locals can do it so can we, If company’s are willing to pay for door to door service, which will be a lot more than sending by sea container, but with all things being equal, will arrive quicker.
The overland route trough Russia I am familer with halving done this to Uzbeckistan (Zarifshon ) in 96’-97’) which brought me close to both the Chinese and Afgan borders.
As far as I am aware transiting Iran is no problem if you are prepared to pay visa/transit taxes, which I believe are very high.
Bottom line yes we can. but will we be paid enough to make it worth while.
drivers who are not chinese nationals are not allowed to drive trucks in china they embassy in london will tell you that
You need a Chinese driving licence to drive there.
Its a 2 part test, 1 theory in chinese, and no translation. The answers have to be in chinese.
We looked in to it last year.
in that case mate how did the mercedes cars who went to
CHINA get their fuel as HOYER germany WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR
the pod type refueling lorrys and they where in china as well i do belive,
well i stand corrected then but when i spoke to them about 4 years ago it was a no go situation but things do change dont they m8
ps even richard had a problem with his ballon did he not 
davemackie:
I feel that some of the points raised on this forum need clarifcation. It is possible to drive any to any point on the Europe/Asia landmass, If the locals can do it so can we, If company’s are willing to pay for door to door service, which will be a lot more than sending by sea container, but with all things being equal, will arrive quicker.
The overland route trough Russia I am familer with halving done this to Uzbeckistan (Zarifshon ) in 96’-97’) which brought me close to both the Chinese and Afgan borders.
As far as I am aware transiting Iran is no problem if you are prepared to pay visa/transit taxes, which I believe are very high.
Bottom line yes we can. but will we be paid enough to make it worth while.
Dave, your link under your name isnt working. Is it the one to your site for the trips to the Zarifshon mines that you had posted up a couple of years ago?
Well worth a visit for those who havent seen it.
Bullitt.
bullitt:
davemackie:
I feel that some of the points raised on this forum need clarifcation. It is possible to drive any to any point on the Europe/Asia landmass, If the locals can do it so can we, If company’s are willing to pay for door to door service, which will be a lot more than sending by sea container, but with all things being equal, will arrive quicker.
The overland route trough Russia I am familer with halving done this to Uzbeckistan (Zarifshon ) in 96’-97’) which brought me close to both the Chinese and Afgan borders.
As far as I am aware transiting Iran is no problem if you are prepared to pay visa/transit taxes, which I believe are very high.
Bottom line yes we can. but will we be paid enough to make it worth while.
Dave, your link under your name isnt working. Is it the one to your site for the trips to the Zarifshon mines that you had posted up a couple of years ago?
Well worth a visit for those who havent seen it.
Bullitt.
try this link toprun.ch/truck/07-2006/Lets_Go_East/
Yep…that link works Dave, Cheers.
Bullitt.
just reading here brings a lot of memories back.
i never did middle east although i would have liked a go at it.
as for india i would love to try it this minute,i know its risky and probably impossible.
like a lot more,i spent yrs doing italy and remember the bakehouse.
does anyone remember the monkeyhouse.
i cant even remember the village it was in.
and 1 question.
i have searched the internet high and low.
anyone remember the naked lady statue on the way to my blanc on the old road around the nantua area.
can you name the local ville?,you could see the village behind the trees on the way up the hill.
it was a load of corkscrew bends and the statue was right on the bend.
i was told that the germans raided the village in the war and couldnt find any resistance fighter,so they shot the women and kids at the spot where the statue is.
i dont know how true this is and am open to correction.
I have a photo of that somewhere i,ll ratch it out, it was on the right in front of you on the bend if you were going uphill and you could park on the left before the bend klunk.
greg50 We used to call that area ‘the steelworks.’ Because at the bottom of the cliff was that old steel works. Many a driver lost his life going off the side of the mountain & ending up in that place. That part of the mountain was more dangerous than the Blanc.