Another old cafe that was used by truckers was near to Croydon Airport, and one on the airport, anyone remember them?
what about these: Ace cafe - weedon , Layby cafe -weston on the green ,Sportsmans - North circ.@ walthamstow ,beacon - South mimms ,Wallys A41 Watford , Jocks - slough
Yes I have been in most of them, the Layby is a midget cook now .
I remember the Treefield at Blackwood, they had the digs above the cafe and an overflow bungalow on the lorry park across the road. Spent the night there one winter in the 60s with a load of S.A.Bells drivers from Malton N. Yorks.
It was bloody freezing but there was a gas Fire in the bedroom and so it was left on all night, the next morning none of us could speak because we all had dried throats but at least we were warm! 
regards doublereduction.
Norman Ingram:
Yes I have been in most of them, the Layby is a midget cook now .
Alright Norman you may remember my old man … Jack hogarth 
was @ BRS lincoln rd before he started on Swifts early 70s.when only a nipper had first rides in a mandator (proper lorry)
so we have to call you lay bye norm now do we norman?
I remember a few of the lads faces from lincoln Road, I was on the buses, then they moved up to Duston, I was going into Swifts in 78 onwards, I knew a driver called Jack, but it could have been your dad, and as for laybys Jimmy, I have spent a few hours in them, for one reason or another. 
did you know stan butler when you were on the buses norman. my mate mick worked out of kent depot and reckond the ■■■ was plentiful and often. women would get on, run to the end of the line, then knickers down time anyone got the number for stagecoach
There used to be two café’s at South Mimms when it was a single carriageway the Beacon was on the left at the lights and I think the one on the right was the Rest and was slightly better than the Beacon this was in the 60s mind you then there was a café every 10 miles or so on the A1 and you could use them on both sides as it was mostly single carriageway and you had to go through a lot of the small towns as well.
Jimmy M your are ■■■ mad, but in my time they had some pretty clippies hanging on the back, one I said can you drive, she replied no why, I said because you are driving me wild, she laughed and said get me to the depot quick and you can punch my ticket!
Anyone remember the Canbara Cafe on the A23 at Croydon, used to be my first stop on the way south from the midlands cracking breakfast, was sat there noshing away one morning when 3 guys walked in and ordered breakfast, from behind me came the sound of a chair scraping on the floor and a very loud voice saying i want a word with you, looking over my shoulder i see king kong standing there, and i think what the ■■■■ have i done, 
lucky for me but not for them he meant the three guys at the counter.
Well he dived at them, one was lucky and made it out the door the other two got the biggest kicking of there lives, and i mean a hospital job, he then walked back to his table put the rest of his breakfast in his bread and butter and walk out saying thank you to the girls behind the counter.
As soon as he was out of site i wolfed me breakie down and was gone like a shot I was not waiting for the old bill on that one.
A couple of weeks later i was in there and after checking that king kong was not around made some discreet inquiries as to what happened after, it turned out that the 3 guys had king kongs diesel away a few weeks earlier after being told to ■■■■ off when they asked for some.
Lesson No 1 never return to the scene of crime.
.
Sugar Ray:
Anyone remember the Canbara Cafe on the A23 at Croydon, used to be my first stop on the way south from the midlands cracking breakfast, was sat there noshing away one morning when 3 guys walked in and ordered breakfast, from behind me came the sound of a chair scraping on the floor and a very loud voice saying i want a word with you, looking over my shoulder i see king kong standing there, and i think what the [zb] have i done,
Well he dived at them, one was lucky and made it out the door the other two got the biggest kicking of there lives, and i mean a hospital job, he then walked back to his table put the rest of his breakfast in his bread and butter and walk out saying thank you to the girls behind the counter.As soon as he was out of site i wolfed me breakie down and was gone like a shot I was not waiting for the old bill on that one.
A couple of weeks later i was in there and after checking that king kong was not around made some discreet inquiries as to what happened after, it turned out that the 3 guys had king kongs diesel away a few weeks earlier after being told to [zb] off when they asked for some.Lesson No 1 never return to the scene of crime.
is that the little wooden shack in the layby ?.
That brings back the time I was in a cafe on the A13, and gypo’s was asking if we had any deisel spare, no was the answer, then someone said they was trying to tube out deisel, so a few drivers jacked up their vehicle took their wheels off and threw them on the back of a irish tipper lorry who was pulling out, then told them that their tyres was travelling down the road, they got a gallon of deisel and lost their wheels, the driver said it would have been worth ten gallons. 
curnock:
Sugar Ray:
Anyone remember the Canbara Cafe on the A23 at Croydon, used to be my first stop on the way south from the midlands cracking breakfast, was sat there noshing away one morning when 3 guys walked in and ordered breakfast, from behind me came the sound of a chair scraping on the floor and a very loud voice saying i want a word with you, looking over my shoulder i see king kong standing there, and i think what the [zb] have i done,
Well he dived at them, one was lucky and made it out the door the other two got the biggest kicking of there lives, and i mean a hospital job, he then walked back to his table put the rest of his breakfast in his bread and butter and walk out saying thank you to the girls behind the counter.As soon as he was out of site i wolfed me breakie down and was gone like a shot I was not waiting for the old bill on that one.
A couple of weeks later i was in there and after checking that king kong was not around made some discreet inquiries as to what happened after, it turned out that the 3 guys had king kongs diesel away a few weeks earlier after being told to [zb] off when they asked for some.Lesson No 1 never return to the scene of crime.
is that the little wooden shack in the layby ?No it was a proper sit down, on Purley Way, its years since ive been that way.
.
Sugar Ray:
[No it was a proper sit down, on Purley Way, its years since ive been that way.
I often used to overnight there, it was a very long layby wasn’t it next to the open space?
A mate of mine from Econofreight nearly died there. He parked up in the opposite layby a bit further up and went to bed, not feeling well. He was there for 2 days I think, unable to move. Eventually he managed to reach over and switch on the flashing roof lights which alerted a passing police car. Rushed to hospital it was at first thought that he had had a heart attack but later turned out to be pleurisy.
I visited him there when I was taken down by car to fetch his wagon back.
tonyhogi:
what about these: Ace cafe - weedon , Layby cafe -weston on the green ,Sportsmans - North circ.@ walthamstow ,beacon - South mimms ,Wallys A41 Watford , Jocks - slough
Yes tony i remember the ace,wallys,and jocks.In the 80s i was in the ace 2 sometimes 3 times a week when i worked for sheldons of bury.Didn,t think much of the food at jock,s or the parking.
regards dave.
dafdave:
tonyhogi:
what about these: Ace cafe - weedon , Layby cafe -weston on the green ,Sportsmans - North circ.@ walthamstow ,beacon - South mimms ,Wallys A41 Watford , Jocks - sloughYes tony i remember the ace,wallys,and jocks.In the 80s i was in the ace 2 sometimes 3 times a week when i worked for sheldons of bury.Didn,t think much of the food at jock,s or the parking.
regards dave.
hi Dave , yeah later on the quality of food at most of them was bad 
probably alot to do with them closing down & burger vans setting up in the next layby didnt help . Didnt Jocks have a revolving door
tonyhogi:
dafdave:
tonyhogi:
what about these: Ace cafe - weedon , Layby cafe -weston on the green ,Sportsmans - North circ.@ walthamstow ,beacon - South mimms ,Wallys A41 Watford , Jocks - sloughYes tony i remember the ace,wallys,and jocks.In the 80s i was in the ace 2 sometimes 3 times a week when i worked for sheldons of bury.Didn,t think much of the food at jock,s or the parking.
regards dave.hi Dave , yeah later on the quality of food at most of them was bad
Thats right tony it did,Did you ever look in that overgrown yard behind the parking area,There were a couple of old trucks in there among the trees i couldant make out what they were.
regards dave.
dafdave:
tonyhogi:
dafdave:
tonyhogi:
what about these: Ace cafe - weedon , Layby cafe -weston on the green ,Sportsmans - North circ.@ walthamstow ,beacon - South mimms ,Wallys A41 Watford , Jocks - sloughYes tony i remember the ace,wallys,and jocks.In the 80s i was in the ace 2 sometimes 3 times a week when i worked for sheldons of bury.Didn,t think much of the food at jock,s or the parking.
regards dave.hi Dave , yeah later on the quality of food at most of them was bad
Thats right tony it did,Did you ever look in that overgrown yard behind the parking area,There were a couple of old trucks in there among the trees i couldant make out what they were.
regards dave.
Hiya DAF DAVE oh dear (I’am a ERF man)the old trucks at the back of Jocks one of them was a very rare ERF with a AEC engine and was new to Bakers of Sot’on.If you go to Google and key in ERF RALLY KELSALL and look for the Blue ERF with T.R.T.S. on the head board it will show the same lorry restored and a
photo of it standing at the back of Jocks.
I hope it brings back memories of that bleeding revolving door to which if someone gave me a pound every time i had been through i would be a millionair.
JOHN
3300John:
dafdave:
tonyhogi:
dafdave:
tonyhogi:
what about these: Ace cafe - weedon , Layby cafe -weston on the green ,Sportsmans - North circ.@ walthamstow ,beacon - South mimms ,Wallys A41 Watford , Jocks - sloughYes tony i remember the ace,wallys,and jocks.In the 80s i was in the ace 2 sometimes 3 times a week when i worked for sheldons of bury.Didn,t think much of the food at jock,s or the parking.
regards dave.hi Dave , yeah later on the quality of food at most of them was bad
Thats right tony it did,Did you ever look in that overgrown yard behind the parking area,There were a couple of old trucks in there among the trees i couldant make out what they were.
regards dave.Hiya DAF DAVE oh dear (I’am a ERF man)the old trucks at the back of Jocks one of them was a very rare ERF with a AEC engine and was new to Bakers of Sot’on.If you go to Google and key in ERF RALLY KELSALL and look for the Blue ERF with T.R.T.S. on the head board it will show the same lorry restored and a
photo of it standing at the back of Jocks.
I hope it brings back memories of that bleeding revolving door to which if someone gave me a pound every time i had been through i would be a millionair.
JOHN
Thanks for the info john i,ll look it up
regards dave.