Lawrence Dunbar:
There was another cafe called Dunkirk as I recall some years agoat the end of the M 56, A rundown sort of a place, but better than nothing, the was grub was decent & not badly priced, this was earley 80s, I wonder if it is still there, Regards Larry.
I called over 10yrs ago and the cafe was closed then.Not been that way since due to retiring.
regards dave.
Thank you,It seems that there is not many of the old haunts left now wherever we go, Regards Larry.
larry can you remember the red bus in field jusy after the weighbridge at wetherby on a1, if memory serves me right i think a guy called peter had it
I recall a bus cafe on the A64 Heading towards Leeds, The one past the W/bridge turn off comes to mind as a green portacabin ? but having said that the old gray cells are not as good as they used to be, Regards Larry.
yeah they was red bus heading towards leeds on both the a59 and a64 from wetherby but the one i mentioned was on the a1
Lawrence Dunbar:
There was another cafe called Dunkirk as I recall some years agoat the end of the M 56, A rundown sort of a place, but better than nothing, the was grub was decent & not badly priced, this was earley 80s, I wonder if it is still there, Regards Larry.
I called over 10yrs ago and the cafe was closed then.Not been that way since due to retiring.
regards dave.
Thank you,It seems that there is not many of the old haunts left now wherever we go, Regards Larry.
larry can you remember the red bus in field jusy after the weighbridge at wetherby on a1, if memory serves me right i think a guy called peter had it
I recall a bus cafe on the A64 Heading towards Leeds, The one past the W/bridge turn off comes to mind as a green portacabin ? but having said that the old gray cells are not as good as they used to be, Regards Larry.
yeah they was red bus heading towards leeds on both the a59 and a64 from wetherby but the one i mentioned was on the a1
I can remember another bus cafe on the A58 just a short run out of Wetherby before you reached Collingham, it was there for quite a long time, but of course long gone now, The road has all changed, in fact it would be very easy for me to get lost travelling around there these days, Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
There was another cafe called Dunkirk as I recall some years agoat the end of the M 56, A rundown sort of a place, but better than nothing, the was grub was decent & not badly priced, this was earley 80s, I wonder if it is still there, Regards Larry.
I called over 10yrs ago and the cafe was closed then.Not been that way since due to retiring.
regards dave.
Thank you,It seems that there is not many of the old haunts left now wherever we go, Regards Larry.
larry can you remember the red bus in field jusy after the weighbridge at wetherby on a1, if memory serves me right i think a guy called peter had it
I recall a bus cafe on the A64 Heading towards Leeds, The one past the W/bridge turn off comes to mind as a green portacabin ? but having said that the old gray cells are not as good as they used to be, Regards Larry.
Hullo Larry, Dave,
The Red Bus Cafe is still there in the lay bye, although not so many people use that
stretch of road now days, since the new A1(M) link has been there. The Portacabin at Wentbridge is still there but is White now.
Cheers, Archie.
Anyone remember the Checkley Cafe at Tean, between Stoke and Uttoxeter on the old A50 ?
There was a Co.op creamery about a mile away in the Stoke direction.
The chef, in his thirties at the time, had left his previous job, (at one of the posh hotels in Park Lane, London) to work there “to serve real food to real people.” (I’ll never forget that bit - it made me kind of proud to be a lorrydriver when I overheard him say that to another customer sitting at the next table.)
Needless to say, the food and presentation were superb. I often ordered a Sunday Roast with all the trimmings and his home made jam suet pudding and custard afterwards.
The proprietor (I can’t remember his name) and his son kept a couple of restored 8 wheelers in the sheds at the back of the parking area.
They had about 15 beds upstairs for overnight stays, - this would be the early seventies, so sleeper cabs were only just beginning to appear - there was room for about 20 wagons in the parking area.
Can anybody remember the name of the cafe at Scotch Corner, it was on the old A1 going North just before the junction with the A66.
Right pig stye and I had the misfortune to stay there one night.
Another one I frequented a few times was called something like “Berts Gone Mad” or “Bert of Old England” near Basinstoke.
fryingpan:
I think the Little Chef at Skeeby is the old Clock Cafe building, although I’m not positive.
The Clock was on the northbound side just before Scotch Corner,was a good place to trough but has been closed years. It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s a Little Chuff now.
The one I recall at S/corner, Was opposite the Regent Filling Station, Was called the Anchor Cafe they did accomadation for drivers, I recall some of Smilers tipper drivers kipping there when they worked out of a tar quarry at East Layton, just off the A 66 , Regards Larry.
fryingpan:
I think the Little Chef at Skeeby is the old Clock Cafe building, although I’m not positive.
The Clock was on the northbound side just before Scotch Corner,was a good place to trough but has been closed years. It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s a Little Chuff now.
Aye its a L/C, Plus a Travelodge has been for a long time now, the only interesting thing left on that stretch is Charlie Longs depot which has been there long before the Clock Cafe, Regards Larry.
Did anyone ever stop at Les Cookes digs at Stone on the A38 north of Bristol ? An old fashioned digs in a village run by a grand family,it really was home from home,well as near as you’d get!! Cheers Dennis.
Dennis you are going back a long time here, I used to do a delivery in Dursley which is not too far away from there, of course the firm I worked for didnt think about their drivers parking up too earley unless they were loaded , its a place I never ever stopped at, well not that I can recall anyway, But like all the good old haunts & good bait houses, they are long gone sadley to say, Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Dennis you are going back a long time here, I used to do a delivery in Dursley which is not too far away from there, of course the firm I worked for didnt think about their drivers parking up too earley unless they were loaded , its a place I never ever stopped at, well not that I can recall anyway, But like all the good old haunts & good bait houses, they are long gone sadley to say, Regards Larry.
Late 60’s Larry just before the M5 was built down to Bristol from Tewksbury,1969 'ish,I got “silent checked” at about 2 a.m. rounding the market cross in Tewksbury on a flyer to Bristol,when I was still,according to my log book parked up in Kendal !! The ministry man in Kendal ,Frank Wilcox,squared it with the Gloucester ministry man,and this was when I only had the first motor! From then on,every year up until “old Frank” retired he reminded me of the fact as I gave him his bottle Scotch at Christmas !!! But as he said,we wern’t “bent” operators so he always respected that customer demands had to come first at times and as long as it was never blatent he turned a “Nelsons eye” !! Cheers Dennis.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Dennis you are going back a long time here, I used to do a delivery in Dursley which is not too far away from there, of course the firm I worked for didnt think about their drivers parking up too earley unless they were loaded , its a place I never ever stopped at, well not that I can recall anyway, But like all the good old haunts & good bait houses, they are long gone sadley to say, Regards Larry.
Late 60’s Larry just before the M5 was built down to Bristol from Tewksbury,1969 'ish,I got “silent checked” at about 2 a.m. rounding the market cross in Tewksbury on a flyer to Bristol,when I was still,according to my log book parked up in Kendal !! The ministry man in Kendal ,Frank Wilcox,squared it with the Gloucester ministry man,and this was when I only had the first motor! From then on,every year up until “old Frank” retired he reminded me of the fact as I gave him his bottle Scotch at Christmas !!! But as he said,we wern’t “bent” operators so he always respected that customer demands had to come first at times and as long as it was never blatent he turned a “Nelsons eye” !! Cheers Dennis.
You bent bugger Dennis,it’s something I would never,ever have dreamt doing.
Well Dennis we have all been naughtey, but it was to other peoples benifits too, just think back if the likes of you & me & a lot of other long distance drivers who took a pride in their job, delivering foodstuff to wholesalers all over the country, & earned less money than a civil servant, for a lot longer hours, In My opinion drivers & hauliers from this ERA, Should have had the BEM, for their efforts to make this Country The Best In The World, Which has a big QUESTION MARK in its mistd to-day Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Dennis you are going back a long time here, I used to do a delivery in Dursley which is not too far away from there, of course the firm I worked for didnt think about their drivers parking up too earley unless they were loaded , its a place I never ever stopped at, well not that I can recall anyway, But like all the good old haunts & good bait houses, they are long gone sadley to say, Regards Larry.
Late 60’s Larry just before the M5 was built down to Bristol from Tewksbury,1969 'ish,I got “silent checked” at about 2 a.m. rounding the market cross in Tewksbury on a flyer to Bristol,when I was still,according to my log book parked up in Kendal !! The ministry man in Kendal ,Frank Wilcox,squared it with the Gloucester ministry man,and this was when I only had the first motor! From then on,every year up until “old Frank” retired he reminded me of the fact as I gave him his bottle Scotch every Christmas !!! But as he said,we wern’t “bent” operators so he always respected that customer demands had to come first at times and as long as it was never blatent he turned a “Nelsons eye” !! Cheers Dennis.
You bent bugger Dennis,it’s something I would never,ever have dreamt doing.
Anonellinvannin.
Can you extract your tongue from your cheek Webbo,or has it stuck there!!! “First law of the jungle” don’t get caught !!! I was only 21 and my brains were still brand new at the time !! I sharpened up fast though !! Cheers Dennis.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Well Dennis we have all been naughtey, but it was to other peoples benifits too, just think back if the likes of you & me & a lot of other long distance drivers who took a pride in their job, delivering foodstuff to wholesalers all over the country, & earned less money than a civil servant, for a lot longer hours, In My opinion drivers & hauliers from this ERA, Should have had the BEM, for their efforts to make this Country The Best In The World, Which has a big QUESTION MARK in its mistd to-day Regards Larry.
And then there was the dockers’ canteen in the Royal Docks in London.
Anyone know what that was like? I never got to try it out. We were banned you see. Just as we were made to use the ‘Asian’ toilets. Unclean lorry drivers.
Another fine example of the TGWU brotherhood.
BTW, before anyone cries ‘racist’, I prefer the so-called ‘Asian’ toilets. So much more hygienic when clean, no bodily contact. Called ‘a la Turq’, there are many still in France.
Anyone remember the Checkley Cafe at Tean, between Stoke and Uttoxeter on the old A50 ?
