Does anyone know of any cafes that existed along the A41 between Bicester and Aylesbury? The Triumph motorcycle dealer near Waddesdon looks like an old one…
yes Nathan, that was John’s Cafe’ i never went into that one, there was also one in Aston Clinton near the school, one at Loudwater East of High Wycombe, The Pineapple on the Oxford road out of High Wycombe and of course Chris’s Cafe at ‘Stokenchurch’ which is still going and i use whenever i am that way.
The A41 could do with a cafe nowadays, what with all the tippers running to Aylesbury. I know of Porkiesat Waddesdon, never stopped there as my 4 and a half runs out between Bicester and Oxford.
haddy:
Fame at last! I got the book “Trucking Down Memory Lane” for Christmas and my little article is on pages 57 & 58. There are a lot of memories from other drivers too. Good reading!
Hello haddy, saw the book whilst browsing trucknet, sent for it right away,look foward to your article,
all the best Ardennes
Ive just ordered mine to-day from Nynehead Books should have by the weekend, Im cerntainly looking forward to reading about the good old long gone days, Regards Larry.
Spardo:
KW:
And the ‘Truckers Paradise’ at Godmanchester,which then was on the A604 (Now the A14)
Aah! Happy Day’s!But do you remember it when it was ‘The Afton’ before that? No different I don’t think. I always thought it was better not to watch, otherwise you’d starve to death.
Had to laugh one day in a canteen at Liverpool docks. A mate and I were in for a snack while waiting to tip (and suss it out for dinner, and breakfast, and dinner and…). Anyway my mate who was widely recognised as a real hard case gave his order ‘a ham sandwich and no butter’. Thinking he was joking, the vision in a pinny gave him a bog standard one, which he refused. Later he explained. He’d once been on a school trip to the Co-op butter factory and seen what the evil sods were putting in the vats. Vowed never to eat the stuff again. Good job he never went round all the other factories!Salut, David.
Only my opinion but i thought the canteens at liverpool where pretty good , do you agree.
Were there any old cafes along the Icknield Way out Wendover/Aston Clinton? Been working out that way for a week now, thought somewhere like Worlds’ End would’ve had one, or maybe where the Crows Nest pub is?
ardennes:
Spardo:
KW:
And the ‘Truckers Paradise’ at Godmanchester,which then was on the A604 (Now the A14)
Aah! Happy Day’s!But do you remember it when it was ‘The Afton’ before that? No different I don’t think. I always thought it was better not to watch, otherwise you’d starve to death.
Had to laugh one day in a canteen at Liverpool docks. A mate and I were in for a snack while waiting to tip (and suss it out for dinner, and breakfast, and dinner and…). Anyway my mate who was widely recognised as a real hard case gave his order ‘a ham sandwich and no butter’. Thinking he was joking, the vision in a pinny gave him a bog standard one, which he refused. Later he explained. He’d once been on a school trip to the Co-op butter factory and seen what the evil sods were putting in the vats. Vowed never to eat the stuff again. Good job he never went round all the other factories!Salut, David.
Only my opinion but i thought the canteens at liverpool where pretty good , do you agree.
I do, it was my mate who made a fuss. For all we were treated as 2nd class citizens at Liverpool at least we were allowed into their canteens.
Unlike some of the Royal Docks in London where we were herded into a drafty wooden hut with a couple of self service machines, and woe betide you if you were away from the wagon when you were called to tip.
Stanfield:
Here’s one thats still open0
Usually a few there whenever I go past John, I think that the locals nip in for a bite and a cuppa besides the passing trade.
Pete.
He was just closing up when I arrived Pete and there was just me and a Walter Carefoot driver on the car park.Like you say its always got a few on when I have past before,mainly the tipper lads
Stanfield:
He was just closing up when I arrived Pete and there was just me and a Walter Carefoot driver on the car park.Like you say its always got a few on when I have past before,mainly the tipper lads
Hi John where is this Woodside Café ? Regards Larry.
bottom of the via gelia larry , a mile out of cromford .
Just noticed in the FOR SALE section in Scottish Transport News magazine that the land where the old TAM O SHANTER café stood just outside New ■■■■■■■ is for sale with planning consent for a café and truckstop. That could be a good move for someone as there is not much else on that road. Eddie.
erfguy:
Just noticed in the FOR SALE section in Scottish Transport News magazine that the land where the old TAM O SHANTER café stood just outside New ■■■■■■■ is for sale with planning consent for a café and truckstop. That could be a good move for someone as there is not much else on that road. Eddie.
Well that’s nice to hear, I used to dine there in the 50s allways good nosh, Happy days about to return Eh, I wish, Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
erfguy:
Just noticed in the FOR SALE section in Scottish Transport News magazine that the land where the old TAM O SHANTER café stood just outside New ■■■■■■■ is for sale with planning consent for a café and truckstop. That could be a good move for someone as there is not much else on that road. Eddie.Well that’s nice to hear, I used to dine there in the 50s allways good nosh, Happy days about to return Eh, I wish, Regards Larry.
hiya,
Larry the word Truckstop should tell you all you need to know about the proposed
outlet, for Truckstop read overpriced highway robbery and a mediocre nosebag, I
hope it doesn’t turn out that way but they all seem to end up like that.
thanks harry, long retired.
Hi, funny how things turn out, Google’d Tam O Shanter café yesterday to see if it was still on the go, it was a good little café in the day, quite amazed at the proposed truck stop project, 
. don’t get me wrong I’ve had some great nights out in the area but can’t see a truck stop pulling in enough custom to make it a viable project, todays driver does not seem to aim for the good life on nights out,[or can’t], if its just going to be a parking area and café well ok it might pull in a few jobs for locals, just my opinion.
Les.
You’re right there les, I used to have my night out clothes with me all the time.Now with the town centre lorry parks demise there was nowhere to go out to.you ended up in an industrial estate or worse a truck stop or even worse a motorway services.
hiya,
Does anyone have knowledge of the Sunset at Penkridge being partly demolished
by I think one of Suttons drivers, this would have occurred in around 1966 I know
it was under repair very quickly and back in business in no time at this time it was
always my first stop for brekkie and I know it wasn’t very long before I was putting
the nosebag on again, I did hear the driver who was unhurt was given his marching
orders and had to make his own way home which in those days would have been an
easy task the café catering for traffic on a single carriageway road.
thanks harry, long retired.
Retired drivers to the Continent will remember the ferry service from Tilbury to Antwerp. The Antwerp terminal was situated at quai 110 ‘Albertdok’ (behind the old GM plant) were the famous gaarkeuken (food kitchen) is. The ferry service is long gone to Zeebrugge, but the gaarkeuken 110 is still there! Open during weekdays from 5AM till 8PM.
Worthwhile a visit for the Belgian beers and the lunches 
In the documentary ‘Ferry Load’ the gaarkeuken is visible in part 2 on YouTube:
youtube.com/watch?v=5yiKnmP_uSA