Old Cafe's

[mushroomman]

Spot on Chris, Nobles Transport from Edmonton did a lot of work for Vitafoam and then became Vitafreight. After a while they became Blue Dart Transport, then they gave up general haulage and went back to just doing work for Vitafoam and their associated companies.
As you well know Chris, if you saw another driver stood by the side of the road with a log book, you nearly always stopped and gave him a lift, because you never knew when the boot might be on the other foot.

Some of the drivers regular cafes were Bob Manleys, on the A34 near Stoke, The Hollies on the A5 near Cannock and Symonds Yat, near Monmouth.

Regards Steve.

[spardo]

mushroomman:
As you well know Chris, if you saw another driver stood by the side of the road with a log book, you nearly always stopped and gave him a lift, because you never knew when the boot might be on the other foot.

.

‘Nearly always’ Steve? . I never knowingly passed a man with a logbook and I bet you didn’t too. Typo perhaps?

Some of the drivers regular cafes were Bob Manleys, on the A34 near Stoke, The Hollies on the A5 near Cannock and Symonds Yat, near Monmouth.

The Hollies has got a worse reputation these days I hear but I was a frequent customer, although only after the ‘Coronation’ closed down just up the road. As has been said before that was the setting for the TV play ‘Dogfood Dan & The Carmarthen Cowboy’ .
A few years later it then re-opened as Truckers Rest or something like that - is it still going?
Symonds Yat was one of the new brand of restaurants with decent accommodation attached, a bit like Silvertown Motel, although that later shut down or transferred across the road I think.

[chris_webb]

I used to stop over at Symonds Yat in the 70s.The digs were on the S/bound side but there was a cafe both sides.
There was a pub down the road called The Crown I think - a bit olde worlde -and one at the top of the hill before you dropped down to the cafe.You could stay overnight there and there was always one or two wagons parked up but I can’t remember the name of it.
Was it Pencraig or summat like that where the pub was?

[david_robertson]

hi i see the silvertown motel mentioned, a nice bit of food was served up there, but before that it was a wooden shack called smokeys, now that was a nice bit of tucker dave r

[spardo]

Chris Webb:
Was it Pencraig or summat like that where the pub was?

I think it was Chris.

[mushroomman]

Spardo:

mushroomman:
As you well know Chris, if you saw another driver stood by the side of the road with a log book, you nearly always stopped and gave him a lift, because you never knew when the boot might be on the other foot.

.

‘Nearly always’ Steve? . I never knowingly passed a man with a logbook and I bet you didn’t too. Typo perhaps?

Sorry Spardo, not a typo, It’s a good job you didn’t bet.

Driving down the M6 southbound in a A.E.C. Mercury with a 36 foot trailer, I once saw a driver with a log book standing on the hard shoulder, at the top of the slip road from the A500. I thought for the safety of other drivers and my own, that I would give this guy a miss. I still cant understand why for his own safety, he didn’t walk back down the slip road.

On another occasion, I was driving a Ford 1000 D series with a 36 foot trailer. As I was going down the A1 on a clearway, I saw a driver thumbing a lift with a large Alsatian dog. Now I have heard that Alsatians are very intelligent dogs but I still have never met one, that can wipe its harris properly. As transport digs weren’t always where you wanted them to be, very often I would have to sleep in the cab. So, on health and safety grounds, I also decided to give these two a miss.

Over the years I picked up lots of hitchhikers, especially while I was driving overseas. I met some really interesting people, and was often fascinated by their tales of travelling, however I always drew the line about taking their pets.

As we are on the old cafés thread, I feel that I must add my bit about the Bake house debate. In my opinion the Bakehouse was a good place to stay, great food, it was inexpensive and often there was good company. If you were weekended there it was O.K. you could always get a wash or a shower and I am sure every driver can think of a much worse place to be weekended.

My favourite place was and I hope you can help me out here David, as I have forgotten the name of the little village it was in. It was, I think north of Auxerre on the old N6 just before Point Dian, and it was called The Algerians. ( I hope it rings a bell for you ).
We used to park in the main street and the police would never bother us but would come round about eleven o’clock at night for a coffee and to make sure that there was no noise and to see if there was any trouble. I always used to try and make it there on a Tuesday as the Plat de jour was always lamb cous cous, a meal that I really enjoyed.

Finally, I loved the picture of the old road train in the Northern Territory that was sent in by Sheeter. He thought that the roadhouse was the old Three Ways roadhouse north of Tennant Creek. As I wasn’t in Oz in the 1970s, I never saw the old place, so I would have to agree with him, if it was south bound. How ever if it was north bound, then I would be inclined to think that it was the Wycliffe Well roadhouse, which is about 500 kilometres north of Alice Springs.
Can you or Sheeter remember if the Wycliffe Well was open in the 1970s?, its about 20 kilometres from the Devils Marbles.

Well David, I hope your book is almost finished , please put me down for a first edition signed copy, as I have nearly always enjoyed your interesting and educational comments.

Best regards Steve.

[spardo]

mushroomman:
[
‘Nearly always’ Steve? . I never knowingly passed a man with a logbook and I bet you didn’t too. Typo perhaps?

Sorry Spardo, not a typo, It’s a good job you didn’t bet.

Ah well, perhaps I would have passed in those instances you mention. There were a couple of occasions when I picked up an ordinary hitch hiker who had cottoned on to the logbook trick. I wasn’t best pleased.

My favourite place was and I hope you can help me out here David, as I have forgotten the name of the little village it was in. It was, I think north of Auxerre on the old N6 just before Point Dian, and it was called The Algerians. ( I hope it rings a bell for you ).
We used to park in the main street and the police would never bother us but would come round about eleven o’clock at night for a coffee and to make sure that there was no noise and to see if there was any trouble. I always used to try and make it there on a Tuesday as the Plat de jour was always lamb cous cous, a meal that I really enjoyed.

Sorry, not on my old map. Hardly surprising really as in my Italian days we used to race like hell to get down to the Bakehouse for the weekend, making only brief stops on the autoroute.

Finally, I loved the picture of the old road train in the Northern Territory that was sent in by Sheeter. He thought that the roadhouse was the old Three Ways roadhouse north of Tennant Creek. As I wasn’t in Oz in the 1970s, I never saw the old place, so I would have to agree with him, if it was south bound. How ever if it was north bound, then I would be inclined to think that it was the Wycliffe Well roadhouse, which is about 500 kilometres north of Alice Springs.
Can you or Sheeter remember if the Wycliffe Well was open in the 1970s?, its about 20 kilometres from the Devils Marbles.

Can’t help here either. Firstly I wasn’t in the Territory in the 70s, but the 60s, and secondly I used the Stuart Highway only twice - to get to Katherine on the bus from Darwin, and later car sharing from there down to Melbourne. All my work for Buntine was west to Wyndham (WA). Only one stop on that 400 mile road, but you could wake him up in the middle of the night for diesel, rum and a steak sandwich.

Well David, I hope your book is almost finished , please put me down for a first edition signed copy, as I have nearly always enjoyed your interesting and educational comments.

Nice of you to say so. , so that’s you and Charlie on the list then.

[ainacs]

Hi Spardo

The Algerians was in a village called Epineau Les Voves and the Bakehouse was run by Raymond the Mayor and undertaker of St Cyr Le Ecole.

One of my old drivers has just told me!

Regards Pat

[newmercman]

My favourite place was and I hope you can help me out here David, as I have forgotten the name of the little village it was in. It was, I think north of Auxerre on the old N6 just before Point Dian, and it was called The Algerians. ( I hope it rings a bell for you ).
We used to park in the main street and the police would never bother us but would come round about eleven o’clock at night for a coffee and to make sure that there was no noise and to see if there was any trouble. I always used to try and make it there on a Tuesday as the Plat de jour was always lamb cous cous, a meal that I really enjoyed.

I used to use the Algerians, I’m sure the village was called Epinau/Epinal le something or another I liked the Cous-Cous too but it must’ve been a regular dish when I used it though as I used to ship out with the tuesday night gang & would’ve still been in the yard Tuesday nights. It was on the right hand side of the RN6 about 10k before you crossed over the A6, there was a parking area behind the houses opposite if you were early enough, but was a nightmare to get out if you wanted an early start IIRC it was open 24hrs

[newmercman]

Well done Pat,
Epinau les Voves, at least I was half right I got a bit premature & didn’t go to the end of the thread before releasing the index finger

As you used to run down the west coast of France a lot, do you remember a place called Le Chene Vert, translates to the green bush i think, I went in there only once for a baguette & cafe & remember that it was the cleanest place I’d ever been in, le chef was polishing the brass handrail in the corridor leading to the toilettes, as I said, i only popped in for a quick bite & ended up chatting all afternoon, there were pics of old trucks all over the walls.

Le chef was most amused that English drivers with Swedish lorries were pulling German trailers with American fridge gear through France loaded with Spanish oranges to be delivered to a Turkish Cypriot in a London fruit market, we started with cafe, moved on to Pastis Tomate & finished off with Calvados, french hospitality at its very best

[newmercman]

sorry chaps I used the T word in my last post I meant LORRIES

[pursy]

Not a cafe ,but at at Metal Box Neath’s canteen you had to pay 50p deposit for your knives and forks.
Stopped at a snack bar in a laybye near Wisbeche about 28 years ago, got a burger and tea and sat back in my cab,it was a nice summer day and a rep in front was asleep across his seats with his feet out of the door with about 10 rats running round them!
Used to do a lot of southeast from worcester and the Windrush was always a nice sort of halfway stop for us, there wasn’t much else before the Smoke back then

[dieseldog6]

That was the Chester road Tankerman

[spardo]

Thanks Ainacs and Newmercman.
Does anyone know if The Algerian is still there? If so, I’ll put it on my map, now I know the exact location.

I think the Bakehouse was in the village of St. Cyr sur Menthon but no matter, it is certainly on the right hand side of the eastbound N79 after leaving J 3 of the A 40. If it is still there that is. I was last in there the last year I was working, 5 years ago, while the Blanc was still shut and, although I was the only truck he seemed to be doing ok. I had a nice meal and a chat to the young proprietor who said he was the grandson of Raymond.

Did you mean Le Chêne Vert at Luçon Newmercman? About 4 kms from the N 147 crossroads? Yes, a good meal in there and a couple of years ago I wrote on here of a very eccentric bloke there behind the bar. He brought water for my dogs and then lay on the floor flat out to talk to them. They were a bit surprised, but gave him a lick anyway. In return Fran and I got a Chêne Vert baseball cap apiece.

Chêne Vert translates as Green Oak BTW, which is not an oak that’s green (they all are in summer ) but a specific type of oak called that, in the same way that there are sub species called English or American oaks. It is also called the Holm oak too I believe.

[tir_original]

You haven’t seen his latest fad then David ? He’s still got his ■■■■■■■■■ labrador
dog but he’s bought an African Grey parrot ! It’s in a cage by the till at the entrance to the dining room. When eating keep away from the door because its the noisiest thing I’ve heard in my life. He seems to spend all his time trying to teach the thing to talk.

[ainacs]

Hi Spardo

I think the Algerians is still there it was a couple of years ago anyway

Regards Pat

[charlie_one]

Blimey I didnt realise that you were an horticulturist David. I’m even more impressed by your knowledge. A font of information. I am very pleased to know you! PS. Don’t forget the book.Hows about a chapter on trees.You must have slept under a few in your time.

[ainacs]

Hi wasn’t there a routiers at La Fayet I seem to remember it as Bernards■■?

It was a long days drive from Le Harve!

Regards Pat

[charlie_one]

Correction Pat.It was Le Fayet I think. It was called Bernards If I remember right. ■■■■ good hike from Le Havre.You had to be off that boat and away.No sitting around and drinking Grande Creme.

[spardo]

charlie one:
Blimey I didnt realise that you were an horticulturist David. I’m even more impressed by your knowledge. A font of information. I am very pleased to know you! PS. Don’t forget the book.Hows about a chapter on trees.You must have slept under a few in your time.

You learn all sorts on the road, you should know that, however the Holm Oak bit came out of my dictionary.
Too late for the book mate, that’s all done and dusted and ready for the printers, just waiting on the results of a proof read from one of my expert advisers - the Home Office Pathologist (an old school friend) who helped out with a bit of a gruesome story.

Ainacs:
I think the Algerians is still there it was a couple of years ago anyway

Thanks Pat, it’s on the map