Does anyone remember the cafe on the A3 north of Liphook, it was run by a chap who was an actor on the tv, all the market lad’s from Portsmouth, Burnetts,Mainland Market Deliveries,tom cobb’s,Owen Neil etc. used it.
Can’t remember what it was called ?
Curnock… the old BRS depot used to be in London road where the Mazda garage is now roughly, if you were coming past the ryton plant to the roundabout you take the road between the A45 and the A46 eastern bypass it’s on the right, Frenchy’s cafe was on the left used to get some Lathams wagons parked on there, moved into Rowley road about 1959-60 also i believe they had a depot in Quinton road.
always interesting to find out where the brs depots were,i didnt know untill a few months ago that the old tayler barnard depot in wisbech was ex brs and i loaded out of there numerous times its now a TNT express yard
Spardo:
Didn’t have time to divert round to see if L’Oasis at St. Jean de Beugné is still open. Doesn’t anybody use this route to the SW anymore?
Up that way again next week, will see if I have the time for a little diversion.
I know its an old topic but I’m having my first attempt at inserting a picture.
The Oasis is still going strong, with Plenty of Parking.
The reason the N137 is not used as it was is due to the weight limit in Marans.
Tho the Oasis is only a couple of K’s from the Autoroute and is a much better option than the Vendee Services
Curnock the BRS Depot in Leamington Spa is now a vauxhall dealership in Rugby Rd
squarepeg:
Spardo:
Didn’t have time to divert round to see if L’Oasis at St. Jean de Beugné is still open. Doesn’t anybody use this route to the SW anymore?
Up that way again next week, will see if I have the time for a little diversion.I know its an old topic but I’m having my first attempt at inserting a picture.
The Oasis is still going strong, with Plenty of Parking.
The reason the N137 is not used as it was is due to the weight limit in Marans.
Tho the Oasis is only a couple of K’s from the Autoroute and is a much better option than the Vendee Services
I used this one often when I was on for Transalliance GBE, In fact I was amazed at the old bloke building an outbuilding just in front of it by the roadside. He was almost 90 
dieseldog6:
Curnock the BRS Depot in Leamington Spa is now a vauxhall dealership in Rugby Rd
thanks dd,ihave started a new topic on this but have put it in the wrong section
i will try and move it if i can 
curnock:
always interesting to find out where the brs depots were,i didnt know untill a few months ago that the old tayler barnard depot in wisbech was ex brs and i loaded out of there numerous times its now a TNT express yard
I can tell you where a few of them were.I worked for the Runcorn branch.
Widnes Ireland Street (houses built on it)
Runcorn Cavendish Farm Rd (now Selwyns Coaches)
Warrington Battersby Lane ( now a shopping centre)
Queensferry Coast Rd (now a Crane yard)
Childs Ercall Two aircraft hangers between Whitchurch and Telford
There were BRS yards everywhere and also Suttons had many depots.I often used to stay at Banbury BRS after loading sugar out of Thame.That Hook Norton bitter always kaeyboshed an early start,you didn’t buy it ,you just rented it,it never left the area’ Went through me like a Porsche
Fountain cafe at Wellesbourne, was the longstanding owner call Harry?
Main route to the M1 from these parts before the M42 was built, kin great grub and handy for night out, chippy and pubs 5 mins walk - Happy days !!
Ps . is it still possible to overnight near any town centre nowadays or is it all truckstops and msa"s?
whooshwhoosh:
ah,coatsgate!had my first ever scottish sausage there(no,not that type)took it back cos i thought she"d given me a burger!told loudly exactly what it was,to the sniggering of old hands,21 yrs old,sat back down quietly n eat it quickly!
the moss nr carlisle,scruffy hole,but always had a fire on the go.again on me first class1 job,nights to glasgow brs depot,a sharp learning curve guiding yrself round the pitch black,potholed park between a hundred other wagons!
langdons taunton,only breakfast that nearly beat me!HUGE!
juggernaught at crawley v good,think its still goin?
best nights out ever tho…kernels at cannock,thursday nights…dingdangdoo!
westbrom truckstop fri nights a laugh,specially when local c+w fans turned up in all the gear,nowt funnier than a yamyam red indian!
I remember that one.I found myself envired in there one Friday night.All these Shhhkickers came in,it was like a spaghetti western,hey smashing lads though,It took me ages to get my head around this’Benny Hill’ lookalike,saddlebags over his arm gets into one of those crappy Skoda’s. Took me ages to get to sleep I was laughing that much.The cowgirls were pretty fit as I remember,but none of them mosey’d on over to me.
mushroomman:
[. Please keep us all informed about how the book is coming along.Best regards Steve.
Now published Steve, you have a PM. 
charlie one:
Don’t forget the book.Hows about a chapter on trees.You must have slept under a few in your time.
See above Charlie, you have an email. 
curnock:
always interesting to find out where the brs depots were,i didnt know untill a few months ago that the old tayler barnard depot in wisbech was ex brs and i loaded out of there numerous times its now a TNT express yard
tayler barnard is part of TNT
bigpeter53:
curnock:
always interesting to find out where the brs depots were,i didnt know untill a few months ago that the old tayler barnard depot in wisbech was ex brs and i loaded out of there numerous times its now a TNT express yardI can tell you where a few of them were.I worked for the Runcorn branch.
Widnes Ireland Street (houses built on it)
Runcorn Cavendish Farm Rd (now Selwyns Coaches)
Warrington Battersby Lane ( now a shopping centre)
Queensferry Coast Rd (now a Crane yard)
Childs Ercall Two aircraft hangers between Whitchurch and Telford
There were BRS yards everywhere and also Suttons had many depots.I often used to stay at Banbury BRS after loading sugar out of Thame.That Hook Norton bitter always kaeyboshed an early start,you didn’t buy it ,you just rented it,it never left the area’ Went through me like a Porsche
nice one pete 
How About.
The Busy Bee A41 Watford By Pass . End Of MI In The Good Old Days.
Sids Cafe A24 Clockhouse Next To Scrap Yard Opposite London Brick.
Wally’s Cafe A5 Redbourn Near The Bridge.
Sentenol Cafe A5 Between Dunstable and Hockliffe.
Pulman Cafe and Filling Station A5 Nr Bletchley.
All Long Gone. 
charlie one:
Sorry lads. It was definately the Hilltop. cos I used to stop there in the 50s and I’m older than you and I know best. So there
Bit late I know but been trawling back through this thread and remember the Hilltop cafe on a roundabout at A1 Blyth. I used to pass it every monday in 1961 in my little van on my way to Newcastle upon tyne. I can recall sitting behind wagons in clouds of smoke as they struggled along and reading a sticker on the back which said “Hilltop or bust! Blyth.” Does anyone remember them?
I can just about remember 2 cafe in glousetershire area there was the Staverton grill between Cheltenham and Gloucester and the Windrush on the A40 Does anyone know what they are doing on the old windrush site they started building years ago a hotel i think but nothings happened for a few years now , and its been mentioned before brians at ripple junction 1 M50 A38
truckeygar:
I can just about remember 2 cafe in glousetershire area there was the Staverton grill between Cheltenham and Gloucester and the Windrush on the A40 Does anyone know what they are doing on the old windrush site they started building years ago a hotel i think but nothings happened for a few years now , and its been mentioned before brians at ripple junction 1 M50 A38
The cafe at Windrush was OK but the little bonny woman would throw you out at 10 o’clock and it was out to the grotty caravans at the back.(no sleeper cabs those days) what a lark. I only suffered it once or twice then found the old army camp at Stratton St Margaret on the way into Swindon,run by friendly Asians, a little austere but warm and dry, you all sat together for your scran like at a holiday camp.
Any one know what was built were the staverton grill was.I used to use it but not regular because the park was a real load tester and being a dead end it was sometimes hard turning round.Am i right in thinking it shut around the early 90s.
Dave
A couple of new houses have been built where the buildings were the parking area has been turfted over Dukes used park there a lot from what i can remember