The cafe under the flyover in Bristol was the “Venturers” next to the old ■■■■■■■■■■ Basin bridge over the floating harbour entrance with the fine view of the Suspension bridge nearby. The better cafe was “Browns” which was almost adjacent to the old swing bridge, everything was served in home-made bread rolls and they were delicious . Unfortunately it was sold in the 1980’s and now it’s a posh “bistro”, ie the foods crap and very expensive! As regards to the all night Venturers, thats no longer a transport cafe either, just a mediocre eating house (well that’s what it looks like when I drive past, it doesn’t shout "come on in " to me)
Ah! The mention of Browns Cafe brings back the memories - one of the better cafes that were about in the old days. I can still taste the ‘toast and drip’.
Anyone remember Corsinis in Goldhawk Road, Shepherds Bush. No. 6 I believe. He was a Greek who owned several houses in the area and after you had booked in you needed an A-Z to find which house you were in. I came out one morning to find a tyre slashed so the neighbours were obviously not happy with having ‘heavies’ parked outside of their houses.
Wheel Nut:
Does anyone remember the lorry park in Derby? It wasnt where the cattle market is now. I remember it as a roundabout where you parked in the middle, right next to the city centre pubs. It may have been where the old bus station was.
Strewth, you must be even older than I am. I don’t remember anything there before the bus station and in the old days we always used to drive through the centre of Derby to go west from Nottingham.
Not older, just that as a long serving resident of the Derby community, (5 years)we talk of the old bus station as the new one if you get my drift. You must mean the tram station
The official lorry park is next to Pentagon island now, the Eagle centre has been demolished in parts and we have a new shopping shed
Ken Salt’s near Stoke, loads of beds in the rooms, but if you didn’t book early, you were out in the caravan in the garden. Ken was a butcher so good quality thick cut meat. Funny way of dishing up the grub though, piles of potatoes and veg with slabs of meat on the top and loads of gravy. The more you ate, the more he gave you. Pub down the road used to have a talent night, “bloke!!” down there did shirley bassey act, appeared on Stars in your Eyes, I think.
Another, I think in Stoke, pub called I think The Bear maybe, had to book early, got full with tate & lyle tanker drivers [sugar daddies, we called 'em]. Landlady big cuddly girl, used to take us around the clubs & pubs in her mustang.
Mrs Hext on West Hoe, Plymouth, very homely digs, only problem hot water took ages to heat for a bath so there were a load of drivers taking it in turn to wash & shave in a little vanity sized basin. She used to leave the key on a bit of string through letter box at night, always tea and biscuits left out on tray when you got in from union street or wherever.
Wheel Nut:
[Not older, just that as a long serving resident of the Derby community, (5 years)we talk of the old bus station as the new one if you get my drift. You must mean the tram station
The one I mean is the one that closed a few years ago. It was near to what I would call the ‘inner ring road’ and was a 30s art deco concrete slab type affair which some people got all worked up about preserving when it was scheduled for demolition. I think some protesters camped on the roof.
Don’t remember a tram station, or trams for that matter, in Derby.
hiya,
stopped at the red house just before doncaster not by choice (booked in by brs) i had been broken down it was all they could do at such a late hour,got to bed it was the coldest place i’d ever stayed and every time i straightened my legs i pulled the bedclothes off my shoulders my toes were stuck into something found that the top sheet was a curtain complete with rings, one and only time i used that place one saving grace the grub wasn’t too bad thanks harry long retired.
harry_gill:
hiya,
stopped at the red house just before doncaster not by choice (booked in by brs) i had been broken down it was all they could do at such a late hour,got to bed it was the coldest place i’d ever stayed and every time i straightened my legs i pulled the bedclothes off my shoulders my toes were stuck into something found that the top sheet was a curtain complete with rings, one and only time i used that place one saving grace the grub wasn’t too bad thanks harry long retired.
I remember that place Harry, on the right southbound just before you drop down to the roundabout that used to be at the start of a motorway section.
Never stopped in the place, only on the park, but you’re right it wasn’t a bad meal.
Used to stop at a few places regularly but one that sticks in my mind was the “sunset cafe” at Penkridge, my old man reccomended it as he used to use it before the M6 was built (Happy days)
Anyway, used it on quite a few occasions years ago but after a break from uk driving , found myself in that neck of the woods again and thought i would give it a try. . . .to be greeted by a pile of rubble gutted
Oh . . the Orange Tree at Walsall was a good un, slap up meal followed by plenty of slappers !!
Here’s a couple you may remember Dafdave from our days of Sheldons & Howarth & Wilson.
Valence road & The Ramp in the east end, down to the cafe then round the corner to the pubs with the strippers.
I can remember parking there with my dad when he was on for Bibby & Barrons then Sheldons when I was a kid and then parking there myself when I started driving in the late 80’s.
Hi Paul, I remember Vallance Road very well from 1973 / 75 while I was driving for Blue Dart Transport and Vitafoam. We used to get a wash in the Salvation Army Hostel on Whitechaple Road and then we would have a pint and a sandwich in The Blind Begger pub. Sometimes we would walk down to The Red Lion to see the stripper or we would catch the tube over to New Cross to see Jimmy Jones ( one of the best comedians I have ever seen ) at The Montague Arms.
Other Northern companies who used to park on Vallance Road were Scotts of Oldham, Hadfields from Ashton under Lyne, Brian Prescott from Failsworth, Howarth Brothers from Oldham, Remploy, Courtaulds Harrison and Jones and a few more.
Paul:
Here’s a couple you may remember Dafdave from our days of Sheldons & Howarth & Wilson.
Valence road & The Ramp in the east end, down to the cafe then round the corner to the pubs with the strippers.
I can remember parking there with my dad when he was on for Bibby & Barrons then Sheldons when I was a kid and then parking there myself when I started driving in the late 80’s.
Paul
Hi paul good to hear from you,yea theres some memorys there mate.What was the name of that cafe we used to go to,was it g&ts or something like that.How did you go on with the aid run,any pics.
reminded me of the railway club in newhaven, back around 1988 we used to use the tuesday night boat (for 8am clearance in como thursday ) and if your trailer had been loaded in leeds monday you would usually get a good session in before departure time - several times one of the sealink dockies would have to put the wagons on the boat
I spent many an evening there in the late 80’s early 90’s, then get on the ‘MV Senlac’ and be kept awake by the racket from the very noisy prop shafts right underneath the lower cabins.
A few from the other side;
The two Total garages at Dreux,
Clauds, St Genis de Santonge
The cabage patch St Andre de Cubzak
Behobia TIR park, never by choice!!
Hendaye TIR park, much closer to nice restaurants.
Contixa garage, Sunbilla,
Victors Burgos.
Tha Grand Buffet, Cambrills
Carinnena Hotel, opp booze factory.
Victors, Madrid.
Clubs galore all over the place. (not that I ever ventured inside )
One of the best things about Spain is that they’re just not ■■■■ about trucks parking and so long as you didn’t stop the flow of traffic or prevented other people getting in or out of anywhere, you were left alone.
harry_gill:
hiya,
stopped at the red house just before doncaster not by choice (booked in by brs) i had been broken down it was all they could do at such a late hour,got to bed it was the coldest place i’d ever stayed and every time i straightened my legs i pulled the bedclothes off my shoulders my toes were stuck into something found that the top sheet was a curtain complete with rings, one and only time i used that place one saving grace the grub wasn’t too bad thanks harry long retired.
I remember that place Harry, on the right southbound just before you drop down to the roundabout that used to be at the start of a motorway section.
Never stopped in the place, only on the park, but you’re right it wasn’t a bad meal.
the red house my that bring back some memories used to stop there in the sixty’s it was ok in them days lot of northeast drvers used it SIDDLE.C COOKS.CAWTHORN.CROWS.MCPHEE.WAUGHS, we used to drink in the tall-ho pub. had a few lock in’s there, oh happy days
Light years ago,I worked for VP wines out of Kingston,Surrey and if we were going that way we all stayed at Bloxwich.Mind you ,this was in the mid sixties and it was a fair old digs and you could get a red hot bath before going over the road to the pub.After a time tho’,he opened his own bar so took away some of the pub’s trade. At the time it was de luxe-one of the best around. There was another digs I used to stay at when in Runcorn.A BRS driver put me on to it and it was like home from home.There were about six of us,all regulars,and no one else could get in.Mrs Pendlebury was her name,approx 70 years old but she treated us all like family - even hot water bottles in winter.Halcyon days
and people like her made journey work more pleasant.Regards to all,900x20.
Many years ago.About 40 to be exact,I drove a tanker for Harp Lager on a regular run to the Royal Breweries in Edinbo’ from Alton. Two days up and two days down.First night Doncaster at the Almel in Christchurch Road. Cracking digs.We always ran in twos so some nights there would be four of us. Always out on the town.We all used to drink the same stuff. Yes Carling Black Label! Second night.Edinbro’.Another great digs in London Road.Always went to Stewarts Dancing bar It was known as the Biscuit Factory because all the ladies were grey and well done.
Hello all,
Anyone remember Ted’s by the Cattle market in Nottingham.Good digs but the dinner was always the same i.e. meat pie,peas and potatoes. Good all the same.Another one I remember was The Kings Arms at Clenchwarton,just outside Kings Lynn. I stayed once at a digs at Lesmahagow on the way to Glasgow.Never again tho’, I think even the mice there were throwing themselves into the traps. I had to wipe my feet on the way out!!! Might ring some bells out there.More later as the memory comes back. Kind regards to all.900x20.
To Trucking482002
Dereck , makes you chuckle when memories are stired especially with places like the Red Lion Aldgate and the strippers with thier pint mugs , used to drop in two bob and ask her not to do it ! ,one night she did a strip on the stage , swiped a drivers beer and poured it down her but didnt realise shed made the stage slippery , slipped up and like a beached whale slipped of the edge , and was last seen hobbling away and shouting " oh me efin back , great night .
There were digs in stirling called the Pavillion Cafe , filthy place woke up in the morning with bug bites all over , then there was Arden House , the Sally Army in Bootle , BRS would send us along , park up , pay the kids thier two bob , ten bob for the the bed and 2/6 for a meal , your bed looked like it was in a coffin and with free soup to the down and out s , a real eye opener . Bottom of the A1m south of Donny at the Blythe roundabout turn left on the Bawtry road was two cafes opposite each other Toms was one , stayed in a caravan cause it was full , thought I was lucky till I woke in the morning cold , wet and stiff with damp , I wondered why I saw drivers getting in bed with thier overalls on .
Frenchy
charlie one:
Sorry Frenchy but I think the Pavilion Cafe was at Perth.Stayed there a few times
That rings a bell with me, but while we are up in that neck of the woods do you remember that cafe right in the centre of Auchterarder? On the main road through the village, wagons were parked up both sides at mealtimes. Always reminded me of France in the way that that was tolerated.
charlie one:
Sorry Frenchy but I think the Pavilion Cafe was at Perth.Stayed there a few times
That rings a bell with me, but while we are up in that neck of the woods do you remember that cafe right in the centre of Auchterarder? On the main road through the village, wagons were parked up both sides at mealtimes. Always reminded me of France in the way that that was tolerated.
There was still a cafe up there when the key fuels network was being set up about 1980.
What was that cafe at Kincardine Bridge the Silver Roadhouse or something? just down the road was a little pub with a 70 year old woman serving
I don’t remember anything there before the bus station and in the old days we always used to drive through the centre of Derby to go west from Nottingham.
gutted
) and if your trailer had been loaded in leeds monday you would usually get a good session in before departure time - several times one of the sealink dockies would have to put the wagons on the boat 
)