Bewick:
Punchy Dan:
0
Called twice this yr and it’s been shut ,this confirms it another one gone .Probably saw you pulling up twice Dan’l and quickly closed up ! Anon1.
Thought it was the advance party for the Macc Breakfast Club and couldn’t stand the idea of a load of transport wallies arguing over whose turn it was to pay!
WaggerWagger888:
What a great subject for old tarmac junkies, I’ve spent the last 2 days looking through these posts and it certainly revived some memories. Channing’s café just south of Stratford on Avon on the old A34 (now A3400) was a good place en route to the Morris factory at Cowley or down to Southampton or London. Further on south between Long Compton and Chipping Norton on the downward hill was a real dump just wooden shack off a lay by in some bushes, no running water, the under growth was the toilets. A café by Neville Meluish farm machinery depot was another place to stop now a little chef type of place. The Clearways café at the bottom of death hill near Brands Hatch on the old A20 was a rough old place, if you could leave there before 6.15 a.m. going north you could go straight through the centre of London across Vauxhall bridge before 7.30 a.m. you would get a good run up through the Edgware Rd. to the M 1. That was the early 70’s, it would take hour’s nowadays that if h.g.v’s were allowed in that area.
Keep your elbows in lads.
Never had time to stop at Clearways in the early morning. If I was heading west it was always Vauxhall or Battersea bridge or if it was north then the Blackwall Tunnel or if overheight or wanted a change then Blackfriars Bridge and then up to Highbury Corner.
sandway:
WaggerWagger888:
What a great subject for old tarmac junkies, I’ve spent the last 2 days looking through these posts and it certainly revived some memories. Channing’s café just south of Stratford on Avon on the old A34 (now A3400) was a good place en route to the Morris factory at Cowley or down to Southampton or London. Further on south between Long Compton and Chipping Norton on the downward hill was a real dump just wooden shack off a lay by in some bushes, no running water, the under growth was the toilets. A café by Neville Meluish farm machinery depot was another place to stop now a little chef type of place. The Clearways café at the bottom of death hill near Brands Hatch on the old A20 was a rough old place, if you could leave there before 6.15 a.m. going north you could go straight through the centre of London across Vauxhall bridge before 7.30 a.m. you would get a good run up through the Edgware Rd. to the M 1. That was the early 70’s, it would take hour’s nowadays that if h.g.v’s were allowed in that area.
Keep your elbows in lads.Never had time to stop at Clearways in the early morning. If I was heading west it was always Vauxhall or Battersea bridge or if it was north then the Blackwall Tunnel or if overheight or wanted a change then Blackfriars Bridge and then up to Highbury Corner.
The good old days IMO, Young wheel attendents as sadley are now refered to these days, Dont know what they have missed in the old days driving , As in my case the late 50s onwards, I would do it all again if I could, But when one gets old one is old, : 
, But still old, Regards Larry., & Hopefully getting older with the help of Single Malts.
It seems such a long time ago that, provided you hit London before 7.30am, you could sail all the way through whichever direction you were going. These days you’d probably have to make the outskirts by around 3.00am to stand any chance- even if you were still allowed to go through the middle!
Some of the older drivers will remember this cafe on the approach road to Kincardine Fife.This is the only photo I have of the Silverlink Cafe and the old Kincardine bridge.
matt watson:
1Some of the older drivers will remember this cafe on the approach road to Kincardine Fife.This is the only photo I have of the Silverlink Cafe and the old Kincardine bridge.
I do remember it well Matt, but does that sign say Fat Choice Great prices? Hardly inspires confidence in the successor business. 
GREAT CHOICE
The super sausage cafe near Northampton town centre has been a truckstop/cafe for as long as I can remember, and I know it was called the 4 fishes before that. Has it always been this type of establishment? Anybody got any memories of it from decades ago? I used to work there in the early to mid 90s when I was around 16, but got sacked for serving too big portions, lol. As a lot of lorry drivers used it, I felt I wanted to help them by giving them a proper dinner when they parked up for the night. My eventual HGV trainer (I.D.T) was based out of there too - although he’s gone now. And to this day I still visit there on my days off for a good breakfast. It never seems to change.
ezydriver:
The super sausage cafe near Northampton town centre has been a truckstop/cafe for as long as I can remember, and I know it was called the 4 fishes before that. Has it always been this type of establishment? Anybody got any memories of it from decades ago? I used to work there in the early to mid 90s when I was around 16, but got sacked for serving too big portions, lol. As a lot of lorry drivers used it, I felt I wanted to help them by giving them a proper dinner when they parked up for the night. My eventual HGV trainer (I.D.T) was based out of there too - although he’s gone now. And to this day I still visit there on my days off for a good breakfast. It never seems to change.
I used it in the 70s,the digs were corridors with cubicles.But not too bad,food was good as was the parking.The end came for me when not being a regular started getting turned away,the guy on the parking was reserving spots for the favorite.I told him one night to shove it up his arse and never called again.
Blimey!, The 4 Fishes at Northampton. Now there’s a blast from the past. It must have been in the early 70s that I pulled in there on one or two occasions. Not to use the facilities it must be said, but to stay at Johnny’s transport digs farther up in the town. There must have been some kind of agreement between the respective proprietors, as we were allowed to park there, then following a phone call, a car, or a taxi would be sent down to pick us up and take us up to the digs.
Now I do realise that this thread is about transport cafés and not digs, but I was just curious as to whether or not anyone actually remembers Johnny’s place. As far as transport digs went in the 70s, the standard of the place was well above average. The place was run by a couple of brothers, Johnny and Bill. I’ve been struggling for a while to come up with their surname, and I think it may have been Soames, can anyone verify this?
I have to say, that they were both great guys…Now I’m not sure about Johnny, but Bill,…well…how can I put this?
Well first off, I’m not homophobic, but Bill,…well, let’s put it this way, if you were to drop anything of any significant value, you would have been well advised to kick it out of the building and as far across the car park as you could, or at least until you were well out of range, before stooping to retrieve it…Enough said?
I remember staying there on a couple of occasions. I was driving for Heatons at the time, on my way back up to St Helens from the smoke.
I recall one occasion when staying there, on my returning back early from the pub, I was invited by Bill to view his inner sanctum…Now come on,… let’s keep it clean here…He actually invited me into his private living area and introduced me to a group of his lithe young boyfriends. I was encouraged to relax, and invited to stay for a party, but declined the offer on the grounds that my ■■■■■■ preference primarily revolves around the inclusion of a sprinkling of females.
The following morning, as I was taking a shower, I heard Bill’s dulcit tones on the other side of the Perspex panel asking if I was in need of a towel…I seem to recall I dried myself using my cotton shirt on that particular occasion.
Following breakfast, Bill decided to give me a guided tour of his cellar.
Now this is where it all begins to get interesting. It turns out that Bill was something of an artist, or a sculptor to be more precise. He had plaster busts all over the place in various stages of development. One in particular that I recall was a bust of Sandie Shaw. He told me that he’d been commissioned by one of those fancy London fashion houses to create a mannequin in the image of the singer in order to model the overpriced rags that those southern women find so irresistible.
Having judged me suitably impressed, he then proceeded to show me his scrapbook, filled with clippings from American newspapers… Now judging from what I read that morning, It would appear that this bloke was responsible for creating many of the sets for the film Cleopatra…I’m not really into films, but wasn’t that the one with Elizabeth Taylor and that Welsh ■■■■■■, no, not Kinnock, the other one, the one with the chain of high street clothes shops.
I’ll admit, I may be gullible, but I totally bought it, I mean, how can you argue with a clipping from the New York Times, especially when it includes a photo of the bloke? I’d be interested to learn if anyone else apart from myself has knowledge of this.
By gum, Eddie, that brings back a faded image of George’s in Silvertown!
georges silvertown, I used to do a lot of London dock work through cutlers of poole, used georges quite a lot, one day I ordered a ham roll and stuck my hand up when the bloke shouted ham , and thought I don’t like this much as it tasted queer then a much bigger bloke said that’s my bloody roll and I said its a good job I had it then It tastes horrible, that’s the mustard the cheffy says, I never ordered mustard I said, every one started laughing and it was all ok. I was sweating a bit then, some because of the mustard and the rest because of the size of him,
I was a 22-year old on my first visit to George’s. I was offered the choice between paying the standard rate for my bed or sharing George’s private room for nowt. I made my feelings known and was never given the option again! Good grub and spotless, though.
Retired Old ■■■■:
I was a 22-year old on my first visit to George’s. I was offered the choice between paying the standard rate for my bed or sharing George’s private room for nowt. I made my feelings known and was never given the option again! Good grub and spotless, though.
So what you are saying is that you never paid the standard rate ROF?
Watch it!!! 
Retired Old ■■■■:
Watch it!!!
,
Georges was a good café,i never o/nighted there but used it when I loaded out of tate & lyle.
matt watson:
1Some of the older drivers will remember this cafe on the approach road to Kincardine Fife.This is the only photo I have of the Silverlink Cafe and the old Kincardine bridge.
lol,used to book two pound each way on my expences on the bridge
curnock:
matt watson:
1Some of the older drivers will remember this cafe on the approach road to Kincardine Fife.This is the only photo I have of the Silverlink Cafe and the old Kincardine bridge.lol,used to book two pound each way on my expences on the bridge
You must be jocking, There was no toll charge on Kincardine Bridge , I used to travel that route in the 50s, Or perhaps this was introduced in later yeras, 
Regards Larry.
I think you’ll find that he was booking two quid each way Never said he was paying it
What a deceitful gentleman! Regards Charlie