As a carry on from my worst trucks thread now a worst cafes nominee…
My own two personal ones have to be the old ‘Truckers’ cafe on the A38 nr Derby, absolute filthy ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ on the floor under tables and the counter and the worst served up slop imaginable. Second has to be The Roadhouse on the old A11 at Redlodge, another case of botulism on a plate…
Quernhow on the A1 n/b in N Yorks. 
the coronation now the truckers rest .late 70’s ran by 2 dirty old men .brothers i belive …
In the 70s the ranch on watling st,when a guy called fred had it.When you slept in the cubicles in winter the kit you got was 1 sheet+1army blanket and water used to run down the walls.The food was bad as well,what finished me stopping there was,there was a lad in front of me one day ordered a bacon and egg sarnie.Now fred always smoked,while this lad was distracted by one of his mates fred buttered the bread and coughed,ash dropped on the bread and fred put the bacon and egg on and never said nowt.I settled for a cup of tea.
regards dave.
There was an old boy had a snack van about six years ago, on the A477 just past Neyland in Pembrokeshire,I stopped there for a bacon sandwich and a mug of tea,he was moaning how poor his trade was,he made the tea,got the teabag out,then squeezed it with his finger and thumb into the mug,he was coughing and sneezing the whole time I was there.That was the first and last time I stopped there.
Dave the Renegade:
There was an old boy had a snack van about six years ago, on the A477 just past Neyland in Pembrokeshire,I stopped there for a bacon sandwich and a mug of tea,he was moaning how poor his trade was,he made the tea,got the teabag out,then squeezed it with his finger and thumb into the mug,he was coughing and sneezing the whole time I was there.That was the first and last time I stopped there.
Hi Dave the Watling Street cafe at Markyate took some beating in the 60/70s as the worst !! Its only redeeming feature was you could get a call anytime so if you needed a Flyer thats where we stopped otherwise we stayed at the Three Sisters up the A5 a bit ( Six ■■■■ as it was called ) which was a good Digs. The Ranch up in Markyate was also a close contender with Watling Street .I remember when colour T.V. came out in '69 Watling ST. got one and had it fitted high up the wall and remember these tele’s were bloody heavy but within a couple of days or so it got nicked !! nobody saw anything but you would have needed a fork truck or 6 blokes to get it down and I’m not joking!! (there is no truth in the rumour that I am still watching it in my lounge !!) cheers Dennis
Hi Dennis,
Never been on that part of the A5,do remember the colour tele’s coming out,my then girlfriends mum had one new in 69,they were a big lump,it was a wonderful thing then to see things in colour,now its all HD and all that,a totally different day and age,plus the old tele’s look small up against these modern things.
Cheers Dave.
Swindon truck stop - nuff said.
m.a.n rules:
the coronation now the truckers rest .late 70’s ran by 2 dirty old men .brothers i belive …
m.a.n rules… Thats just a bit mild to say shock I think that place was the worlds worst.The airport cafe on the A38 was a palace compared to the truckers
rest. Did’nt they have fairground trucks parked their before it closed.
While on old cafes how many of you used the Silver wheel on the A516 Tutbury to Derby.One of the lads from Showaddwoddy owned that cafe. I think that place has been closed a few years now.
John
Carr Mill on the east lancs road was as bad as Watling Street I remember one of our drivers at Pickfords went in there for his dinner and when he came out his chains off his load had disappeared lol . the Quernhow N/B used to be one of the best on the road from the 60s to the 90s you always had a job getting on the one at Scotch corner when the roundabout was there was also a load of crap
sammyopisite:
Carr Mill on the east lancs road was as bad as Watling Street I remember one of our drivers at Pickfords went in there for his dinner and when he came out his chains off his load had disappeared lol . the Quernhow N/B used to be one of the best on the road from the 60s to the 90s you always had a job getting on the one at Scotch corner when the roundabout was there was also a load of crap
You are right there Johnnie,Carr Mill was a dump,nearly as bad as Airport on A38 before Y-pass and Burton turn-off…Quernhow was really good in the 70s,sounds like it’s gone downhill,why do these places go like that. 
Went in that one at Scotch Corner once and that was enough,so only other times I went in was to pay for parking when on long-distance dodgys 
Dave the Renegade:
Hi Dennis,
Never been on that part of the A5,do remember the colour tele’s coming out,my then girlfriends mum had one new in 69,they were a big lump,it was a wonderful thing then to see things in colour,now its all HD and all that,a totally different day and age,plus the old tele’s look small up against these modern things.
Cheers Dave.
Too near the Smoke for you Welsh tipper Lads you would need a jack hammer to get uot of the body !!!
i’m not a fussy sort, but the food in the hollies has always been rubbish i.m.h.o, the woodview on the A19 s/b was as bad last time i ventured in there too
Chris Webb:
sammyopisite:
Carr Mill on the east lancs road was as bad as Watling Street I remember one of our drivers at Pickfords went in there for his dinner and when he came out his chains off his load had disappeared lol . the Quernhow N/B used to be one of the best on the road from the 60s to the 90s you always had a job getting on the one at Scotch corner when the roundabout was there was also a load of crapYou are right there Johnnie,Carr Mill was a dump,nearly as bad as Airport on A38 before Y-pass and Burton turn-off…Quernhow was really good in the 70s,sounds like it’s gone downhill,why do these places go like that.
The cafe at Scotch corner is that where Little chef was .While we are up that way what about that pig sty top side of Scotch corner go Right just as the
motorway starts Can’ot remember the name but perhaps would refuse to say it if i could.That place really went down hill in the 90s.
John
jj72:
i’m not a fussy sort, but the food in the hollies has always been rubbish i.m.h.o, the woodview on the A19 s/b was as bad last time i ventured in there too
Was the Woodview the cafe on the left coming away from Teesside,sloping park with some old fuel pumps? There was the Woodside opposite behind some trees and that was ok.
Suedehead:
Swindon truck stop - nuff said.
Can’t be anywhere worse than that, should have been closed down years ago.
Chris Webb:
jj72:
i’m not a fussy sort, but the food in the hollies has always been rubbish i.m.h.o, the woodview on the A19 s/b was as bad last time i ventured in there tooWas the Woodview the cafe on the left coming away from Teesside,sloping park with some old fuel pumps? There was the Woodside opposite behind some trees and that was ok.
yes that was the one, the n/b one is behind the trees. 3300john, it’s barton park you’re thinking of - agreed on that place!
jj72:
i’m not a fussy sort, but the food in the hollies has always been rubbish i.m.h.o, the woodview on the A19 s/b was as bad last time i ventured in there too
Your right there i don’t think the food at the hollies was very good never did.
Bewick:
Dave the Renegade:
There was an old boy had a snack van about six years ago, on the A477 just past Neyland in Pembrokeshire,I stopped there for a bacon sandwich and a mug of tea,he was moaning how poor his trade was,he made the tea,got the teabag out,then squeezed it with his finger and thumb into the mug,he was coughing and sneezing the whole time I was there.That was the first and last time I stopped there.Hi Dave the Watling Street cafe at Markyate took some beating in the 60/70s as the worst !! Its only redeeming feature was you could get a call anytime so if you needed a Flyer thats where we stopped otherwise we stayed at the Three Sisters up the A5 a bit ( Six ■■■■ as it was called ) which was a good Digs. The Ranch up in Markyate was also a close contender with Watling Street .I remember when colour T.V. came out in '69 Watling ST. got one and had it fitted high up the wall and remember these tele’s were bloody heavy but within a couple of days or so it got nicked !! nobody saw anything but you would have needed a fork truck or 6 blokes to get it down and I’m not joking!! (there is no truth in the rumour that I am still watching it in my lounge !!) cheers Dennis
Aye dennis the three sisters was a good dig and the first to close,i reckon they got an offer they couldnt refuse off the owners of the motel that got built were it used to be.Watling st as you say runs a close 2nd to the ranch,but what got me was the cloggies up and down the coridors at 4am if you wasn,t on an early start.The good old days eh?
regads dave.
jack’s hill cafe on the a5, food was alway’s slop when i stopped there, was parked there one night and decided to have a drink in the lounge/bar, resembled an airport departure lounge with the low slung seating, anyway made the mistake of asking the big fat bird with tattoo’s on her hand’s if she could put the footie on, i was told in no uncertain term’s it was film night and everybody wanted to watch the film, there was only me and one other driver in, i would have made a point of this but she frightened the ■■■■ outta me just looking at her, other lad never objected either. she also worked in the kitchen which is probably why the food was consistently crap, no-one dare complain.