Gidders:
I drive as far as possible through the night so use sandwiches as facilities are poor in France at this time.
From my LGV driving days I recall a good restaurant in a village called Angliers further on from Distre(mentioned above)towards Poitiers.This used to be a good straight road but now has numerous roundabouts.
I also like the Relais de Saintonges in St.Genis.It used to be known as Claude’s and was around 9 hours from Cherbourg.They do B and B too if required.
I have used both more than once, Gidders, the one in Angliers is Mille Pattes and is good. St. Genis is good too with plenty of room for parking and AS24 as well I think from memory.
But sandwiches? A definite nono for me, I try to plan my routes to arrive at a suitable routier at 7pm and only take fruit and perhaps a bit of cheese to snack at lunchtime. Otherwise I would be dropping to sleep in the afternoon.
Gidders:
I drive as far as possible through the night so use sandwiches as facilities are poor in France at this time.
From my LGV driving days I recall a good restaurant in a village called Angliers further on from Distre(mentioned above)towards Poitiers.This used to be a good straight road but now has numerous roundabouts.
I also like the Relais de Saintonges in St.Genis.It used to be known as Claude’s and was around 9 hours from Cherbourg.They do B and B too if required.
I have used both more than once, Gidders, the one in Angliers is Mille Pattes and is good. St. Genis is good too with plenty of room for parking and AS24 as well I think from memory.
But sandwiches? A definite nono for me, I try to plan my routes to arrive at a suitable routier at 7pm and only take fruit and perhaps a bit of cheese to snack at lunchtime. Otherwise I would be dropping to sleep in the afternoon.
Sorry…
Milles Pattes at Angliers has closed now. I don’t know the exact circumstances, but it is closed.
There used to be a smaller restaurant/tabac at the north end of the village too, but that changed use several years back.
The resto at the small Esso(?) Station, La Motte Bourbon seems busy. In fact there are two restaurants there I believe.
St Genis is still going well, present owner been there a few years now. The Total is still doing OK it seems, and couple of AS24 pumps still there.
Franglais:
Sorry…
Milles Pattes at Angliers has closed now. I don’t know the exact circumstances, but it is closed.
There used to be a smaller restaurant/tabac at the north end of the village too, but that changed use several years back.
The resto at the small Esso(?) Station, La Motte Bourbon seems busy. In fact there are two restaurants there I believe.
St Genis is still going well, present owner been there a few years now. The Total is still doing OK it seems, and couple of AS24 pumps still there.
Sorry to hear that, I came past it last Saturday norning and it was closed, but I assumed that was just for the weekend, it didn’t look permanent. The other one you mentioned, at the other end of the village, is a butcher’s now I think.
La Motte Bourbon is always busy, as you say, but is always closed Friday night/Saturday morning. Never been past at the right time to stop and eat though. The little place on the corner of the crossroads, the Hacienda, never been sure about that. Is it a resto too or just a bar?
My next foray is a collection at Calais for the Charente next Thursday evening. I’ll stop and eat at La Fleurie at Abbeville on the way up and then park up for the night on the way back at 2 Caps, the first service station on the A16 southbound, for a flying start south on Friday morning. A bit windy up there but the showers are good and I prefer places that sell little breakfast snacks to the routiers which only seem to provide croissants which are too much for me first thing in the morning.
Franglais:
Sorry…
Milles Pattes at Angliers has closed now. I don’t know the exact circumstances, but it is closed.
There used to be a smaller restaurant/tabac at the north end of the village too, but that changed use several years back.
The resto at the small Esso(?) Station, La Motte Bourbon seems busy. In fact there are two restaurants there I believe.
St Genis is still going well, present owner been there a few years now. The Total is still doing OK it seems, and couple of AS24 pumps still there.
Sorry to hear that, I came past it last Saturday norning and it was closed, but I assumed that was just for the weekend, it didn’t look permanent. The other one you mentioned, at the other end of the village, is a butcher’s now I think.
La Motte Bourbon is always busy, as you say, but is always closed Friday night/Saturday morning. Never been past at the right time to stop and eat though. The little place on the corner of the crossroads, the Hacienda, never been sure about that. Is it a resto too or just a bar?
My next foray is a collection at Calais for the Charente next Thursday evening. I’ll stop and eat at La Fleurie at Abbeville on the way up and then park up for the night on the way back at 2 Caps, the first service station on the A16 southbound, for a flying start south on Friday morning. A bit windy up there but the showers are good and I prefer places that sell little breakfast snacks to the routiers which only seem to provide croissants which are too much for me first thing in the morning.
The Hacienda certainly was a restaurant, but its years since I stopped there so cant say whether it still is. Not a road I use much now. If I`m in the area I normally go to Chez Paul, at Doue La Fontaine. (The place on the roundabout)
Franglais:
The Hacienda certainly was a restaurant, but its years since I stopped there so cant say whether it still is. Not a road I use much now. If I`m in the area I normally go to Chez Paul, at Doue La Fontaine. (The place on the roundabout)
Yes, another favourite of mine. I was once in there and met an Irish couple with a campervan. They were severely traumatised because the previous night, parked up on the autoroute, they had been robbed and, knowing nothing about it till the morning, assumed that they had been gassed. So, they spent a few nights at Paul’s to recover.
Why is it that I always feel safer amongst all the lorries at a routier? But I do.
Beginning to revue my decision about 2 Caps next Thursday now.
In my many years of doing european I have never stopped at the sisters Arluno, now we need to find a overnight near Malpensa for 20 trucks to tip airfreight the following morning in a couple of weeks time and the sisters at Arluno have been suggested as they are only half hour away. Does anyone still stop there regularly who could say whether this is a good place and what facilities there are?
Yes, another favourite of mine. I was once in there and met an Irish couple with a campervan. They were severely traumatised because the previous night, parked up on the autoroute, they had been robbed and, knowing nothing about it till the morning, assumed that they had been gassed. So, they spent a few nights at Paul’s to recover.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
AHA!!!
so now we actually have someone who has spoken to victims of apparent gassing…so who else thinks it happens,
personally im a believer,
would anyone else like to start a good argument about it?,( again) ■■
Beginning to revue my decision about 2 Caps next Thursday now.
Well I did go there that time in the end, and was glad I did. The shop closes at about 10pm and a very quiet night’s sleep was had. Then from 6 in the morning they open up and a nice kick start coffee and a small pastry and I was good to go.
Not quite the same this morning though, I loaded and stayed at Pet Reception overnight and was woken at 2 in the morning by barking dogs. I didn’t think it was my 2 as it was accompanied by sounds of movement as if dogs were kicking at their cages, and if it had been mine they would have rocked the caravan as well. I looked out and saw the security guard wandering about and realised the dogs were in his van. The noise died down but I could hear it getting fainter and then louder as he drove on his rounds. After getting up I went up to 2 Caps to find it closed on a Sunday and it was 3 hours from up time before I got my first coffee at Maucombles. Gagging.
Earlier in the week, on my way from Toulon to Poitiers via Orange I stopped at the previously excellent Chapeau Rouge at Issoire. It is still there but has poshed up a bit and the large lorry park opposite is blanked off. 3 of us parked in the car park and several more in the zone next door but if they were aiming for a better class of clientel, they failed. Only 13 diners, all drivers. This at a place that used to be heaving. The food was fine and we sat together of course which was good, but the cost was a little higher for a set meal, €18.50 including a demi apero because it was hot.
Hi Chazzer,
I’ve not stopped at Arluno for about a year but I always found it ok, food is ok there are only a couple of showers and if there are 20 trucks you would need to be there quite early to get parked also parking is a bit rough but should be okay with normal trailers.
bob
AH DIESEL DOG999,Not in the arguing mode, however,r GASSING OF DRIVERS it was never really heard of until the 1990s as I recall '.
[gypsies ]it was always said were the culprits but I never believed it" DRIVERS", the same ones who would tap the diesel, they would know who was worse for drink, however in my European driving time 22years I never ever come across anyone that had so called being gassed, it was always some one off of some company ,all talk most of the time.
same as the driver, allegedly got broken in to and had his running money and permits stolen, yeh , never met one.who would know but other drivers.
I cannot speak of any middle eastern drivers[British] as I did not know any who had done it, but I doubt that many got robbed but who knows maybe some one can
elaborate . you would more than likely get robbed in LIVERPOOL, or ENGLISH service stations if you were not on your toes… thank god I am away from it ,
As for the sisters [never stopped there], Cariso, was ok, but I would get to my tipping off point, and be solo plenty of water ,food ,self catering, you would always fine a loo in a bar…no ■■■■■■ up drivers only yourself. that was not when I was on fridges you could ,and would run Saturday and sunday if loaded [fresh]not frozen so really you never had the worry of getting gassed as you were away from the main truck crowds…pdb.
Hi ■■■, thanks for the info on Alcatraz, hopefully not too rough as they are all stepframe trailers but we will see, would be handy as it’s so close to Malpensa.
Regards Chazzer.
called in here coming back from spain couple weeks ago many gd times in there as any drivers running spain will have called in clauds st genis oh for the ol days
stevejones:
called in here coming back from spain couple weeks ago many gd times in there as any drivers running spain will have called in clauds st genis oh for the ol days
Still a good spot though, last ate there a year or so ago, but the time before that I was on the run from the gendarmes.
Not really, but I had been tasked to ‘re-posess’ a dog that had been adopted but then reported to be maltreated. As they hadn’t paid the fee to the association concerned the ownership hadn’t been transferred so they wanted me to collect it.
When I got there the dog was in the garden but no-one answered the door, so I lifted him up and put him in the cage. Just as I was driving away someone came out of the house waving and talking on the phone, as I got to the corner a woman came rushing out of a shop and tried to stop me. I ignored her and left town. There was a gendarme road check on the outskirts, it had been there when I went in, I wasn’t stopped either time but, just in case they were about to be alerted I shot round the back of Claude’s and laid low for a bit.
Of course, I, and the association were in the right, but I didn’t really want to get into a discussion over the matter.
Thanks to all that commented on Alcatraz truckstop at Arluno, 8 of us did go there and enjoyed a great evening, good food, good drinks and hospitality. Car park is a bit uneven and due to a truck being parked just in front of the entrance, easy to overshoot but simple enough to go to the roundabout come back and try again. Overall a great truckstop and one to remember.
Franglais:
Seems “Chez Paul” at Doue La Fontaine is for sale. Still open as per normal etc but apparently Paul is ready for retirement.
No word on him imminently becoming a bargee…
Let’s hope someone comes along to buy it then, so many retiring patrons live on the premises and simply shut down. It is a great stopover there, I have often used it.
Franglais:
Seems “Chez Paul” at Doue La Fontaine is for sale. Still open as per normal etc but apparently Paul is ready for retirement.
No word on him imminently becoming a bargee…
Let’s hope someone comes along to buy it then, so many retiring patrons live on the premises and simply shut down. It is a great stopover there, I have often used it.
Always busy it seems, so must be a good chance of a buyer?
