harry:
You mean this little number.
Harry,
The wife thinks the French must be perverted to eat that.
Ossie
From the picture you can’t imagine the smell , kinda like bulls urine but not so nice?
(I wish I had been a bit older and had some of the fun you guys seem to have had!) Having never driven a camion over the water (does Anglesey count?) suppose I’m not best to comment here. However, having travelled many many times the length of France to get to Spain on the jollies, I remember about 15 ish years ago by coach (the driver obv an ex euro hgv pilot) found a fantastic grill having been diverted due to a bad smash from the main road en route to eurodisney and it was getting a bit late. Can’t remember the name but it was IIRC painted Dingle Dangle red and there were a few of their motors in there as well as others, all parked down one side of the restaurant (could it have been owned by ND?) The steak was prob the best I’ve ever had and a good portion too. What always amazed me about these types of places is that families could dine in harmony with the working drivers, the facilities were spotless clean, served very good food, I never experienced any bad language and they commanded good table manners. In recent times it seems that their services are starting to resemble ours (not good) Could any of you veterans offer a name of this place or even better a pic plz? Your stories and knowledge are enlightening, cheers!)
Another national road with plenty of good truckstops on was the N10 from Tours down to Bordeaux although parts of the road as far as Poiters had weight limits on it was still possible to get off the Autoroute and find some good routiers. Once past Poitiers you were spoilt for choice starting with what used to be the crossed knife and fork at Vivonne and culminating in the BP truckstop which I believe is no more, I’m sure someone can verify whether this is correct or not, with some great routiers in between notably Le Casse Croute at Charentaise offering plenty of parking with excellent food. Many drivers who went from Cherbourg to Bordeaux via Rennes and Saintes may remember a routiers near La Rochelle on the left going down with the sea fairly close on the right, I stopped for dinner there one night and ordered crab as a starter expecting a portion of crab meat, very surprised to have a whole crab dumped in front of me with a special fork. Embarrassed to say I had to be shown how to disembowel said crab by other french drivers at the table, where else would a crab starter be included in a set price menu.
Chazzer,you are correct that the BP truckstop is now closed.Popularly known as the cabbage patch.May soon become a hypermarket,if not already.The one by La Rochelle was Aire de Marins (I think) otherwise known as the Fish Restaurant.Excellent place to stop.Coming home I stopped at the one just off the roundabout after La Rochelle a few times,good food,friendly place-but can not remember what it was called! 
Also,Barbezieux -weekended there a couple of times in the summertime,lovely to walk down to the little lake to cool off and lie in the sun. 
Sir+,the Fish Restaurant that sounds like the one, a single storey building if I remember, I did try to find it on Google Earth but they’ve changed all the road numbers to Ds and built a lot of Autoroute since I last went down there. Also Barbezieux had a great swimming pool, remember doing a couple of Convoie Exceptionelles and weekended at the Shell at Bedenac (which I see is still there) in a very hot August we jumped into the ■■■■■■ car and drove down there. Talking of BP Truckstops the one just before Bailen used to be a good place to head for, clean showers and good food and drink, The BP garage and hotel/restaurant are still there but the parking is now a huge Volvo Truck dealership.
It looks familiar, somehere in Check I think, but where was’nt Chambo’s fav watering hol, they used to say if you wanted to know the way to Istanbul just follow the trail of Dave’s FS cans
What you doin in Texas 
Did you check that other photo on that thread,the one which shows i do still have some hair. 
As to places to eat i think you couldn’t do better than a nice lamb kebab with bread from those little stalls by the Corinth bridge.Mike
Hello mate, I’m working for a fridge company about 5 miles from home doing the southern states, none of this driving in the snow malarky. Always a must to stop at the souvlaki restaurant by the bridge when coming from Patras and quite often when going to it as well.
Hi Chazzer.You must be one can short of a six pack,i thought you were supposed to get wiser with age.What made you go back driving OTR.I thought that you would have been manager by now in the car business.
It’s tropical here as well -15c.
Hello Mike, I can’t be doing with all the hard sell tricks they employ here to make someone buy a car, I must have got a conscience in my old age.
Bloody hell Chazzer.It seems that even we old M.E.drivers can develop a conscience as we get older.
I hope you will put a few pics or diary on the ex pats forum[to tantalise us]
I just keep plodding round in the mine with this part time[FH 660]
Runs at 60t-ish gross.
Take care,drive safe.Mike
look me up on facebook Mike if you use it.
superswede10:
0
Anybody remember this place? One of Dave Chamberlains favourite watering holes.
Good Evening
This place name`s “MOTOREST NA PLUTKU” is in the Czech Republic. You can find it on former part of main road No. 6 (international E48) leading from Prague over Karlovy Vary and Cheb to Czech/German border Pomezi/Schirnding. This roadhouse is placed cca. 25km from Prague to Karlovy Vary between village “Doksy” and “Kamenne Zehrovice”. Roadhouse “NA PLUTKU” was very favourite for British and Dutch truck-drivers which traveling from western part of Europe to eastern, Middle East and Asia.
In October 1994 was open next part of motorway bypaas between village “Velka Dobra” and "Kamenne Zehrovice. So roadhouse was off of main road, the parking places for trucks and opening hours was reduced.
The Restaurant “NA PLUTKU” is still in service. See this link: motorestplutek.webnode.cz/
The photo was taken in late 80`s, I think. Do you have more photos of this place?
Best regards from Prague
Radim
That’s the place and it was a favourite in fact at least one of the waitresses married a British driver. I might have some more pics
I’ll look and see. The pic was taken about 1990/91 I think.
Rgds Jim
carisio Italy brilliant
At some point in this thread, or perhaps another one, 
I mentioned that one of my favourites was the Albatross, under the Pont Aquitaine at Bordeaux.
I have not been back for years, always something came up to divert me, but last week at last I got the chance. I found the place but it isn’t called that any more. Now it is La Bouche a Oreilles, ‘By Word of Mouth’, which is appropriate as the reason why so many French routiers stay open long after by-passed is precisely that, young transport drivers listen to their elders and betters. 
Anyway I went inside, it seemed a little smaller than I remembered but the very attratcive young lady welcomed me with a big smile and my kir. I asked if it was the old Albatross but she shook her head and indicated next door. I think she was half right. Next door was much smaller and is now a kebab house, so I reckon that the old place was sold off and split.
It was a warm evening and I ate outside on the terrasse with the other drivers, the food and service was just as good as before with only one thing missing (a cheese course) which prevented it from being in the the very best category.
La Patronne asked where I had parked and I indicated the street, where we always used to park and indeed many were there this time too. She advised against, too noisy, and advised the industrial estate just off the roundabout. She was right, silent as the grave and a regular security patrol. She also said that she opened at 6 in the morning and that, as I had eaten there in the evening the shower next morning would be free. Excellent, it worked properly and was as clean as a whistle.
Definitely worth a return visit, whatever the name.
Hi Spardo, just looked on Google Earth for that restaurant, unable to find it but if we go down the road of Routiers that do not rate very highly the the old central routiers near the bridge has to be mentioned after having to park up there one weekend to wait for another driver and it was closed after saturday lunchtime. Maybe I ought to amend the thread title to Favorite and Disliked Routiers and other European Truckstops.
chazzer:
Hi Spardo, just looked on Google Earth for that restaurant, unable to find it but if we go down the road of Routiers that do not rate very highly the the old central routiers near the bridge has to be mentioned after having to park up there one weekend to wait for another driver and it was closed after saturday lunchtime. Maybe I ought to amend the thread title to Favorite and Disliked Routiers and other European Truckstops.
You turn off the rocade at the first exit after the bridge, down to the roundabout with the slip road right and past the Centre Routier to the next roundabout. Then first exit to head down that road under the bridge. There are several restos, 4 I think, and the last one on the right is the old Albatross. On Google street view it is now seen in its modern guise. There are 2 next to each other with black facias over the windows, one is La Plazza and the other La Bouche a Oreille.
Looks like I’ll be in there again on Tuesday, have a run down to Lunel, near Nimes tomorrow, load Tuesday morning and straight through to Bordeaux again. Off now to find a place to eat at Lunel.