The Bakehouse at the top certainly does! 
The last photo is the old main French/Swiss St Louis border looking from the Swiss side, had a lot of fun there on a Monday morning packed to the gunnels with lorries trying to discharge their TIR carnets as it was in them days, obvious a modern photo as the old French border post was a wooden hut in the middle of the road, no posh canopy. The customs house was on the left looking from this side you had to drive round the back to get your seals checked, very tight. Two very good restaurants on the left and right on the Swiss side.
Ossie
OssieD:
The last photo is the old main French/Swiss St Louis border looking from the Swiss side, had a lot of fun there on a Monday morning packed to the gunnels with lorries trying to discharge their TIR carnets as it was in them days, obvious a modern photo as the old French border post was a wooden hut in the middle of the road, no posh canopy. The customs house was on the left looking from this side you had to drive round the back to get your seals checked, very tight. Two very good restaurants on the left and right on the Swiss side.Ossie
I’d forgotten that border! I used it occasionally to exit Swiss - less hassle than Basel. Robert
OssieD:
The last photo is the old main French/Swiss St Louis border looking from the Swiss side, had a lot of fun there on a Monday morning packed to the gunnels with lorries trying to discharge their TIR carnets as it was in them days, obvious a modern photo as the old French border post was a wooden hut in the middle of the road, no posh canopy. The customs house was on the left looking from this side you had to drive round the back to get your seals checked, very tight. Two very good restaurants on the left and right on the Swiss side.Ossie
You’ve got it in one Ossie, The Landesgrenze run by ex-driver Tony and the Zollstubli on the right. this was a favourite with Roba and Howe European drivers in the early days as I remember. Second photo was the restaurant on the N43 near Houlle run by a Russian lady used to stop there for breakfast when catching a late ferry and crashing out in Calais (wouldn’t do that nowadays for fear of attracting illegals) the 3rd photo was the Couronne at Kogenheim (sadly closed now I think). Happy Days…
kendavies:
harry:
0I feel a country & western comin’ on?
Hey! Harry didn’t know you had that photo. Who was the guy standing by the side, was his name Max by any chance? I’ve seen another photo (one of yours) with me standing in front of a F88 road-train looks like it was taken at Stratford LIFT maybe! also while were down memory lane what was the name of the hotel in Turin that the SCA drivers used?
Max off Frey. Hotel Agip,near the dogana. That was Malta Cross paid for that, SCA always cabbed it.
kendavies:
harry:
0Maggies funeral.
who was the driver? I’m sure I knew him
He was from Sotton area and that was Portugal . They loaded those bales in Porto and left a gap down the middle. He came to that bend on the flat and it rolled,if it had been a mountain it woulda been a different story.
Harry…you,re right in saying he was from Southampton.
His name is Ian Elkins.
mappo:
Harry…you,re right in saying he was from Southampton.
His name is Ian Elkins.
And not a scratch on him! 
I nearly found a good truck stop in Blighty once. It was just after they started running Marks & Sparks shops in motorway service areas. Bingo! At last, I thought, the Brits have finally realised that lorry drivers want high-quality food and safe parking. Then I realised that the cost of a quality sandwich and overnight parking was 10 times the cost of a full, happy, sociable restaurant meal with a bottle of wine and secure overnight parking in France. What a load of bl88x Great Britain has been for truckers for as long as any of us can remember! Yours cynically, Robert.
I was one of those drivers who navigated France by his internal map of Les Routiers, rather than by any other means. I made it my business to know all the highways and byways that would deliver me to the best truck stops. I drew maps and plans with precise times and distances to ensure that I would end each day in France with decent food, wine and cameraderie. It worked! I was richly rewarded, nightly, and spent countless happy nights in France.
But all this has to be maintained, like everything else in life. After a few years off the French roads, you quickly forget what you assumed was cemented forever in your brain! Alas! If I went back on the road tomorrow it would come quickly back, but I’d need to refer to my Les Routier ‘bible’ that you could buy over the counter - very useful! Robert 
I have an old Michelin map, barely still holding together, on which I mark with a little circle every routier I see. I too plan my journeys with reference to it.
robert1952:
I was one of those drivers who navigated France by his internal map of Les Routiers, rather than by any other means. I made it my business to know all the highways and byways that would deliver me to the best truck stops. I drew maps and plans with precise times and distances to ensure that I would end each day in France with decent food, wine and cameraderie. It worked! I was richly rewarded, nightly, and spent countless happy nights in France.But all this has to be maintained, like everything else in life. After a few years off the French roads, you quickly forget what you assumed was cemented forever in your brain! Alas! If I went back on the road tomorrow it would come quickly back, but I’d need to refer to my Les Routier ‘bible’ that you could buy over the counter - very useful! Robert
0
You would app it nowadays ,Robert .
Robert1952, the Flags at the top of the Sommer Sierras, another good Spanish hostel, albeit at the start of a long drag down to Madrid, stopped in there one evening after breaking down on the old road coming up from Burgos on the steep part, made a temporary repair to get to the top, Police turned up just before I started moving and threatened to call a wrecker, was sitting in the Flags eating when said policeman turned up with a mechanic and said I had to pay for a recovery truck. I said I did’nt need one but he insisted or pay mucho pesetas, turned out the mechanic was his brother in law but he did do a proper repair job for a reasonable sum which kept the boss happy.
I am quite new to driving lorries, but my wifes cousin has been driving for years and mainly international. A couple of years after we moved to France he was in our area and suggested we meet up at the Relais des Capucins at Trebes on the N113 between Carcassonne and Narbonne. If you have ever stopped there you will know what a shock it was for my wife to see the old girl who runs it behind the bar with her string top on, no bra and hard ■■■■■■■ sticking out, along with skimpy hotpants. No wonder the parking area behind was full!
My wifes cousin was quite sheepish and admitted that he couldn’t quite remember what is was that made the place stick in his mind!
Anyway after the initial shock we had a couple of dirnks then a fantastic four course meal, all for about 12€ a head.
Sadly it has closed down now, the old girl has finally hung up her hotpants.
Héraultais:
I am quite new to driving lorries, but my wifes cousin has been driving for years and mainly international. A couple of years after we moved to France he was in our area and suggested we meet up at the Relais des Capucins at Trebes on the N113 between Carcassonne and Narbonne. If you have ever stopped there you will know what a shock it was for my wife to see the old girl who runs it behind the bar with her string top on, no bra and hard ■■■■■■■ sticking out, along with skimpy hotpants. No wonder the parking area behind was full!My wifes cousin was quite sheepish and admitted that he couldn’t quite remember what is was that made the place stick in his mind!
Anyway after the initial shock we had a couple of dirnks then a fantastic four course meal, all for about 12€ a head.
Sadly it has closed down now, the old girl has finally hung up her hotpants.
Trèbes. Le rideau est tombé sur le Relais des Capucins - ladepeche.fr
I’m sorry I missed that one Heraultais. Last year I was loading in the morning at a regular place for me to the east of Carcassonne and looking for a place to stop overnight. Normally in these cases I stop at the Cheminiers on the Castelnaudary by-pass but this time I was coming from the south and I spotted this in my routier book and also found it on Google Maps so committed myself to going there. It is still shown on the latter as being open.
You can imagine I was well ticked off when I found it shut and was forced to going a long way out of my way to park up at the Relais des Corbieres at Lezignan-Corbieres. Fortunately that one is a very good traditional routier with everyone seated at one long table and I have stopped there several times since. It seems to be run by one couple, perhaps with one other hired staff. Amazing when you consider that I think there are rooms above for commercial travellers too.
I’ve just remembered a good 'un! When I had my own lorry, I did a fair bit of Marseilles work. One of my back-loads was Algerian wine. Anyway, a favourite of mine was dropping off the M-way onto the RN7 and fetching up at Le Relais des Fumades at Orgon (between Aix and Avignon). Great place to overnight. Robert
Spardo:
I’m sorry I missed that one Heraultais. Last year I was loading in the morning at a regular place for me to the east of Carcassonne and looking for a place to stop overnight. Normally in these cases I stop at the Cheminiers on the Castelnaudary by-pass but this time I was coming from the south and I spotted this in my routier book and also found it on Google Maps so committed myself to going there. It is still shown on the latter as being open.You can imagine I was well ticked off when I found it shut and was forced to going a long way out of my way to park up at the Relais des Corbieres at Lezignan-Corbieres. Fortunately that one is a very good traditional routier with everyone seated at one long table and I have stopped there several times since. It seems to be run by one couple, perhaps with one other hired staff. Amazing when you consider that I think there are rooms above for commercial travellers too.
Another good was further down the road just before Narbonne at Montredon des Corbieres. It was called La Caille qui Chante. They did a really good fish pie, again eating there with my wifes cousin. It changed owners, who renamed it and tried to take it upmarket. Within 6 months it was shut and hasn’t reopened since.
I know the Relais des Corbieres as I work out of L-C, but have never eaten there. Will give it a go one day.
Spardo:
You can imagine I was well ticked off when I found it shut and was forced to going a long way out of my way to park up at the Relais des Corbieres at Lezignan-Corbieres. Fortunately that one is a very good traditional routier with everyone seated at one long table and I have stopped there several times since. It seems to be run by one couple, perhaps with one other hired staff. Amazing when you consider that I think there are rooms above for commercial travellers too.
Nice to see that you’re still notching up a few kilometres David (it’s been a long while since we met up at Chez Jo in the north. It was you that first recommended that place to me and I used it many times afterwards)
I know that routier near Lezignan, like you say it’s one of the few remaining old-school establishments along that road. I often cut along that route if I’ve tipped in Montredon-Corbieres at our depot there (a rather unique place that, to say the least!), or if the A9 junction is backed up. Every night we do trailer swaps on the other side of Lezignan, just down the road from the Alloin depot next to the little aerodrome. If you see one of our trucks parked there with a 58 prefix fleet number on the cab it may well be me.
~ Craig
Héraultais:
Another good was further down the road just before Narbonne at Montredon des Corbieres. It was called La Caille qui Chante. They did a really good fish pie, again eating there with my wifes cousin. It changed owners, who renamed it and tried to take it upmarket. Within 6 months it was shut and hasn’t reopened since..
I hope you don’t mean the one about 2 kms west of the 6009, Narbonne ring road. That was called Le Relais de Montredon last time I was there, which was less then a year ago. Good but not as good as the one at Lezignan imo.
Craig. I’ll keep an eye out next time I’m down there, you still on with Stef in a Premium?
You did know that Jo died a few years back don’t you? I found out one morning when the large ■■■■■■■ earlies behind the bar turned out to be his daughter. I could see the likeness. I wrote to him to see if I could write a history of the place but never received a reply. I thought the story of the ‘foundling’ and his other long serving mate was worth telling but was sure that the place went back in the mists of time serving routiers as well. The new patron is a big bloke with a nice looking blonde wife. She comes in around 8pm and goes round all the tables with a welcome smile to shake hands. Reminds me of Chateau Gaillard, the Patronne there does much the same thing. Nice touch.
Oh well, 2 Spanish Greyhounds from Cestas to Dijon in the offing (I feel a night out coming on at the Centre Routier at Moulins 
) and, believe it or not, a fox cub from Perigueux to Lisieux. The last time I did that run I ate and slept at Le Point du Jour near to La Fleche, but that was 3 years ago, hope it’s still going.
Craig 111:
Every night we do trailer swaps on the other side of Lezignan, just down the road from the Alloin depot next to the little aerodrome. If you see one of our trucks parked there with a 58 prefix fleet number on the cab it may well be me.~ Craig
Hi Craig, that’s where I work two or three days most weeks(it’s K&N now). Working tomorrow and friday doing trailer runs/swaps up to Donzenac near Brive le Gaillard. I’ll look out for those plates too! Do you park on the bit of scrub ground at the roundabout to the entrance of the aerodrome?