today i had to clear customs on my way in. as luck would have it i encountered a few problems regarding paperwork (thought i was going to be there all weekend), which gave me the opportunity to call into the new truckstop there. as the only parking space for visitors is the customs park i was quids in (already being in there).
so i wandered across to the golden arrow truckers diner (the cafe on the corner), where i met garry, the owner (partner to be exact).
some excellent food on offer, mostly home made and you need to have a very big appetite if you want a early riser breakfast, at just under a fiver it comes with everything to keep you going all day.
there are smaller breakfasts available for those of us watching our figures.
i had a good chat with garry about the future (or his view of the future) and he has some very good plans BUT he needs our help.
it’s not much, he doesn’t expect us to bomb down there in our cars and start painting and decorating or hanging doors etc.
what he wants is for us (as many as possible anyway) to drop him an email for the attention of dover harbour board.
as he cannot offer any parking at the moment he is desperate for DHB to hand over some of the land they have for trucks to park on, either short stay or preferably overnight too.
come may 1st this year 10 more countries sign up to be members of the eu, this means the restrictive practice of customs clearance will end for transport to and from these 10 countries, so DHB will not require so much space (land) to park trucks on that are clearing customs.
at the moment DHB get away with charging £8.50 for every 6 hour period of stay, this is way too much for drivers wanting to stay all weekend, 36 hours would equate to £51, not many transport companies (or drivers) could afford such steep parking fees.
what garry would like is for us to point this out to DHB through him and offer that we will make use of his splendid culenary expertise as soon as the parking area is available provided that the fee for parking is reasonable.
this facility is partly financed by DHB but if they want it to be successful they need our support, we in turn require that they provide us with free parking for at least 2 to 4 hours and a reasonable fee for overnight parking and weekend parking.
the entire cafe is not yet fully open but the food side is, there is 1 shower only at the moment but DHB are supposed to be supplying more in the form of an outbuilding.
there will be a drivers lounge/tv room, with fax and internet access (eventually).
this is an excellent start (in my opinion) for a return to truck parking in dover.
garry is an ex lorry driver (continental), his wife has a catering business in dover.
email garry at the following address.
arrow@pmcs.net
how ya doin johnny.and regards with the cafe in dover.i wish i was wrong but,.i was in dover in the greaseyspoon days in the late 70s,i"v seen all thats happened since.when we had to clear customs.we had parking.when the free market came in and we did not need customs clearance,the parking was restricted,and we had to go to ashford and all that crap,dover was then taken over by eastern europoeans,i do remember the wheel house,as i get into this,more come back to me.i am from dublin but used to spend a lot of time in dover,the main sinners are dover harbour board.profit and more profit.just push the trucks through and keep them on the roll,i"v had great nights in dover and zeebrugge,and ostend,now its all finished,my son wants to go on the road.he was with me when he was a child,i think the party is over,good luck on with the restaurant anyway…regds greg
Ah, I remember it well! Sunday Dinner in the Albion, and then a good session on the beer. 
The wheelhouse bar was the pits, opened and close when it liked, no staff, and flat beer. I dont understand why anyone would want to be weekended in Dover now though. 
France is just over the way
Who mentioned the greasy spoon those were the days…the wheelhouse after that…spent many an hour in there meeting fellow internationals on their way home…waiting for customs clearance…all looking at the number boards and getting all excited when your number came up…spent a few hours in the albion on the corner too…staggering out of there in the early hours…got weekended down there once…agent problems…didnt quite have enough money in the pot…i was told 1p yes a penny…i offered more just to get away…customs said it couldnt happen because 1. they were not allowed to take cash 2. the books wouldnt tally…ridiculous i know but that was customs for you…and why is it that northerners always had the loads for london areas…and londoners always had loads for up north…alright for londoners cos they were home for the weekend and could tip monday…but northerners had to spend a weekend in london after being away all week…i wonder if gary used to run to swiss…i know a gary who got involved with a woman in muttenz (basle) who ran the eating house there…he moved to essex somewhere and started his own company…blue volvos…heard last he was in a bit of trouble…just wondered…
have a nice day
truckboy.i was running out of dublin,and at one stage,i found myself getting backloaded all the time for the uk,messy as we had to load for ireland then,time when on tripmoney was imoportant,loads of times i"d meet english who were backloaded for ireland.frustrating really,that was no good to the english driver either,i think nowadays theres not so much tripmoney at least in ireland anyway,not sure about the uk,i gave up a few yrs ago[3] and am missing it a bit now,thinking of having another go,but i would"nt work for trip monry anymore,we were ripped off big time then,doing italy and spain where you could get weekended at the drop of a hat,going home to explain to the wife theres no money this week.it took 2 weeks to do the run.oh never again,
Any update on this?
Is the Arrow still going?