Old Cafe's

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OLD TIME LORRIES, COMPANIES AND DRIVERS (INTERACT
881

charlie one:

Scotnat:
Hi anyone remember the Cafe at Penkridge on the A449 South of Stafford.

It was very popular way back in time lol

It was called the Sunset. Two things stick in my mind about it The nipper who parked you up and chalked your start time on your front offside tyre. And the great breakfast of egg bacon and kidney. Used to taste that all day! Regards Charlie :laughing: :laughing:

This thread is called old cafes, doesn’t say where they are, so I am going to mention the one at Chateau Gaillard, about 70 kms south of Paris on the old N20. Note the ‘old’ bit. Long by passed by the autoroute it is still full to bursting every night, even Fridays and they re-open at 3 on Saturday morning till 9 to keep the faith with their paying customers of the night before who want an early start to get home. That is called looking after your customers and is precisely why so many in this country have survived beyond motorways.

But the real thing I wanted to say was, what a good idea about the nipper chalking the tyres with starting times. At Chateau Gaillard the lorries are parked one behind the other in about 8 ranks side by side, so if the bloke in front of you is leaving after you, you’re blocked. They do have a lad on duty who asks when you are leaving and puts you in the right spot but, if he is in the resto getting his free drink (I think that is his ‘pay’ along with a meal perhaps) when you arrive it is a bit of a lottery. If all the tyres were chalked it would be so much easier.

Having said that, one time I had a rdv at Charles de Gaulle airport and wanted a 4am start to make sure. He parked me behind a Belgian who was leaving at that time. At 4.15 he was still fast asleep, I tried to squeeze between his rear end and the one next to me when his neighbour departed but there wasn’t enough room so I rapped on his cab and woke him up. he made no objection when he scrambled into his seat and shunted forward a bit with the curtains still drawn :open_mouth: . I reckon he was probably grateful as he had overslept. :laughing:

882

axletramp:

boris:

boris:
Anyone remember the name of the cafe just off jc6 of the M1 ? I know it turned into a little chef and was situated here :
google.com/maps/@51.707488, 
 vZu8xA!2e0

No one ? :confused:

I think it was the Busy Bee :question:
Never used it but vaguely remember it.
You could clearly see it from the southbound.

The Busy Bee was just south of Junction 5 (Berrygrove) which was for many years the start of the M1. It was on the old A41. The Teddy Boys used to put a record on the juke box, run out to their motorbike and try to get up to the M1 roundabout and back before it ended :smiley:

883

marshman:

axletramp:

boris:

boris:
Anyone remember the name of the cafe just off jc6 of the M1 ? I know it turned into a little chef and was situated here :
google.com/maps/@51.707488, 
 vZu8xA!2e0

No one ? :confused:

I think it was the Busy Bee :question:
Never used it but vaguely remember it.
You could clearly see it from the southbound.

The Busy Bee was just south of Junction 5 (Berrygrove) which was for many years the start of the M1. It was on the old A41. The Teddy Boys used to put a record on the juke box, run out to their motorbike and try to get up to the M1 roundabout and back before it ended :smiley:

Teddy Boys? Not sure about that Bob, more like the ton up boys. The M1 and back on a moto would have played havoc with the Teds’ hair. :wink:

I only had one bike myself before I transferred to cars, that why I’ve still got a decent DA (Duck’s Arse) :laughing:

884

I seem to remember a few on east lancs, was it the new island café just before you got to m6, stainmore café on a66, what about motormans on way to Manchester a62 a lot of rockware drivers used it every day, because in those days lancs from yorks was a full days work :wink: :wink: :wink: there must have been thousands, so many breakfasts wow, I think the a1 must have had the most being the longest road :wink: :wink:

885

royhebb2:
I seem to remember a few on east lancs, was it the new island café just before you got to m6, stainmore café on a66, what about motormans on way to Manchester a62 a lot of rockware drivers used it every day, because in those days lancs from yorks was a full days work :wink: :wink: :wink: there must have been thousands, so many breakfasts wow, I think the a1 must have had the most being the longest road :wink: :wink:

We used to join the A1 at Whetstone and fork onto the A5 at Barnet. Just counted that between Whetstone and Brickhill there was 22 or 23 tea stalls and cafe’s.

886

Oops it was the A6 at Barnet, it met the A5 at the traffic lights in St Albans. Where the A5 turned left for Dunstable and the A6 turned right for Luton. Never could understand that :confused:

887

marshman:

axletramp:

boris:

boris:
Anyone remember the name of the cafe just off jc6 of the M1 ? I know it turned into a little chef and was situated here :
google.com/maps/@51.707488, 
 vZu8xA!2e0

No one ? :confused:

I think it was the Busy Bee :question:
Never used it but vaguely remember it.
You could clearly see it from the southbound.

The Busy Bee was just south of Junction 5 (Berrygrove) which was for many years the start of the M1. It was on the old A41. The Teddy Boys used to put a record on the juke box, run out to their motorbike and try to get up to the M1 roundabout and back before it ended :smiley:

I thought that was Wally’s on the A41 :confused:

888

Who remembers the cafe in Newark, and are you old enough to recall the guy who walked round the tables tapping the bottom of a cardboard tray with bottle-tops dancing about on the top? Near the station if I am right. Jim.

889

I think the one near M1 J6 was the Dell Café. There was also the Horseshoe Café at Garston.
Stainmore A66 and Motormans A62 are still open. I went to the latter in August, although I was the only customer.

890

jmc jnr:
Who remembers the cafe in Newark, and are you old enough to recall the guy who walked round the tables tapping the bottom of a cardboard tray with bottle-tops dancing about on the top? Near the station if I am right. Jim.

When I stayed in Newark in the late '50s '60s the regular place was the Wharf, right in the town centre by the bridge over the Trent. The river was one boundary of the car park. When staying overnight, you ate in the cafe. The accommodation, wash room, TV room etc. were in a couple of houses next door but one. Reminiscent of the Capesthorne Hotel in Stoke,

891

fryingpan:
I think the one near M1 J6 was the Dell Café. There was also the Horseshoe Café at Garston.
Stainmore A66 and Motormans A62 are still open. I went to the latter in August, although I was the only customer.

Well Motormans IMO Is still a good watering hole, Ive been retired for a long time but I had a brekkie there recently & it was first class, My first visit was 1957, & I will certainly have another vist in the near future, Before I pop me owld clogs as the saying goes, Motormans where the food is top notch what us old drivers are used to Eh,Regards Larry.

892

boris:

marshman:

axletramp:

boris:

boris:
Anyone remember the name of the cafe just off jc6 of the M1 ? I know it turned into a little chef and was situated here :
google.com/maps/@51.707488, 
 vZu8xA!2e0

No one ? :confused:

I think it was the Busy Bee :question:
Never used it but vaguely remember it.
You could clearly see it from the southbound.

The Busy Bee was just south of Junction 5 (Berrygrove) which was for many years the start of the M1. It was on the old A41. The Teddy Boys used to put a record on the juke box, run out to their motorbike and try to get up to the M1 roundabout and back before it ended :smiley:

I thought that was Wally’s on the A41 :confused:

Ear you go.

bee.jpg

0000000372966.jpeg

893

I was having a bit of a clear out and found this.

894

Here,s another one, and a couple of old parking receipts.

895

mappo:
I was having a bit of a clear out and found this.

Morleys Café that’s a blast from the past, One of the better watering holes IMO, The good old days Eh, Regards Larry.

896

Good old days indeed, Larry- ÂŁ1.50 B&B? Seems unbelievable now! :unamused:

897

Retired Old ■■■■:
Good old days indeed, Larry- ÂŁ1.50 B&B? Seems unbelievable now! :unamused:

Aye, A cup of coffee costs more than that these days,Regards Larry.

898

Retired Old ■■■■:
Good old days indeed, Larry- ÂŁ1.50 B&B? Seems unbelievable now! :unamused:

Let’s go back a little .1958. Bed Breakfast and Evening meal. The Shakespeare Inn at Exeter Ten Shillings. Castle Transport House. London Road Nottingham. Ten Bob. The Cambridge Cafe and Oxford House Hotel Newport. Ten Bob again. Bring back the good old days I say. Regards Charlie :laughing: :laughing:

899

Proper job back then, as you gents know.
Blimey was it really 40 years ago, how times have changed
Not for the better.!!!

900

Retired Old ■■■■:
Good old days indeed, Larry- ÂŁ1.50 B&B? Seems unbelievable now! :unamused:

Let’s go back a little .1958. Bed Breakfast and Evening meal. The Shakespeare Inn at Exeter Ten Shillings. Castle Transport House. London Road Nottingham. Ten Bob. The Cambridge Cafe and Oxford House Hotel Newport. Ten Bob again. Bring back the good old days I say. Regards Charlie :laughing: :laughing: