Clearways was on the London bound side of the road at West Kingsdown (Brands Hatch) and the Oasis was virtually opposite on the other side of the road. There were three more on the A 20 one in Astran’s Yard at Addington, and two opposite one another a bit closer to West Malling at Ryarsh, IIRC the one on the London side was the Jungle. The Beech cafe was on Seven Mile Lane Northbound at the top of the hill, The Blue Boys was at Kippings cross on the A 21 between Lamberhurst and Pembury, and the Knoxbridge cafe is still on the A 229 just south of Staplehurst.
Lastly it is going to cost me several pints for forgetting the name of the cafe my best man’s parents used to run on the corner of Sheephurst Lane at Marden Beech, on the B 2079 between Marden and Goudhurst about 1/4 mile past G.G. Tomkinson’s Yard.
The Oasis is still there but, they sold off half the parking for housing, so now there is little space for anything large. Not the first café to do that. Opposite is/was the Hollyville. Clearways was converted into a restaurant. Heading south, the famous rockers caff, Johnsons was on the left. Still there, it is now an office. Down the hill and the Oakdene is still very much in business, next to M26 J2A. Towards Maidstone, were the Venture, Jungle and Winsor. The Jungle is still going. Beyond Maidstone were the Roebuck, Halfway, and still open, Little Chest/Rose of Tralee, which may have been the same place after name changes. After Ashford, the former Jiffy Snacks, now the Blue and White Café, then, the Airport café at Sellindge. Both still trading. So, if correct, 7 out of 13 still going, not bad compared to most old trunk roads.
Not read any mention of Turtons cafe on the A5just north of the M1 at crick it was always known as Sabrina’s because of the two hills just south of the cafe. All us Priestners drivers used to stop there when going south, happy days, all gone now .Cheers Alec
Sandys cafe at Gatwick in the late 50ts early 60ts was a great place for me. Telfers pie chips and beans. I had hundreds of em. Later about 1970 I was working for Frigoscandia. loaded back from Koln to Telfers Pies in Northampton.When I got ther, I found I had 19tonnes of frozen gristle.I asked the guy on the bank what it was for and he told me it was ground up and put in the pies.Never had another pie and never went in Sandys again. Regards Charlie
Spardo:
I don’t think that there was one opposite Atkin’s, but a bit further along to the west there was one called The Airport.
Is that the one you’re thinking of?
Cheers Spardo, I’m sure you are right it was the Airport, but I did think it was somewhere near Atkins, there is a long abandoned site roughly opposite what used to be Atkins and I thought that was it. Regards, Mizzo.
Airport cafe was approx where the Toyota Island is and in the 1950’s it was on a crossroads.the left hand was towards Willington and Repton and the right hand was a road to Etwall.There was a pub on the corner opposite and the large field was the a field for Derby Aiways and ran Deckotas which turned into British Midland Airways at Castle Donnington.That particular Burnaston arport had a few buildings and Eddie Stobart rented one until he moved into Burton.Atkin’s Cafe was quite a popular run by the Atkin’s family ladies and was always clean I thought.Coming back to the Airport there was a traveller called Jarve Lee and a sound chap but a lot of folk had a little difficulty in understanding him and he lived in a caravan at the Airport Cafe.He dealt in stuff as travellers do.He was a very trusted chap and did a bit of work for Jim Marsh who wouldn’t tollerate any thing dodgy
Spardo:
I don’t think that there was one opposite Atkin’s, but a bit further along to the west there was one called The Airport.
Is that the one you’re thinking of?
Cheers Spardo, I’m sure you are right it was the Airport, but I did think it was somewhere near Atkins, there is a long abandoned site roughly opposite what used to be Atkins and I thought that was it. Regards, Mizzo.
Airport cafe was approx where the Toyota Island is and in the 1950’s it was on a crossroads.the left hand was towards Willington and Repton and the right hand was a road to Etwall.There was a pub on the corner opposite and the large field was the a field for Derby Aiways and ran Deckotas which turned into British Midland Airways at Castle Donnington.That particular Burnaston arport had a few buildings and Eddie Stobart rented one until he moved into Burton.Atkin’s Cafe was quite a popular run by the Atkin’s family ladies and was always clean I thought.Coming back to the Airport there was a traveller called Jarve Lee and a sound chap but a lot of folk had a little difficulty in understanding him and he lived in a caravan at the Airport Cafe.He dealt in stuff as travellers do.He was a very trusted chap and did a bit of work for Jim Marsh who wouldn’t tollerate any thing dodgy
Hi Tony, Airport was under the southbound sliproad on to the A38, this adds up to the bit of the old road towards Willington by the new services, the lorry park at the Airport,I have been on smoother landfills!! Here is a Pic i found on the internet for you,Cheer’s Pete
Alec:
Not read any mention of Turtons cafe on the A5just north of the M1 at crick it was always known as Sabrina’s because of the two hills just south of the cafe. All us Priestners drivers used to stop there when going south, happy days, all gone now .Cheers Alec
Any drivers younger than about 65 (that means non still working today, apart from me that is ) probably won’t know what the hell you are referring to Alec.
And Charlie, don’t forget, all that gristle has made you what you are today, (the clue is in your declared location )
Spardo:
I don’t think that there was one opposite Atkin’s, but a bit further along to the west there was one called The Airport.
Is that the one you’re thinking of?
Cheers Spardo, I’m sure you are right it was the Airport, but I did think it was somewhere near Atkins, there is a long abandoned site roughly opposite what used to be Atkins and I thought that was it. Regards, Mizzo.
Airport cafe was approx where the Toyota Island is and in the 1950’s it was on a crossroads.the left hand was towards Willington and Repton and the right hand was a road to Etwall.There was a pub on the corner opposite and the large field was the a field for Derby Aiways and ran Deckotas which turned into British Midland Airways at Castle Donnington.That particular Burnaston arport had a few buildings and Eddie Stobart rented one until he moved into Burton.Atkin’s Cafe was quite a popular run by the Atkin’s family ladies and was always clean I thought.Coming back to the Airport there was a traveller called Jarve Lee and a sound chap but a lot of folk had a little difficulty in understanding him and he lived in a caravan at the Airport Cafe.He dealt in stuff as travellers do.He was a very trusted chap and did a bit of work for Jim Marsh who wouldn’t tollerate any thing dodgy
Hi Tony, Airport was under the southbound sliproad on to the A38, this adds up to the bit of the old road towards Willington by the new services, the lorry park at the Airport,I have been on smoother landfills!! Here is a Pic i found on the internet for you,Cheer’s Pete
Thanks for that Pete but I may have misunderstood you but I’m talking about when there was no sliproad and certainly before the Trader came out.In a little field in the pub grounds when the Ford Dexta came out we used that bit of ground for demonstrating it.Can anybody remember the name of the pub,I think it was a Marston’s house.Never went into the Airport but it really looked a bit of a scruffy place.Perhaps I’ve misunderstood what you’ve said but the picture is good and worth a look for some more of "Traders in Action)
Spardo:
I don’t think that there was one opposite Atkin’s, but a bit further along to the west there was one called The Airport.
Is that the one you’re thinking of?
Cheers Spardo, I’m sure you are right it was the Airport, but I did think it was somewhere near Atkins, there is a long abandoned site roughly opposite what used to be Atkins and I thought that was it. Regards, Mizzo.
Airport cafe was approx where the Toyota Island is and in the 1950’s it was on a crossroads.the left hand was towards Willington and Repton and the right hand was a road to Etwall.There was a pub on the corner opposite and the large field was the a field for Derby Aiways and ran Deckotas which turned into British Midland Airways at Castle Donnington.That particular Burnaston arport had a few buildings and Eddie Stobart rented one until he moved into Burton.Atkin’s Cafe was quite a popular run by the Atkin’s family ladies and was always clean I thought.Coming back to the Airport there was a traveller called Jarve Lee and a sound chap but a lot of folk had a little difficulty in understanding him and he lived in a caravan at the Airport Cafe.He dealt in stuff as travellers do.He was a very trusted chap and did a bit of work for Jim Marsh who wouldn’t tollerate any thing dodgy
Hi Tony, Airport was under the southbound sliproad on to the A38, this adds up to the bit of the old road towards Willington by the new services, the lorry park at the Airport,I have been on smoother landfills!! Here is a Pic i found on the internet for you,Cheer’s Pete
correct,about half way down the sliproad.not the cleanest pitch but was good for a cuppa when running back in on a dry afternoon
All this talk of the A23 reminded me of a cafe we used to use in the late 60s. On the left going north somewhere near Hickstead, always full of horsey people when the horse trials were on. On BRS we used to call it “The Duchess’s” more like a motorist tea rooms than a transport cafe. The lady who ran it always gave the impression of being middle class, very well spoken. Always pleased to see and chat to lorry drivers. Does that jog anyone’s memory?
I just looked at the photo again and being a bit of a senior resident That the Traders were run by Frank Wright of Derby.I have been looking for a picture of a Trader that our fleet salesman who new nowt about commercials,and sold them a Trader based on a 134 chassis and had a drop frame trailer with knock out axles.The photo had a large digger on the back with tracks over the sides.He was very proud of this sale but it looked bloody awful.God knows what the driver thought about it.I bet if he was on the A38 job he would put his brakes on at Atkins and stop in Burton if he could get up the slope from Atkins.There was a photo taken but I looked for it in the stockroom and no luck.Strange really as I never saw it in our workshop and I can’t recall them buying any more from us.NOT TOO MUCH OF A SURPRISE.
I just looked at the photo again and being a bit of a senior resident That the Traders were run by Frank Wright of Derby.I have been looking for a picture of a Trader that our fleet salesman who new nowt about commercials,and sold them a Trader based on a 134 chassis and had a drop frame trailer with knock out axles.The photo had a large digger on the back with tracks over the sides.He was very proud of this sale but it looked bloody awful.God knows what the driver thought about it.I bet if he was on the A38 job he would put his brakes on at Atkins and stop in Burton if he could get up the slope from Atkins.There was a photo taken but I looked for it in the stockroom and no luck.Strange really as I never saw it in our workshop and I can’t recall them buying any more from us.NOT TOO MUCH OF A SURPRISE.
Here we go again change of subject again
Re the Airport Cafe - I recall a garage with petrol pumps on the same site - the name Roy Vine springs to mind: mean anything to you, Tony?
I just looked at the photo again and being a bit of a senior resident That the Traders were run by Frank Wright of Derby.I have been looking for a picture of a Trader that our fleet salesman who new nowt about commercials,and sold them a Trader based on a 134 chassis and had a drop frame trailer with knock out axles.The photo had a large digger on the back with tracks over the sides.He was very proud of this sale but it looked bloody awful.God knows what the driver thought about it.I bet if he was on the A38 job he would put his brakes on at Atkins and stop in Burton if he could get up the slope from Atkins.There was a photo taken but I looked for it in the stockroom and no luck.Strange really as I never saw it in our workshop and I can’t recall them buying any more from us.NOT TOO MUCH OF A SURPRISE.
Here we go again change of subject again
Hi Tony,
Sorry for the confusion, I found the pic of the Traders on Internet and added to the end of the post so you would see it!, Cheer’s Pete
) probably won’t know what the hell you are referring to Alec. 
)