hiya ,
in the jungle one sunday too far back to remember this was my regular lunch break as was normal quite a queue , does anyone remember the jungle drivers club ?i was never a member but you had to be to play the bandits , i was playing a couple of tanners while waiting to be served and dropped the jackpot the money didn’t drop into a tray but behind a locked flap and to get the winnings a member of staff had to open the door and give you the money on production of your membership card , didn’t have one several drivers on the car park but not one with a card never got the money but was assured it would go to a worthwhile charity i often wonder who’s , a poor childrens fathers beer money charity maybe thanks harry long retired .
Mark R:
A couple of others we used in Essex were the Rosina on the old A13, and the Magno in Grays. What about Nells on the A2 nr Gravesend. All still open as far as i know.
All these names bring back memories to me, although actually placing them all takes a bit of head scratching. 
Nell’s is indeed still open, and still serving roast dinners midday and evening, although it’s easy to forget it’s not a routier and closing about 7.30pm can catch you out. That, and the absence of wine on the table. 
However, a new routeing of the main road leaves it invisible until it’s too late to turn off, so remember - Gravesend South is the exit you want. 
While I was in the area I took a diversion on the real old road and slowed down past the Treasure Chest, didn’t know if it was still a caff though, I was interested in the small lane that ran alongside to the village of Bean. I needed to know if it went under the A2 for a story I’m writing, and it does. Been waiting months to know that, now it can continue.
Big Al, I’m right with you on Stainmore, the original cafe was the best on the road in the middle of winter. I’ve spent many a dark cold night dragging up there trying to remember how much further, then seeing the lights on the hill and, after threading my way through the dark shapes over the moon surface of the park, walking on numbed feet and toes through that front door to be greeted by that roaring fire. Nothing better.
In later years long after it closed I walked through the derelict building and it seemed such a crying shame. How on earth could a place like that, in demand and packed every night, close down? 
I wonder with all the doom and gloom with the recession, how many more of the cafes are going to disappear.
Drivers are getting less money than this time last year, so they are using the snack vans more. I Ithink we could see a few more closing down same as everything else.
Lack of UK drivers & the influx of Eastern Bloc drivers in the UK cannot help the demise of the “old fashioned” transport cafe !
The blame of their demise could also be blamed on the “take it or leave it” attitude of some of the proprietors of these establishments !
A lot of cafe lorry parking cannot cope with the bigger & bigger trucks now on the road !!
One good thing though is the demise of Little Chef – the chain that bought up road side cafe’s and then banned lorry drivers (if they could afford new prices) !
PS The name please of the cafe south of Bridgwater on A38 near what is now junction 24 of the M5 – on left towards N. Petherton ■■
Dave the Renegade:
I wonder with all the doom and gloom with the recession, how many more of the cafes are going to disappear.
Drivers are getting less money than this time last year, so they are using the snack vans more. I Ithink we could see a few more closing down same as everything else.
Not just that Dave, I was appalled at the way the authorities have treated Nell’s on the A2 since the recent road diversion. There is a small sign for HGV parking in advance but no hint that there is a cafe there. It would have cost comparatively nothing to have signed it from the main road, it is now completely hidden and unless you know it or need some parking you wouldn’t know it’s there. I missed it on the way north and thought it had been demolished but coming back I pulled off at each Gravesend turn till I found it.
(Not before I had to do a screaming big Uie with the caravan in a traffic jam though. )
what was the name of the cafe on the a38 at thornbury,its gone now replaced with houses ?.
also there used to be one on the a5 at norton canes near to the turf island,that reopened as a little chef which also shut,but has recently just reopned as an indian resturant theres an mg garage on the same site ?
curnock:
what was the name of the cafe on the a38 at thornbury,its gone now replaced with houses ?.
also there used to be one on the a5 at norton canes near to the turf island,that reopened as a little chef which also shut,but has recently just reopned as an indian resturant theres an mg garage on the same site ?
curnock,I used to use the one on the a38 fairly regularly im sure it was called the alconbury t/stop.The owners used to do a lot for meningitis.
The cafe near Thornbury on the A36 was Roadways. Why do I remember so many cafes?
Sorry A38. My memories OK but I have trouble seeing the keyboard.
Big Leggy.
The cafe at North Petherton, nr. Bridgwater is Graham’s. Been there as long as I can remember going back to 1955 and it’s still there today.
.
another one thats just sprung to mind !. come out of brownhills on the chester road a465 go across the lights at shire oak headin for brum there was a cafe along there on the right,its been closed for a few years now. its still standing but overgrown with trees you can just see it from the road ?
curnock.
Do you mean the one opposite a quarry and with an old quarry behind it? I was thinking of posting about that the other day thinking you were sure to know what it was called. It must have been closed for over 25 years now hasn’t it? Still standing derelict. I was asking my son about it last time I was up there and he thought there was a problem with safety due to land slipping into the old quarry. I have thought long and hard over the past couple of years to try to remember the name but to no avail.
dafdave:
curnock:
what was the name of the cafe on the a38 at thornbury,its gone now replaced with houses ?.
also there used to be one on the a5 at norton canes near to the turf island,that reopened as a little chef which also shut,but has recently just reopned as an indian resturant theres an mg garage on the same site ?curnock,I used to use the one on the a38 fairly regularly im sure it was called the alconbury t/stop.The owners used to do a lot for meningitis.
O.K. curnock and DafDave, put your thinking caps on
I think that the cafe that you mean was at Alveston on the A38, near Thornbury.
It was one of my all time favourites, some cafe’s I just could not pass. 
It was great for overnight parking and within easy walking distance to a pub which was called I think, The Alveston Manor or The Alveston Arms.
It was owned and run at one time by Steve Bayliss and his wife who used to run Steve Bayliss Transport at Pocklechurch or Quedgley.
Maybe The Bubbleman Marc can shed some light on this.
Curnock was dead right about The Meningitis Appeal.
Steve’s daughter suffered from meningites and over the years they got involved and raised I,000s of pounds for the appeal.
They allowed the Meningites Appeal to park their traliers on the cafe lorry park over the winter months.
They say there are loads of lorry drivers who deserve a medal but Steve Bayliss ( and his wife ) certainly deserved one.
BigG-Unit:
curnock.
Do you mean the one opposite a quarry and with an old quarry behind it? I was thinking of posting about that the other day thinking you were sure to know what it was called. It must have been closed for over 25 years now hasn’t it? Still standing derelict. I was asking my son about it last time I was up there and he thought there was a problem with safety due to land slipping into the old quarry. I have thought long and hard over the past couple of years to try to remember the name but to no avail.
yes it was opposite the quarry.i read 2 or 3 years ago in my local paper that someone put in for a planning application to knock the cafe down and build a resturant in its place,but still no sign of anythink yet.the last time i went in there was the early part of 1988.it closed not long after that
Talking about old cafes, how long has the " Hollies " been going. Probably already on this site, but I haven,t been on here long.
The first time i went in was 1969 dave.
Dave.
Just had a look on the transport cafe website, says that the " Hollies" has been a transport cafe since WW2 DafDave, also says it was a cafe for travellers before 1933, so it beats the " Lazy Trout " which opened in 1937.
Cheers Dave
Do you older guys remember cafe’s from Glasgow to Carlisle.
Chrissie Ritchie’s,Blackwood. The Star at Lesmahagow. The DAK. Cairnlodge Douglas. Heathergylle,Lindsay Tower, Crawford Arms, and merlindale in Crawford. Elvanfoot Cafe,(earlier still, Telford Cafe.). Coatsgate, Nethercleuch Lockerbie. Kirtle Cafe Kirtlebridge. Moss Cafe. I think there was also one in Kirkpatrick Fleming. I forgot the Valleyfield at Abington north bound.
The cafe at KP was the London Road Pub. wasn’t it?
It only shut a couple or three tears ago.