Must have been in the early 70s working for N.I.T.we used to park in the street off bradford road in huddersfield, we came out one morning and the police had stuck stickers on all the wagons,NO PARKING FOR GOODS VEICHLES WITHOUT LIGHTS that was the end of those digs. Think there was a change in the law about then.Not much later the m62 opened as far as huddersfield and west yorkshire became local work.
I used to quite often stay at Mrs Smiths on Hyde Road Manchester , The place was spotless clean & the grub was very good, Plus free parking at Ardwick Green, This was the 50/60s Era, Her daughter also catered for long distance drivers just a couple of doors away Doris Dance was her name,The good old days Eh, Regards Larry. PS Mrs Smiths Tel No Ardwick 1858.
Not used digs for many years - for the last 25 years we were paid to stay in hotels or Premier Inns (try getting a dog’n’pup into the car park, it CAN be done!) and prior to that sleeper cabs - but this thread certainly jogged a memory or two!
I remember London House at Kirkpatrick Flemming as mentioned earlier and another couple of dodgy ones were Londonderry Lodge off the A1 and the Noake at Purfleet.
There were also some pretty good ones too; ones I used regularly included the Heatherghyll at Crawford and Mrs Hingley in Erskine Street, Alloa (you’ll have had your tea, then?)!!
Aahh - the good old days!
Steve
That made me chuckle, Steve! I used to stay at an old lady’s in Coupar and, no matter what time you arrived, she would always say, “You’ll have had your tea?”
As a driver’s trailer mate on my school holidays ( Fridged Freight ) I was educated by some guys who knew their way round and where to head for decent cheap digs. The old hands would head for a “Sally Army” hostel or the Seaman’s Mission in Belfast were about the best. Tooley Street or the Minories in London. The Durose, Jack’s Hill, Londonderry, Oldham ( a lady there started talking about my dad in very familiar terms there). Father was furious when he heard we had kipped there! The most important criteria to most was their proximity to a pub - and if it was a good boozer we cabbed it and spent the digs money on beer. Feet on the bonnet with the engine ticking over to try to stay warm. An 8 wheeler and trailer were a bit big for most places, pluss with 2 fridges banging away we couldn’t park in the street so often we had to suffer the dumps.
Great topic Harry - hope you are well. keep at it with the Spey water. Highest regards. Jim
jmc jnr:
As a driver’s trailer mate on my school holidays ( Fridged Freight ) I was educated by some guys who knew their way round and where to head for decent cheap digs. The old hands would head for a “Sally Army” hostel or the Seaman’s Mission in Belfast were about the best. Tooley Street or the Minories in London. The Durose, Jack’s Hill, Londonderry, Oldham ( a lady there started talking about my dad in very familiar terms there). Father was furious when he heard we had kipped there! The most important criteria to most was their proximity to a pub - and if it was a good boozer we cabbed it and spent the digs money on beer. Feet on the bonnet with the engine ticking over to try to stay warm. An 8 wheeler and trailer were a bit big for most places, pluss with 2 fridges banging away we couldn’t park in the street so often we had to suffer the dumps.
Great topic Harry - hope you are well. keep at it with the Spey water. Highest regards. Jim
Come on Harry what about Tony’s up north road when he used to lock us out
And we had to climb up the drain pipe to get in old nobby was worst for wer to much
falling down water.But we got him up Leachy was another one.Happy day’s.
GUESTY44
.
hiya,
Got booked into the Red House near Donny one night, by BRS Donny, good grub shop
but the digs were bleedin’ freezing got up and got dressed halfway through the night
to try and keep warm slept in everything except my boots that night, although I’d
called for food on many occasions I made a point of not overnighting there again and
let the Donny office know about it in the morning they said they would knock it off
their digs list, fair play they did have decent places to stay in close to their yard but
I was too late that night too get in.
thanks harry, long retired.
Lawrence Dunbar:
I used to quite often stay at Mrs Smiths on Hyde Road Manchester , The place was spotless clean & the grub was very good, Plus free parking at Ardwick Green, This was the 50/60s Era, Her daughter also catered for long distance drivers just a couple of doors away Doris Dance was her name,The good old days Eh, Regards Larry. PS Mrs Smiths Tel No Ardwick 1858.
When in Manchester always stayed in Ardwick Green, always easy to park on the old bomb site, my place to stay was Jeanne’s used mostly by us Londoners, Tel No Ardwick 2337
Ossie
Torquay opposite the coach park was a place owned and run by Monica and her hubby the place is still there don’t know if they still have it but its advertised as being family run for over 20 yrs so you never know …
Christmas week was always a good one because she would do a Christmas special with a few drinks on the table.
Breakfast in the morning with a packed lunch all thrown in for about £12…
We always stayed at the Reliable Café in Jamaica Road when we were in London. The food was as good as any but the accommodation was a bit basic- if you turned up mid-afternoon you had to wait for the night men to vacate their pits. When it got busy and they ran out of beds, you had the option of sleeping on a camp bed in the washroom for a discount of two bob!
I haven’t a clue why we persisted in staying there, but we did for years. 
Retired Old ■■■■:
We always stayed at the Reliable Café in Jamaica Road when we were in London. The food was as good as any but the accommodation was a bit basic- if you turned up mid-afternoon you had to wait for the night men to vacate their pits. When it got busy and they ran out of beds, you had the option of sleeping on a camp bed in the washroom for a discount of two bob!
I haven’t a clue why we persisted in staying there, but we did for years.
Hiya anybody mentioned Mrs Prices Hessle road Hull.
plenty of grub and clean.
GUESTY44
Guesty44:
Retired Old ■■■■:
We always stayed at the Reliable Café in Jamaica Road when we were in London. The food was as good as any but the accommodation was a bit basic- if you turned up mid-afternoon you had to wait for the night men to vacate their pits. When it got busy and they ran out of beds, you had the option of sleeping on a camp bed in the washroom for a discount of two bob!
I haven’t a clue why we persisted in staying there, but we did for years.Hiya anybody mentioned Mrs Prices Hessle road Hull.
plenty of grub and clean.
GUESTY44
Hiya,
Yes Fred remember that one I think a regular stop for the Bowker boys
when in that area, Yes Fred you and me have ■■■■■■ in the same pot. 
thanks harry, long retired
Remember when in Bristol in the 70s i used to stay on Coronation rd Southville, only a small house and an elderly lady but nice homely digs.used to park over the other side of the river ,came out one morning and some one had nicked both mirror glasses, just the rubber hanging there.tried Midland Rd digs and thought they where dirty.
A few I can remember are
Kitty’s Ross on Wye first digs I can recall to have showers
Bellinghams Newcastle on Tyne
Crawford Arms Crawford, Heathergill Crawford and I think the other one in Crawford was the Merlindale
The Globe in Newport
Cliff Hoares Southampton
The Queens Southampton ( I think thats correct it was right out side the Normandy ferries entrance to the docks) you could walk out to it if you were stuck waiting for customs
There was a cafe up near Pickfords/BRS depot up towards Tottam going out of Southampton which had a myna bird that swore with a Yorkshire accent 
The Rest at south minns behind the middlesex arms
I will post more when the brain as recovered from being used
cheers Johnnie 
nick2008:
Torquay opposite the coach park was a place owned and run by Monica and her hubby the place is still there don’t know if they still have it but its advertised as being family run for over 20 yrs so you never know …Christmas week was always a good one because she would do a Christmas special with a few drinks on the table.
Breakfast in the morning with a packed lunch all thrown in for about £12…
Newcroft - used it for many years! My former colleagues tell me it’s still going strong, although I believe John died several years ago.
I remember Monica’s breakfasts were to die for!!
Steve
does any one remember wincham hall in northwich ? ,it was about 5 or 6 mile from j19 m6,I remember loads of telecom drivers stopping there,the truck park closed years ago but the hall is big on weddings now,cheers gaz.
GAZ70:
does any one remember wincham hall in northwich ? ,it was about 5 or 6 mile from j19 m6,I remember loads of telecom drivers stopping there,the truck park closed years ago but the hall is big on weddings now,cheers gaz.
I remember Winchham Hall Mrs Francis, she used to to have a couple of wagons when she first opened, I used it about 2/3 times a week, I loaded out of Cooper Nutrition about a mile away, nearly always on a Friday after loading as the M6 was a nightmare as ended going south at the A5 (mainly to get 6 hrs for running in on a Saturday could do it in just over 2 hrs, where as Friday could be 3 plus,)Wincham Hall went a bit down hill when she put in more beds. cheers
Does anyone remember “Clara’s in Kendal” ?
It was the house near the riverside car park.
Wall to wall beds in the rooms lol
Enjoyed reading through this.
Got to admit, I could sleep anywhere! Worked in the wood loading timber all day somewhere near Biggar. Set off in the Mastiff as it got dark, this would be December '69. By the time I got to ‘Crawford Services’ on the A74, I was Knackered!
Pulled off the dual carriageway, past the Cafe on the old road, pulled the brake on and slumped across the wheel.
Woke up and looked out. Headlights on full beam. I knew I’d fallen asleep, but thought I was still driving on a single carriageway road. Heaved left and right on the steering to try and control it. Heart rate about 240/150!
Anyway, back to Digs. I preferred the Cab. Before you were allowed to sleep in it I had quite a few nights in my sleeping bag on the floor of the Mastiff.
I remember going into a pub in Milnthorpe with my suitcase, filthy from loading timber in the borders, too late to hitch hike home to Barrow. There were quite a few blokes in the pub and I asked at the bar if they had a room.
The Landlady looked me up and down and said ‘No, I don’t think so.’
So desperately not funny to me, yet hilarious to everyone in the bar. I was in the Comet and spent the night over the engine.
When subbing for Pritchett’s, there were regular digs we used to stay at. One was in a cul de sac in billingham.
The food was good and although about 5 to a room, the beds were clean and bug free.
I felt sorry for the neighbours. From 5.30 on, the road was filled with the smoke and noise from ‘the lads’ getting away. How much fog could a Gardner make starting up?
On the Middle East, the cab was home. I preferred it to a hotel. The only thing I wanted was a shower and somewhere to have a drink, like the National at Belgrade or the Mocamp at Istanbul or Ankara.
John
1960, Mrs Rileys, Berwick on Tweed. The memory of dear old Mrs Riley has stuck with me all these years, It was just like being at home, spotlessly clean, not too many guests, and top class food. There were no better drivers digs in all the land.