Hi all you old boys …Dave Croft managed to find his way here …remembering all those great times and some not so great …if only I could remember all would be a bonus …I could write a book and make some money at last …haha …added a few photos …someone might remember me …
I posted these sometime ago on another thread but I don’t remember which !
Innaugural crossing Poole to Vianna do Castello on the Thomas Wehr.
It must have been about 1986/87.
GS.
Hope the duty free was the same on the Thomas Weir as it was on the Gabby Weir GS , all out of the broom cupboard ! , I dont think I ever travelled on the Thomas,
Welcome David , remember you and your lorries and trailer well.
OAP driver, the photos of the David Croft lorries, I seem to regognize him, years ago I was parked by a river near Burgos .
I emptied the contents of my cab and washing stuff in the river .
David was parked next to me and said keep on eye on the stuff or the group of gypsy kids will run off with it .
GS overland, in your photo of Poole docks, I see the Ford Transcon of British International, Tim Allen and Manuela de Caldaviria who ran his Porto office.
Bullit, can’t beat a bit of Lula , octopus with roast potatoes.
It would take all day to clear customs at TERTIR in Porto or Alverca in Lisbon, ssometimes days, the agents were like Pinocio with their lies of come back every hour, weekends on the beach for me .
toby1234abc:
…Bullit, can’t beat a bit of Lula , octopus with roast potatoes…
Toby, Im quite partial to a bit of octopus or squid, fried or otherwise and with lemon juice, and roasties are a given 
Not sure what Lula is though, is this the beer and honey or tizer or what ever it is drink you were on about? I never had the pleasure of running down to Portugal when I was driving abroad in the 80s and 90s. Always was a destination I fancied going to though, preferably down to the Algarve!
Hi Guys
Yes Brit Int trucks were always to be seen up and down the Spain/Portugal route. I used to mostly either tip Algarve or Lisbon and re-load Oporto or tip/re-load Oporto, and occasionaly tip and re-load in some obscure destinations in Portugal too.
It was difficult to find proper Portuguese food in Albufeira but good food was easily found in Faro and surrounding towns. Grilled sardines were allways a good lunch.
My boss had a bar called The Queen Vic in Praia D,Oro close to Albufeira so we used to bring alot of supplies down for the bar and for the Indian restaurant next door. Customs clearance on the dockside in Faro was “interesting” ! but time off at Praia D’Oro was great. I used to meet one or two other Brits at the dockside on occasion but not very often. Weekends in Lisbon were always good, pull the pin and bounce along to Estoril/Cascais and stay at the Founders Inn. 
I will try and find some photos.
GS
oap driver:
Hi all you old boys …Dave Croft managed to find his way here …remembering all those great times and some not so great …if only I could remember all would be a bonus …I could write a book and make some money at last …haha …added a few photos …someone might remember me …
Bloody hell i was asking if anyone had any pics of your red Daf the other day !! Great to hear from you mate !
Remember the fruit i used to send to your Mrs when you were going home ! 
I remember Neil driving for you but for some reason i thought it was a 95 series Daf i dont remember the
seddon atkinson !
Happy days, Dean.
Talking of DAF,s Dean , did you ever come across a bloke called Gerald , I have an idea his surname was Arcass or somthing like that , I have not heard of him for 30 years , all I remember is he had a white 2500 or similar DAF.
Well since Mr Croft has honoured us with his prescence we should have some photos.
Mr Croft
The Coutances going through the harbour.
Havelet was a rare visitor.
Two regular hauliers back in the day.
Penimar with shellfish have been coming through for years.
Avialink,used to do Gibraltar.
R.Davies.
The old Purbeck renamed in dry dock somewhere in the world.
The Coutances.
Barfleur looking across to the Coutances.
kerbut:
Talking of DAF,s Dean , did you ever come across a bloke called Gerald , I have an idea his surname was Arcass or somthing like that , I have not heard of him for 30 years , all I remember is he had a white 2500 or similar DAF.
Gerald rings a bell,was he tall about 6’2 with a moustache ? Used to pull for Richmonds with a tilt ■■ Unless i am
geting mixed up he was living or married to one of the Truckline cleaners and lived in Hamworthy ? If we are talking
about the same bloke i found him ok .
DEANB:
kerbut:
Talking of DAF,s Dean , did you ever come across a bloke called Gerald , I have an idea his surname was Arcass or somthing like that , I have not heard of him for 30 years , all I remember is he had a white 2500 or similar DAF.Gerald rings a bell,was he tall about 6’2 with a moustache ? Used to pull for Richmonds with a tilt ■■ Unless i am
geting mixed up he was living or married to one of the Truckline cleaners and lived in Hamworthy ? If we are talking
about the same bloke i found him ok .
Yep, thats him Dean
geoff luther:
scan142m:
geoff luther:
0is that barry davis from upton if so he and a few others in the early 80s used to drive for me .?
re the post with the,phillips,tilt on page 14Hi “scan142m” yes that is the old rascal Barry Davis from Upton.I worked for him way back in the day driving his F89 when he got the new F10.He told me that he had a F12 coming for me but that never materialised so I went back to work for Reg Bugler.I usually see him once a year when he comes to a drivers Christmas meal that I organise.Cheers Geoff
well giv him my regards my name is terry we worked out of ferndown in the 80s when i sus out how to put a few photos on ile add to this
ive done the rounds first was out taymix-cutlers-a few other local firms before having a few trucks of my own (sort of) i done for phill randle at cavel european then on to euroking and mutch more i care not to remember more later,T
When I was weekended or delayed in Oporto I used to pull the pin and head a little bit further North to a village on the beach called Praia de Angeiras where there was a fantastic family run beachfront restaurant and bar, Bar Praia Azul, the son Victor used to manage it. You could park a few units right in front which was handy when we were drinking Vinho Verde in Pint glasses !! 
I just found it on Google Earth.
Did anyone else go there ? If not, where did you all go when stranded ?
Maybe that could be a new thread !!
Weekended,Pull the pin and where to…■■
GS
Weekended pulled the pin ;
Praia de Guincho on the far end of Cascais, a huge beach, always windy all year round .
The sea always cold in the summer .
A bit cheeky but had a free shower in the camp site .
Great cafes in the village behind the sand dunes .
Cascais shopping mall showed films in English .
No way was I staying in the foul smelling Alverca TIR park by the river which was a sewer .
Rats and huge mosquitoes biting all night, drivers would get ill .
For Porto, Matosinhos or Leca de Palmeria ,the docks ,beach not far .
Have a shower in the Bomberos or the fire sstation .
Anyone remember The parrot bar and Ricardo, he would have a phone with a counter, not cheap to call home .
Madrid ,Fred’s; of Coslada, the man is a legend .
DEANB:
This should bring back a few memories for anyone that shipped out of Poole,eading for Spain. Irun TIR park.0
hi i seem to remember being parked up along the seafront at barittz when the gatehouse at the compound got blown up by the basques
mid 1970s i seem to remember if i got the date wrong ime sure someone will correct me
kerbut:
Talking of DAF,s Dean , did you ever come across a bloke called Gerald , I have an idea his surname was Arcass or somthing like that , I have not heard of him for 30 years , all I remember is he had a white 2500 or similar DAF.
i dont remember the name but did he live on canford heath .?
I remember when the terrorism group ETA were blowing up tourist resorts to hit the Spanish Government in the financial losses.
A British International driver witnessed a full on shoot out between the police and ETA.
Bullets whizzing everywhere .
He loved doing European but never went back again.
It was normal to see random checkpoints in rural areas in the day or night .
Roads coned off, tanks, armoured personnel carriers, attack dogs, military and police wearing baraclavas .
They let the trucks go past, but cars had boots open, full check .
The rumours were ETA hid in the mountain areas of the border with Spain and France in the Pyrenees .
I saw in the papers that judges, politicians and the police were getting killed with shootings and car bombs .
I always thought he came from Gloucester area , but think he moved to Poole , so if he met a cleaner on the boat he most properly moved to Poole.
I think that was Gerald Smith who had a 3300 or 3600 Daf …lived very near the docks …and Philip Arcass …can’t quite remember whose trailers he was pulling for but I believe he ended up traction for an Italian Company …I am sure Keith knows more about the whereabouts of all these local men …and Hi Dean …Coopers revisited happy days …
scan142m:
kerbut:
Talking of DAF,s Dean , did you ever come across a bloke called Gerald , I have an idea his surname was Arcass or somthing like that , I have not heard of him for 30 years , all I remember is he had a white 2500 or similar DAF.i dont remember the name but did he live on canford heath .?
No he lived at Hamworthy mate !
