Preferred to park in Burton.
Never rated the food at the salt box.
GORDON 50:
A bit of signposting on the A50 might help, Carnforth, Lymm and Ashford had/used to have signs on the relevant motorways.
It’s annoying how many places aren’t actually signposted. There’s a few when I started out that I didn’t know about. I didn’t actually know about the Carlisle truckstop and had been stopping at southwaite. I think the truck stops themselves are expected to pay for the signs. Probably wasn’t an issue years ago (even had those tiles with the fuel prices on for the services, that would probably require coning off to do that now) just having a sign chucked up but now they’ll be permit to work, risk assessments over could the sign cause confusion, could it obstruct a drivers view, what if someone crashed into it and it flew into the carriageway etc etc
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Whats the point when they will all be full anyway by the time you want to get parked up.
The “Red Beck” near me is a 24 hr.cafe but it is a bit off route for most truck drivers to use these days I would imagine.
Munchkin:
New “fully equipped” cabs. Fridge, microwave and table so why bother with a cafe when a £3 ( more luxurious versions available) microwave meal will do?Sent from my R19 using Tapatalk
I’ve got all that, but I still.have a look out some nights,.especially in the summer.
The stance you have just took is the first symptoms to becoming ‘‘cabhappy’’ ,.a mental condition suffered by many trampers who never leave their cabs. 
Check out that vid ‘‘Men who sleep in trucks’’ on You tube, a more miserable bunch of sad basts that you could ever wish to meet, all depressed on the verge of suicide.
I don’t do nights out any more anyway. Who wants to sleep in a tin box?
Oh, wait!
Carryfast:
Sidevalve:
The recent closure of the long established and popular Jack’s Hill cafe was a blow to those of us raised on “proper” transport cafés. But as I sit here tonight I wonder if we are sometimes out own worst enemies?I’m currently parked up at the Salt Box at Hatton, Derbyshire; loads of room in the lorry park, and when I went in at six o’clock there was only me and two other drivers in there. Cafe is open 7 till 7, food is cheap, hot, and tasty, lots of choice and the place is immaculately clean. Parking is fifteen quid, and if you pay that in the cafe you get £2.50 off your grub. The parking area is well lit and it’s in a nice village. So why is this place almost deserted, yet every stinking lay-by on the main drag is rammed full… and not with EE lorries either?
Admittedly the Salt Box does require a couple of miles detour to get to it if you’re going up the A38 or the A50 but are drivers really that pushed for time that they can’t make the effort; or are operators so parsimonious that they’d rather risk a lorry curtain being cut or diesel nicked than spend fifteen quid parking in a safe place?
The bottom line is this; if we don’t start using the good cafés they’ll all go the way of Jack’s Hill.
Discuss.
Don’t ever remember being raised on paying 15 quid to park at a transport cafe.Also bearing in mind that tachos long ago removed the freedom to stop for a break get parked and wait for and eat a fry up without the guvnor knowing about it.
Christ almighty, you’re a bundle of fun these days aren’t you? I know you’ve been doing this job since God was in shorts ( or so you say) but FYI we’ve had tachographs since before I started driving and I’m nearly 62; and any decent old school gaffer would know ■■■■ well you’d parked up for a meal because he’d know how long the run took, probably better than any satnav.
If it helps you pay the fifteen quid to park for the night; being a day man you probably wouldn’t be aware of that.
When the ‘concrete road’ part of the A50 was opened from Uttoxeter to Blythe Bridge it signalled the begining of the end for the Checkley Rest cafe run by the Brash family. That was once very popular, and many drivers said that they would still continue to divert onto the old A50 through Tean, Fole etc to use it but of course after a while they stopped going as it wasn’t the best of roads anyway and it closed for good.
Pete.
Sidevalve:
Christ almighty, you’re a bundle of fun these days aren’t you? I know you’ve been doing this job since God was in shorts ( or so you say) but FYI we’ve had tachographs since before I started driving and I’m nearly 62; and any decent old school gaffer would know ■■■■ well you’d parked up for a meal because he’d know how long the run took, probably better than any satnav.If it helps you pay the fifteen quid to park for the night; being a day man you probably wouldn’t be aware of that.
Tachos came in around 1980.
I was driving a 7.5 tonner in the late 1970s and also used log books on the council.
Guvnors had a rough idea where they expected you to be but without tachos they didn’t have a clue when and where anyone chose to stop for a break.
Which is why the T and G fought tooth and nail to stop them.
Transport Cafes were endangered from that point on because drivers no longer had the freedom to stop as and when they felt like it.
Harry Monk:
I don’t do nights out any more anyway. Who wants to sleep in a tin box?Oh, wait!
Ah but a floaty tin box is more select Harry , careful when you need a pee in the night though .
I’d stop by for a nice meal any time but only for my 45 (I don’t night out) so no way I’ll pay £15 - £2.50 for just the privilege tempting as it is on nights
Any one know when the hilltop cafe at bury st Edmunds shut ?
Sidevalve:
The recent closure of the long established and popular Jack’s Hill cafe was a blow to those of us raised on “proper” transport cafés. But as I sit here tonight I wonder if we are sometimes out own worst enemies?I’m currently parked up at the Salt Box at Hatton, Derbyshire; loads of room in the lorry park, and when I went in at six o’clock there was only me and two other drivers in there. Cafe is open 7 till 7, food is cheap, hot, and tasty, lots of choice and the place is immaculately clean. Parking is fifteen quid, and if you pay that in the cafe you get £2.50 off your grub. The parking area is well lit and it’s in a nice village. So why is this place almost deserted, yet every stinking lay-by on the main drag is rammed full… and not with EE lorries either?
Admittedly the Salt Box does require a couple of miles detour to get to it if you’re going up the A38 or the A50 but are drivers really that pushed for time that they can’t make the effort; or are operators so parsimonious that they’d rather risk a lorry curtain being cut or diesel nicked than spend fifteen quid parking in a safe place?
The bottom line is this; if we don’t start using the good cafés they’ll all go the way of Jack’s Hill.
Discuss.
I stop at the Saltbox alot I was there on the 25th I get there early and left at 22 30 But with them new house’s built close by. I think the days will be numbered when they start complaining about the trucks starting in the early hours. Must be one of the oldest truck stops in the UK I remember going pass it with me dad . When that was the main road. And I’m 63 now
Shame about Jack’s Hill cafe.A regular stop on my way to Portsmouth or Southampton.
robroy:
Munchkin:
New “fully equipped” cabs. Fridge, microwave and table so why bother with a cafe when a £3 ( more luxurious versions available) microwave meal will do?Sent from my R19 using Tapatalk
I’ve got all that, but I still.have a look out some nights,.especially in the summer.
The stance you have just took is the first symptoms to becoming ‘‘cabhappy’’ ,.a mental condition suffered by many trampers who never leave their cabs.
Check out that vid ‘‘Men who sleep in trucks’’ on You tube, a more miserable bunch of sad basts that you could ever wish to meet, all depressed on the verge of suicide.
Strictly tongue in cheek from my point of view but still a lot of truth in it.
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I see someone has applied for permission to open a truck park for 200 trucks at Barnetby on the M180
Despite having all the “gear” in the truck (fridge , microwave , kettle , toaster ,tv and netflix )I still keep an eye out for good little places to stop for a meal especially round areas where we backload out of . Just coming to a reload a different way can let you see something you’d have missed - one place we reload out of regularly has gone from a 1-2 hour loading time to sometimes a 8- 10 hour loading time due to work going on in the factory . Not as bad as it seems especially when you can drop the trailer on the bay for 11 while you go 2 miles up the road to a country pub where a good meal and a pint (of Coke ) is £15 . The land lord dosen’t mind if you park in the carpark and if they have a spare room available will let you use it for a quick shower (£5) A good meal and a shower with somewhere to park for the night for £20 - better than any of the so called truckstops .
I stopped in the Red Lion once - don’t know anyone elses thoughts but the way the trucks are packed in is a disgrace - if theres ever a fire in there at night it dosen’t bare thinking about .
ETS:
I’d stop by for a nice meal any time but only for my 45 (I don’t night out) so no way I’ll pay £15 - £2.50 for just the privilege tempting as it is on nights
You only pay that if you’re parked more than an hour; would have thought that was a wee bit obvious!
adam277:
Lot of firms now tell you where you will be overnight. Not the case anymore where you just park up some place you like and go to the local pub to chat with Mike who you like to play Darts with at least once a week.All to do with insurance and other such crap.
I dont do tramping but when I worked for Argos. I was only allowed to take my break at a MSA or at an Argos store. We would get in trouble for taking a break at a layby or anywhere thats not an offical rest area as stupid as that sounds.[/
Adam don`t know which depot you worked out of for Argos, I worked out of Magna Park for 20 years until I retired. The only thing they said about parking was make sure you parked up where it was safe, most chose to park up when on a n/o behind a store or at a lorry park,but it was never stipulated to use MSA or Store whilst on a break.
lolipop:
adam277:
Lot of firms now tell you where you will be overnight. Not the case anymore where you just park up some place you like and go to the local pub to chat with Mike who you like to play Darts with at least once a week.All to do with insurance and other such crap.
I dont do tramping but when I worked for Argos. I was only allowed to take my break at a MSA or at an Argos store. We would get in trouble for taking a break at a layby or anywhere thats not an offical rest area as stupid as that sounds.
Adam don`t know which depot you worked out of for Argos, I worked out of Magna Park for 20 years until I retired. The only thing they said about parking was make sure you parked up where it was safe, most chose to park up when on a n/o behind a store or at a lorry park,but it was never stipulated to use MSA or Store whilst on a break.
Out of basildon
To be fair we service all of London. And theft is getting crazy. I had a lock broken on my trailer a few weeks ago.
