I had the unfortunate mispleasure to have a night out last Tuesday at the Roll Inn Motel,or Widnes truckstop as it’s known.
Now I haven’t stopped there for well over 15 years since my container days.It was like being in a time -warp!
It was just as I remembered it all those years ago,it even seemed to have the same paint,although somewhat faded and cracked now.
The place still has that run-down look and feel about it,the parking area is potholed and mainly unlit,with plenty of waterfilled holes to catch the unwary (a wet left foot is testament to this).
I know parking is very hard to find,let alone with decent facilities,but this place is a dump and I won’t be going there again.The showers are like something I’ve used 20 odd years ago in eastern europe,filthy,the food was not too bad and you do get a £5 meal voucher with your £10 parking ticket.
We all know we deserve better,maybe I’ve been spoilt by the facilities here on the continent,but in this day and age surely some cleanliness and hygiene wouldn’t go amiss?
I’ll bet after 10 years it still has the same sheets on the 10 quid a night rooms.
Last time I stopped there was august 98, I was driving a stage/show truck and had 3 guys/ roadies with me, I was lucky, I slept in my truck, those poor guys had rooms and vowed to never go to anything less than a Travelodge in future
Wow! Its still going? It used to be an ok spot for the night if you took your own bed with you. Oh well.
Not as good as Colonels at Bloxwich though. I was nearly in tears the evening I turned up there to discover it had been turned into an old folks home. When you consider the age of the local ‘talent’ in there in its previous existance I suppose it made perfect sense to move them in full time
it was kernels cafe but know what you mean.it was a sad day when that closed happy memories except for the early days when only had day cab and the brother used to come along the corridor with that school bell.the nightclub was called hardys free entry for truckers and if you didnt score you were called a ■■■■ lol.
Yepp, a old timer that one! We used to go to that club as well, being its just 15 mins down the road, Im sure it had a different name before it was Hardy’s.
The Roll Inn at Widnes,now there evokes some memories.
Who was sad enough to have one of their stickers in the cab window?
Last time I stopped there the owner,a rather burly female,had ditched her husband and had been,‘ahem’ knocked up by a driver,if I remember correctly.This was about 1993/94.The place was a [zb] ,but the food was alright,and the washing facilities left a lot to be desired,but for me personally,it was central to what I was doing at the time.Beer was ok,from what I remember,and at least they had live turns on.
I do recall once buying some pillows at a fairly good rate from another driver,who’s company shall reamin nameless,and they lasted for quite a long time,as they were foam.
But it got to a point where I stopped going there,and instead used JJ’s on the docks at Liverpool,which despite being in Liverpool,and it’s reputation,was actually quite good,with security at night.
They had a ‘live turn’ on last Tuesday,I think it’s a regular Tuesday night thing.Of course I didn’t see the exotic dancer in question,ahem! I was tucked up with a glass of Cabernet-Syrah and watching telly.
No honest!
JJ’s,I remember that,is it still there?
As I mostly deliver to Jaguar,Halewood when I’m in that area I normally go over to Lymm,but I was reloading in Rainford the next day so tried Widnes.
Never again,no matter how exotic they are!
Mind you,it must have been warm in there,they took all their clothes off!!
I didn’t know where to look.(first)
Ah! hang on,I just said I was tucked up in bed.
Rumbled
Does anyone remember when that woman was murdered there ? I think in 93.
There was a fotofit of a guy wanted and it matched exactly a guy we all knew who went there twice a week but no body accepted it because he was a big guy.
Yeah, I too use Widnes quite regularly as I have done for quite a few years. It is a dump but I’ve got used to it especially when you’ve spent most of the afternoon/evening at Seaforth trying to persuade them to let you have one of their valuable boxes at their great expense/favour.
If anyone knows of a good truckstop in the Liverpool area excluding m/way services, I’d be glad to hear of it.
Pat Hasler:
Does anyone remember when that woman was murdered there ? I think in 93.
There was a fototit of a guy wanted and it matched exactly a guy we all knew who went there twice a week but no body accepted it because he was a big guy.
No names mentioned
I was working for a company in West London (had a depot in Bradford too) then, Pat, that drove green ERF’s … one of our boys was pulled in for the weekend by the local plod as his name was mentioned as someone that ‘spent an awful lot of time there’
