If she’ s the one I’m thinking of I would rather go 5 rounds with Mike Tyson that one with her!!! 
The moss cafe on the A74 ,only stopped there once in the early 80s,nothing like a cold water wash in december to wake you up, did it get any better 
best thing about the moss cafe was it was open all night the women (battleaxes) behind the counter frightened me to death though
the old cafe at markham moor was much the same they gave you a number with your order then bellowed the said no. which could be heard at newark, but pity the guy who failed to respond. i remember decent food but spoiled by very limited parking.
Tarmac duck:
best thing about the moss cafe was it was open all night the women (battleaxes) behind the counter frightened me to death though
That and they always had a good fire going in the winter, handy if you had a Gardner engine
The Cafe on the Little Chef site was called the Clock it used to be one of the better ones
3300John:
Chris Webb:
sammyopisite:
Carr Mill on the east lancs road was as bad as Watling Street I remember one of our drivers at Pickfords went in there for his dinner and when he came out his chains off his load had disappeared lol . the Quernhow N/B used to be one of the best on the road from the 60s to the 90s you always had a job getting on the one at Scotch corner when the roundabout was there was also a load of crapYou are right there Johnnie,Carr Mill was a dump,nearly as bad as Airport on A38 before Y-pass and Burton turn-off…Quernhow was really good in the 70s,sounds like it’s gone downhill,why do these places go like that.
Went in that one at Scotch Corner once and that was enough,so only other times I went in was to pay for parking when on long-distance dodgys
The cafe at Scotch corner is that where Little chef was .While we are up that way what about that pig sty top side of Scotch corner go Right just as the
motorway starts Can’ot remember the name but perhaps would refuse to say it if i could.That place really went down hill in the 90s.
John
I’m surprised that the old ‘Greasy Spoon’ in Dover Eastern Docks hasn’t been mentioned yet
Who remembers ■■■ Ash Lil who worked in there?
(She’s the one who dropped ■■■ ash on your food as she did the clearing of the tables.)
What I can’t decide is whether the ■■■ ash in the food made it better or worse!!
My other nomination isn’t strictly on-topic because the ‘cafe’ was on a boat, but another contender could be any of those smelly old French road/rail tubs that sailed out of Dover Western Docks. (I’m thinking of the ones that you could only get on by reversing.)
moss cafe. was that the one at the s/b end of the 74 . also with a phone box outside with the std code for rockliffe iirc… pre mobile days…
m.a.n rules:
moss cafe. was that the one at the s/b end of the 74 . also with a phone box outside with the std code for rockliffe iirc… pre mobile days…
Yes that was the one, there is a BP filling station there now.
Top or rather Bottom Three in any order you like.
Queer Now Cafe A1
Ross Cattle Market
Swindon Truckstop
[zb] dangerous health hazards the lot of them
So sue me!!!
Wheel Nut:
Top or rather Bottom Three in any order you like.Queer Now Cafe A1
Ross Cattle Market
Swindon Truckstop
[zb] dangerous health hazards the lot of them
So sue me!!!
i must 100% agree with ross cattle market,unless its changed hands recently,absolutely disgusting
a food critic writing about cafes in a magazine wrote about the moss cafe " sadly this fine eatery no longer exists " lol think he was taking the ****
The worst in my book was the one in Stratford LIFT, totally minging.
Swindon & Avonmouth ‘truckstops’ too, belligerent staff serving slops on greasy sticky tables.
Speaking of belligerent staff, Wheel Nut, have to agree on the french boats too, not just Western Docks, all of them were crap, did you ever try an omlette?
Was in Avonmouth Truckstop a couple of months ago,it seems to have improved,the staff were helpful and the grub was good. Last time I was at Swindon Truckstop that was still crap.
dafdave:
Bewick:
Dave the Renegade:
There was an old boy had a snack van about six years ago, on the A477 just past Neyland in Pembrokeshire,I stopped there for a bacon sandwich and a mug of tea,he was moaning how poor his trade was,he made the tea,got the teabag out,then squeezed it with his finger and thumb into the mug,he was coughing and sneezing the whole time I was there.That was the first and last time I stopped there.Hi Dave the Watling Street cafe at Markyate took some beating in the 60/70s as the worst !! Its only redeeming feature was you could get a call anytime so if you needed a Flyer thats where we stopped otherwise we stayed at the Three Sisters up the A5 a bit ( Six ■■■■ as it was called ) which was a good Digs. The Ranch up in Markyate was also a close contender with Watling Street .I remember when colour T.V. came out in '69 Watling ST. got one and had it fitted high up the wall and remember these tele’s were bloody heavy but within a couple of days or so it got nicked !! nobody saw anything but you would have needed a fork truck or 6 blokes to get it down and I’m not joking!! (there is no truth in the rumour that I am still watching it in my lounge !!) cheers Dennis
Aye dennis the three sisters was a good dig and the first to close,i reckon they got an offer they couldnt refuse off the owners of the motel that got built were it used to be.Watling st as you say runs a close 2nd to the ranch,but what got me was the cloggies up and down the coridors at 4am if you wasn,t on an early start.The good old days eh?
regads dave.
Hi Dave The cloggies you are on about were all the Drivers from Lancashire probably led by Hughie Miller from Leyland !! He was a character ,Watling St. Cafe was his second home !! Cheers Bewick.
I remember the old Rainton services on the A1 southbound near Dishforth, I think it was called the Windmill.
Called in there one day during the 70s for an afternoon cuppa with a friend, as we chatted a very disgruntled woman from the kitchens came out with a trolley to clear the dirty pots away. My pal had his back to her and was enjoying a ■■■, but while he chatted to me he was absent mindedly flicking his ash on the floor and I could see this woman giving him the evils. She placed her trolley along side the first table and just swept all the pots and plates onto the trolley with one sweep of her arm which gave off a resounding clatter and crash! As my pal turned round to see what the noise was she grabbed hold of an ash tray and slammed it down on our table and told him “put your xxffing ash in 'ere and not on my xxffing floor”
I wanted to burst out laughing but dare’nt and he just looked at her in amazement, after she had gone he said to “what 's up with her?”
That cafes long gone now of course but I think that today she would have been recomended for “anger management” training!
regards doublereduction.
What about that dump in the so called Cirencester lorry park ( the cafe and the lorry park ) what ever you have tastes the same----------------------- of whatever fat they use--------------and lot’s of it!!! 
altitude:
What about that dump in the so called Cirencester lorry park ( the cafe and the lorry park ) what ever you have tastes the same----------------------- of whatever fat they use--------------and lot’s of it!!!
Good old Greasy Joe’s,John how could you.
Cheers Dave.
There was one in Gloucester near the river IIRC called the West End or something similar,digs as well.Cubicles with sacking up to the bloody windows.1967 ish I stopped there for one night and never again,more comfort in my Reiver,what a dump One of the “staff” cut her finger when making up bread and marg,licked her finger and carried on,no plaster,blood on yer bread 
Chris Webb:
There was one in Gloucester near the river IIRC called the West End or something similar,digs as well.Cubicles with sacking up to the bloody windows.1967 ish I stopped there for one night and never again,more comfort in my Reiver,what a dump
Bloody hell Chris that brings back some happy memories.Five shillings for a bed in 1960.What a dirty cold hole.And the smell from the soap factory next door! Dirty plates.Smelly staff.And thats only the good points! Regards Charlie