Watford Gap Services

[BOBBATH 467]

There was an article in a British paper about Watford Gap services being demolished. They mentioned it was a poular stopping point for musicians. I would add also for many Speedway Riders and fans. Anybody have happy memories of  this place??

[chunky 6,094]

1 hour ago, BOBBATH said:

There was an article in a British paper about Watford Gap services being demolished. They mentioned it was a poular stopping point for musicians. I would add also for many Speedway Riders and fans. Anybody have happy memories of  this place??

I remember we got stuck there one night, coming back from Belle Vue. There was a loud knocking sound coming from the floor of the coach, and nobody could find out what it was. The driver didn't want to take any chances, so we spent several hours, waiting for a replacement coach.

We discovered what it was the next day...

Someone has nicked a metal road sign for a lark. Not thinking, they stuck it face down under one of the seats. It was dark, and the back was the same colour as the floor. When we hit bumps in the road, the bloody thing would knock against the frame of the seat ..

[norbold 7,116]

Yes, 1965. I was on the West Ham supporters' coach coming back from Cradley Heath after we had just beaten them to win the league and do the treble. We stopped off at Watford Gap and met up with Ken McKinlay and some of the boys.

[Halifaxtiger 5,318]

I was on a speedway tour once and needed to answer a call of nature (the sit down kind) and stopped at Watford Gap. 

Sat down and getting on with it, a mobile phone rang and I realised it was in the trap next to me. 

The call was answered and :

'Yes, I am on my way'.

'About an hour or so'

'Watford Gap'

'Having a sh@t'

'What do you mean again?'

'I am not always on the bog, so f@@k off'. 

I remember trying desperately to control myself.............

Edited November 5, 2023 by Halifaxtiger

[BL65 657]

11 hours ago, norbold said:

Yes, 1965. I was on the West Ham supporters' coach coming back from Cradley Heath after we had just beaten them to win the league and do the treble. We stopped off at Watford Gap and met up with Ken McKinlay and some of the boys.

Did you also go to Cradley Heath two months earlier for the original scheduled league fixture?  The referee and team managers agreed that the track was unfit for a league match but was fine to race a challenge match instead.  Tons of sawdust were used.  Speedway has always been crazy!  One rider, John Hart, refused to ride and was replaced by George Major, returning from injury.  Sverre Harrfeldt's winning time in the scratch race final was 11.6 seconds slower than the track record. West Ham won the challenge and the league match by the same score, 47-31. In the league encounter, Cradley took the first heat with a 5-1 against McKinlay and Trott and still led after four races.  If by some miracle the Hammers had lost the restaged match they would not have been champions.  Hammers' riders won all of the last nine heats though.

[norbold 7,116]

30 minutes ago, BL65 said:

Did you also go to Cradley Heath two months earlier for the original scheduled league fixture?  The referee and team managers agreed that the track was unfit for a league match but was fine to race a challenge match instead.  Tons of sawdust were used.  Speedway has always been crazy!  One rider, John Hart, refused to ride and was replaced by George Major, returning from injury.  Sverre Harrfeldt's winning time in the scratch race final was 11.6 seconds slower than the track record. West Ham won the challenge and the league match by the same score, 47-31. In the league encounter, Cradley took the first heat with a 5-1 against McKinlay and Trott and still led after four races.  If by some miracle the Hammers had lost the restaged match they would not have been champions.  Hammers' riders won all of the last nine heats though.

No, that was the only time I ever went to Cradley. I was actually at college in Norwich at the time and, because of the importance of the match, I thought I really had to get there. I managed to persuade two fellow students to come with me so we hired a car and drove over. Inside the stadium, we joined the group of West Ham supporters who had made the journey.

After the match, as you can imagine, there was much celebration going on amongst us Hammers fans and I really wanted to go back on the coach with them to London to continue the celebrations, so I did. When we reached West Ham in the small hours, my friend and I walked back to his house in Hackney, stopping in a launderette on the way for an hour's kip! I got the train back to Norwich the next day. Meanwhile, my two college chums had slept the night in the car and drove back to Norwich the next day.

Sorry, not much to do with speedway as such, but a small slice of life of an ardent speedway fan in the 1960s.

[BL65 657]

38 minutes ago, norbold said:

When we reached West Ham in the small hours, my friend and I walked back to his house in Hackney, stopping in a launderette on the way for an hour's kip!

Presumably you stopped in a launderette because you were feeling 'washed out'

[Lefty 1,268]

Following Wolves away in the late 60's, we considered Watford Gap area as halfway home from the London tracks. This was due to the M6 not being completed to link with the M1. So return journey iwas A45 past Brandon, Sutton area, Walsall then Wolves! Very tiring!

Early 70's saw M6 open all the way. Early years were great. It was as if road cones and speed camera's hadn't been invented. It could be done in just under the hour from Watford Gap. 

Nowadays the M6 reminds me of 'Happy Hour' on the LA Freeway, take a newspaper with you to read or a musical instrument to play!

As a footnote to the youngsters,  in the early days late at night  the car radio was limited to either Radio Luxembourg or American Forces. So it created a love for Baseball commentaries & Elvis.

Back to the services. It was a good stopping place to chat to the riders and have an inquest as to why we lost! The bike on the rack at the back of the car was always easy to spot! Often the riders would speed past us going up the M1 and minutes later the Police Jaguar would try and catch them up!

Happy  Days 

[midlandred 206]

Somewhere else that’s closed is Jack’s Hill Cafe on the A5 to the north of Towcester.  This was a regular stop for supporters’ coaches returning north from the big meetings at Wembley, also in the London area such as British Finals, FIM Internationale, etc.

[Richspeedway 327]

9 hours ago, midlandred said:

Somewhere else that’s closed is Jack’s Hill Cafe on the A5 to the north of Towcester.  This was a regular stop for supporters’ coaches returning north from the big meetings at Wembley, also in the London area such as British Finals, FIM Internationale, etc.

I noticed that was shut and fencing round it last year on my way to Silverstone. Shame to see the place closed as always looked busy and always loads of bikers outside when I used to go past.