I cruise UKs ‘swinging corridor’ to buy sex toys from old Little Chef cafes
TO the commuters and holidaymakers who use it, the road which links London to Edinburgh looks like any other carriageway.Yet look closer and you’ll fi
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8Store manager Michaela Snell, 48, has been working full-time at Pulse and Cocktails for 19 yearsCredit: Paul TongeBecky buys in bulk and has shopped at the Grantham store for ten years. She and Jon often stop off for supplies when they’re en route to swinging clubs.
She says: “ The first time I called in was when we were driving to a swingers’ club.
“I’ve easily spent thousands in their stores. I buy items to bulk up our collection of toys and outfits for our trips to swingers’ clubs. I love their glow in the dark vibrators, they’re my favourite.
“I’ve had many compliments on my outfits by both men and women we meet.
Inside world’s ‘swinging capital’ where 40-women orgies take over X-rated nightclubs & daring couples enjoy secret sand dune romps on nude beach"And I much prefer handling what I’m going to buy than getting it online - particularly the vibrators as you can kind of test them out in a way and feel how intense they’re going to be.”
She adds: “My go-to toy for a swinging night is a bullet vibrator.
“It’s small, easy to carry and can be used by men or women. It’s really versatile. I’ve had a lot of fun swinging nights using that.”
And Pulse and Cocktails certainly manages to please because business is booming.
Further north, their sister store lies on the A1 near Pontefract in West Yorks, which falls on the 160-mile stretch of road between Leeds and London.
Company director Davy says many couples plan trips up and down the country just to include a stop at one of their stores.
He explains: “For some couples, visiting our A1 stores has become a fun and flirty ritual that sets the tone for a weekend of adventure. It adds a bit of sexy, light-hearted fun to the trip.
“We’ve created a welcoming space in our stores where curiosity is encouraged and there’s no judgement.”
Jon comes to the stores with me - he’s often the one who chooses my lingerie outfits. He loves short and sexy dresses.
Serial swinger BeckyAnd when it comes to adult pleasure, there is no north and south divide either.
Travel further down the country and you’ll find Happy Lovers A1, an independently-owned adult entertainment store. It sits on the A1 in Bedford, remarkably close to Vanilla Alternative, a swingers club which boasts a hot tub and different ‘play areas’ including a dungeon.
Once a ‘Happy Eater’ family diner, Happy Lovers was the first sex store to open its doors on the ‘sex corridor’ over two decades ago.
8Serial swinger Becky has shopped at Pulse and Cocktails in Grantham for ten years and has spent thousands of pounds there sinceCredit: Paul Tonge
8The adult store is packed full of lingerie and sex toysCredit: Paul TongeCoincidentally, Becky once worked at the Little Chef restaurant which later became the Pulse and Cocktails Grantham store and her all-time favourite sex shop.
“I was a server in a horrid uniform for two years at the Little Chef on the A1 when I was 16,” she says.
“I never would have guessed I would be shopping at the same place for sexy underwear decades later.”
Becky and Jon had a monogamous relationship initially, but three years into their 20-year marriage he asked for a threesome instead of a gift at Christmas, and she decided to oblige.
Since then they have become a big part of the swinging community. They visit clubs a couple of times a month and her favourite toy by far is Pulse and Cocktails’ new alien range of dildos which cost around £70 - and even glow in the dark.
For some couples, visiting our A1 stores has become a fun and flirty ritual that sets the tone for a weekend of adventure.
Company director Davy BoothbyBecky, a model and actress who lives with Jon, a photographer, in Derby, and has two grown-up children, says: “Some of the toys I’ve bought from there we’ve used with other couples in clubs who have then gone on to buy them.
“I shop online sometimes but I still like to go into a store if I want to try something on.
“The great thing about the store is that it’s quite discreet and they give people a bit of privacy.
“It isn’t like popping into an Ann Summers store in the city centre where you walk out with a black bag with a pink bunny on it and everyone knows where you’ve been.
“Jon comes to the stores with me - he’s often the one who chooses my lingerie outfits. He loves short and sexy dresses and nice, vibrant colours.”
SEXY LINGERIE
Privacy might just be what some of the customers expect because the shops sell a wide selection of outrageous products.
Shelves are stocked with sex dolls costing almost £1,500 and ‘multi-angled sex machines’ for £475 - not the sort of items you could pick up from your local Ann Summers.
They sell sex toys of every shape and size - a vibrating powerrabbit would set you back £149 - and horny drivers shopping on a budget can pick up their cheapest ‘toy’ for £9.95.
As they walk into the store, customers are greeted by an array of sexy lingerie before they head further into the shop where the sex toys are located.
A full-sized mannequin positioned on her knees and wearing bondage gear sits close to the till.
PLEASURE FROM AFAR
Store manager Michaela Snell, 48, has been working full-time at Pulse and Cocktails for 19 years and says the clientele has changed significantly over the years.
She got the job after seeing an advert in her local paper.
She says: “It used to be a lot of men but now we get couples and women on their own. You really do see a whole range in here - our oldest customer is 89.
“He drives in about once a month and exchanges his DVDs that he watches with his wife. We give him a cuppa and a chair.
“That’s what I love about this job and these stores - there’s always a constant flow of customers but it’s never so busy you can’t talk to them and get to know about what’s going on in their lives.
“We have couples looking to spice up their relationship, single women looking for something for themselves or even people who have medical issues - one man has a prostate problem and our pumps are better than the NHS ones, apparently.
“I really like speaking to people who come for the first time and helping them work out what they want.”
8Lubricants, aphrodisiacs and stockings and hosiery are the best sellersCredit: pulseandcocktails.co.ukNo two days are the same for Michaela.
The shop welcomes about 350 customers a week and she says lubricants, aphrodisiacs and stockings and hosiery are the best sellers.
The most popular toys cost from £45 and are operated via a phone app meaning couples can pleasure each other from afar.
And it comes with the territory that some customers expect much more than just toys or sexy underwear.
Michaela says: “We do often get lorry drivers asking if we provide ’extra’ services. That does happen a couple of times a week.
“I’ve been asked on the very odd occasion if we sell the most bizarre sorts of porn DVDs.
“I just tell everyone as politely as I can that we don’t and off they go.”
People assume the shop is going to be dark and dingy but it’s not - it’s light and airy and nice to be in.
Michaela Michaela says there’s a misconception about what lies behind the Pulse and Cocktails signage and customers are surprised to find that it isn’t ‘seedy’ at all.
She says: “People assume the shop is going to be dark and dingy but it’s not - it’s light and airy and nice to be in.
“It’s really relaxed and people are more relaxed now. The film 50 Shades of Grey came out years ago and really changed the game and it’s still evolving - people are not as embarrassed anymore, they’re much more laid back.”
Davy agrees and believes there’s been a definite shift in British attitudes towards sex too.
He says: “We’re seeing more openness, especially in the younger generations. People are becoming more comfortable talking about sex, pleasure and wellness.
“That’s reflected in what they buy too. There’s more interest in couples’ toys, products for self-care and even items like lubricants and lingerie that were once seen as taboo.”
Whether you’re driving on the A1 for business or pleasure this weekend, this is a road that certainly knows how to please.
8Pulse and Cocktails on the A1 near Pontefract in West Yorkshire is Grantham’s sister storeCredit: ©Andrew McCaren
8Happy Lovers is an independently owned adult shop which is located on the A1, a road which has been dubbed the sex corridor of the UKCredit: �Andrew McCaren
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