Best Service Station?

[lakedistrictclaret]

I rate service stations by
1. The areas of grass where you can exercise your dog
2. Less importantly, food

At Tebay there is lots of grass, and southbound there is even a lake for them to swim in. I may be mistaken, but I don't think Hilton Park has any grassy areas.

I once ordered breakfast at Hilton Park. The two sausages looked very burnt on the outside but I thought never mind, the insides might be ok.
There weren't any insides. Those sausages were hollow! I took the breakfast back and to be fair they gave me a full refund.

[Top Claret]

I quite like the one off the M/A40 in West London, they have a decent food court with plenty of choice.

I think the last one I visited was Birch Hill on Xmas day 2019

[superdimitri]

I feel like I've somehow drifted from up the clarets into an Alan Partridge episode.

[Wokingclaret]

Hartshead moor services on the M62, we even made a couple of bad signings there.

Leicester Forest M1 was always a fave of mine

[IanMcL]

Another vote here for Gloucester. I regularly travel down to Plymouth and I aways try to call off.

Gloucester is the south's Tebay!

Tebay still in a different league.

[Claretitus]

TBH, it depends what you want. I’m on the road all day every day and trust me, I’ve been in all of em. If you just want the loo and a brew, the Moto and Roadchef, or the Extra ones are best as Moto has Greggs, the others McD’s. My reasons for this are they are the cheapest brews, a big deal when you’re using em every day. Someone posted Cobham earlier, not for me as it’s proximity to Chelsea’s training ground and being on the M25 mean that even the coffee is pricier than everywhere else. Keele? It’s ok if you like walking a mile to get to the loo. Northbound is a joke.
The family that own Tebay and Gloucester have a great product, you just need plenty of dollar.
As I said, it’s subjective, depends on your needs. Starbucks coffee is great, but Mac D’s is fine, and much cheaper.

[SouthLondonexile]

Gloucester services is the best by an old spot country mile.
Tebay I would rate second. Having travelled regularly up and down the M6/ M5 to Cornwall from Cumbria I would try to give all the other services a wide berth although Strensham has a cool McDonalds.

[Eyres_11]

M6 toll or Warwick for me.

M6 Toll for me.

[GodIsADeeJay81]

https://twitter.com/sportingintel/statu ... 29925?s=19

Tebay is the best one according to the Guardian.

[Somethingfishy]

Tebay and just off M6 at A5 direction Brownhills 2miles along is the Hollies an all night truck stop open every day except Xmas

The Hollies is a must stop for brekky on the way down south. Much cheaper than a service station and better portions. I think it has a broader clientel these days as word has got round but originally (and still is really) a typical truckers cafe albeit it has been done up considerably over the years.

[jedi_master]

Moto at Wetherby despite being rammed would be up there for me. Great selection of food, modern building.

[Claretitus]

Moto at Wetherby despite being rammed would be up there for me. Great selection of food, modern building.

Agreed, but just give yourself an extra 15 mins. You can never get out of the bloomin place!

[Foshiznik]

I see a lot of people have been sucked in by the marketing of Westmoreland as a small family business. A very gimmick driven services imo.

[Thehistoryteacher]

Killington Lake / Tebay either or

[OscarWaller87]

Favourite service station to stop at on an away day? Got to be Hilton Park for me

[fatboy47]

They're all bloody awful, it's just about different degrees.

[claret2018]

Only correct answer is Tebay

[OscarWaller87]

Only correct answer is Tebay

Possibly the worst possible answer

[Bosscat]

Stafford North (or South) on M6 for me..

Up in Jockland Annandale Water off A74M

[Claretnick]

Gloucester Services Farmshop and Kitchen on the M5

[dougcollins]

Only correct answer is Tebay

It's been a while since we played Carlisle.

[FCBurnley]

Wawa and Busy Bee are outstanding in America. But they are not on the Interstates. All those are garbage just like in the UK

[thelaughingclaret]

Possibly the worst possible answer

If you seriously think Tebay is the worst services then you obviously haven’t been to many services.

[ClaretTony]

If you seriously think Tebay is the worst services then you obviously haven’t been to many services.

This is someone who has Hilton Park as his favourite.

BTW: I've merged it with last year's thread.

[Boss Hogg]

Birch must be in the running for the worst.

The toilets are. Someone asked me there once ( a southerner ) if there was something wrong with the gent’s toilets. I told him they always smelled that badly.

[appleton]

Junction 8 off the M25, great view over Reigate, great catering.

[Burnley1989]

Possibly the worst possible answer

Hence why almost everyone in the UK disagrees with you

[beddie]

Is there such a thing as a “Best Service Station”.

[Cardclaret]

Have a soft spot for Strensham on M5 as it was the stop off for Cardiff going to visit daughter at Cardiff. Always came off there and went scenic route through Ross on Wye, Monmouth and Celtic Manor.

[ClaretTony]

Have a soft spot for Strensham on M5 as it was the stop off for Cardiff going to visit daughter at Cardiff. Always came off there and went scenic route through Ross on Wye, Monmouth and Celtic Manor.

We’ve always gone that way to Cardiff

[IanMcL]

I rate service stations by
1. The areas of grass where you can exercise your dog
2. Less importantly, food

At Tebay there is lots of grass, and southbound there is even a lake for them to swim in. I may be mistaken, but I don't think Hilton Park has any grassy areas.

There is a wee wood Southbound.
I have peed there early hours, while charging my Tesla!
(Too much info!)

[BabylonClaret]

I like Gloucester but Peterborough is a decent shout. Also thought the Lakeside just before Dart crossing was alright too

[Down_Rover]

Never mind Alan Partridge, Bryn on Gavin and Stacey is the expert

[AlargeClaret]

Can people really have “ a favourite service station”? It’s for taking a dump and grabbing a pie/burger ( though not simultaneously) and getting the hell out isn’t it ?

I would note though there’s a services on the way to the lakes , that had fantastic food , though it was somewhat ruined by a bog in a prefab thing littered with turds.

[SouthLondonexile]

A part in Gavin and Stacey had a hilarious discussion about Motorway services along the M4.
For me the best services are Gloucester, provided it is fully staffed and there are not too many Loud Range Rover owners.
I have a soft spot for Taunton Dene, never overpopulated and the McDonalds is great.
The worst has to be Bridgewater with its ridiculous multi-storey car park.

[Volvoclaret]

There is a wee wood Southbound.
I have peed there early hours, while charging my Tesla!
(Too much info!)

Is charging my Tesla the new name for dogging Ian ?

[BobSykes]

Gloucester would be good if it wasn't for the painfully slow service in the cafe and general queues. Victim of its own success and being a destination in its own right. We nearly went in last summer en route to the west country but I could see the traffic queuing at the end of the slip road so we carried on. They seem to employ, how can I put this politely, staff who might not get customer facing retail posts in a busy city centre grab and go type offering, and they are lovely, but not in a service station when folk are generally wanting a quick stop off and some grub or a coffee.

So when heading that way we generally break at Strensham now given its now by far the least bad of all the other dire stop offs on the M5. And I'm old enough to remember what that one was like in the 80s as a kid before they rebuilt it. Literally a truck stop cafe, smelly loos in a shed I recall and garage on the side of the motorway. I think my dad used to pull in there to genuinely scare us.

[BobSykes]

I once stopped at Bridgwater when an oil warning light suddenly flashed up and i couldn't believe how laughably bad the place is. I keep meaning to pop in again some time just to marvel at its awfulness and crap design before they one day improve it.

[SalisburyClaret]

Best Services overall - Tebay
Best Services to be approached by someone offering you something dodgy - any on the M6 between Birmingham and Manchester
Best in the South- Strensham or Gloucester

[jedi_master]

I will throw one out there which I recently visited that I think tops Tebay:

Rheged.

This bizarre services is found within the Lake District also, however, it is far MORE than a services. It has a cinema, it has multiple bizarre shops selling childrens toys, outdoor clothing and christmas decorations. It has a hugely overpriced, but impressive delicatessen. It has a very nice cafe as well as a coffee shop. This is far more than a simple stopping place for fuel - it is...an experience.

Get yourself to Rheged and help me make this thread henceforth a futile question.

[Billyblah]

Only been open a year or so, Skelton Lake east of Leeds the M1.

Is Skelton Lake the one with huge signs advertising McDonald's......but no McDonald's?!!!
I think the burger bar...(sorry....restaurant) was intended to be located upstairs on the first floor, but for whatever reason, it's not quite happened.

[IanMcL]

Is charging my Tesla the new name for dogging Ian ?

[TheFamilyCat]

Is Skelton Lake the one with huge signs advertising McDonald's......but no McDonald's?!!!
I think the burger bar...(sorry....restaurant) was intended to be located upstairs on the first floor, but for whatever reason, it's not quite happened.

The logo for Extra looks a bit like McDonald's.

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[TheFamilyCat]

I will throw one out there which I recently visited that I think tops Tebay:

Rheged.

This bizarre services is found within the Lake District also, however, it is far MORE than a services. It has a cinema, it has multiple bizarre shops selling childrens toys, outdoor clothing and christmas decorations. It has a hugely overpriced, but impressive delicatessen. It has a very nice cafe as well as a coffee shop. This is far more than a simple stopping place for fuel - it is...an experience.

Get yourself to Rheged and help me make this thread henceforth a futile question.

Think this should be on the "best place that isn't a service station" thread.

[dougcollins]

Have a soft spot for Strensham on M5 as it was the stop off for Cardiff going to visit daughter at Cardiff. Always came off there and went scenic route through Ross on Wye, Monmouth and Celtic Manor.

Last time I was there some pensioners wanted me to sign this document to become a 'Friend of Strensham'. I was only there for a p1ss.

[Hendrickxz]

The butty van padiham byepass utc

You're lucky if you find it open!

[JoeAM89]

Stafford North is known as "the beautiful lake" in my house .....decent Costa,where they used to have the newspapers to read, and a Greggs

I do enjoy that lake!

[jedi_master]

Think this should be on the "best place that isn't a service station" thread.

100% a service station!