Breakfast stops on M5

[Overtherainbow9]

We have a long drive from the north west to the south west coming up. We are thinking of setting off very early, 5am ish and stopping for breakfast somewhere off the M5. I want to avoid service stations really, would prefer to come off the motorway and find somewhere nice for a decent stop as we have a young 4 YO.

Any recommendations from anyone would be appreciated! TIA

About where on the M5 will your preferred breakfast time put you?

Gloucester Services Farmshop is absolutely brilliant, it feels more like a luxury trip out than a service station!

Gloucester services are the best services - think farm shop!

Gloucester services, not your average service station! Very posh and they do a great breakfast

Definitely Gloucester Services. It's not your average service station! We always stop there for breakfast when doing that journey.

Obviously Gloucester Services. It's like Tebay only not as good.
Still head and shoulders above other options though.

Haha came here to say Gloucester services 😂

Me too! Definitely Gloucester services

Gloucester services the obvious choice but if you do want somewhere off the motorway then the Orchard Cafe at Worcester Countryside centre is great, lovely cafe with lots of choice plus a play area and woodland walks if you want a longer stop. 5 mins from J7 M5.

Gloucester services are lovely, with a nice outdoor space. If you can time it to get there, you don’t need to bother coming off.

Mist of the other M5 services are hideous (Strensham’s not bad) .

Do you still want 'off the motorway' suggestions OP, or are you just going to go to Gloucester Services?

Is everyone aware that there's now a third one in Scotland?

cairnlodgeservices.com/

Is a bit tucked away, but also have a nice little wooden play area at Gloucester too

See, I love Gloucester services, but you need to sell a kidney to have breakfast. If I was planning a longer stop in the area, I'd go for Worcester Woods (j7) which has a full playground and loads of space, or Dobbies at J9 which is brand new and though there is no playground, lots of leg stretching in the garden centre and v good value

We actually plan our entire journey from Scotland to Devon and back around stops at Gloucester, Tebay and Westmorland services 😂

The only good thing about my parents being all the way down in Cornwall (I’m Midlands) is stopping at Gloucester services on the way there!

If you are going anywhere at all near this place, I would highly recommend: goo.gl/maps/3gEBFGvHosTuzECq9

It is absolutely outstanding food and the staff are really charming. I'm not associated with them at all, just stopped there once on the way home from SW England.

Worcester woods is lovely, but doesn’t open until 9 and if you leave at 5, that may not work, time wise, depending on how far north you are?
if you are fairly far north, there’s also Webb’s of Wychbold, J5, which has an outdoor play area and riverside gardens and even if chucking it down, you can stretch your legs indoors
Gloucester services may be your best bet, as will have an earlier opening time.

Depends how far up the M6 you're leaving from, Gloucester services may be a long trip, more like brunch than breakfast. With a 4yo you may need an earlier stop, even if it's just for a pee and a grumble.

Brewers Fayre (Elmbury Lodge), just off J9 at Tewkesbury is supposedly open from 6.30am. Obviously you'll want your DC to have breakfast, but there's a play area there, so if you want a bit of switch off time yourselves and to let DC move around, that might work. There are a couple of garden centres off the motorway, one at J13, I think the other J11A or J12, which often do breakfast - again somewhere good to stretch legs before driving again.

We always enjoy a Premier Inn breakfast. There are plenty just off the motorway and kids eat free so would be about £20 for all of you - all you can eat cooked and continental. You don't need to have stayed in the hotel to eat breakfast in the restaurant.

And yes Gloucester services is lovely but hideously expensive for 5 of you. Depends on budget I guess.

If you want off motorway at 5am I can't think of anywhere open except McDonald's drive through at Bristol (junction 17)

If it's after 8am cribbs at junction 17 is a great option as there's supermarkets for petrol, a large variety of food options etc

If it’s the M5 it’s Gloucester down south and Tebay up north isn’t it?

Gloucester services but that might be a bit of stretch if you're looking for something nearer to the north west.