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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

WIBU to take DS on trip to motorway service station

193 replies

craftsy · 01/07/2017 13:36

Having a very lazy day after a night of crap sleep with 4yo DS who was very unsettled with nightmares from 2-5am. I have a mound of housework and a bit of shopping to do but am quite tempted to just get in the car, drive 10-15 to services and let DS play in the small soft play area for a bit. And possibly have a junk food lunch.

DS is going a bit stir crazy but it's raining here, so going to a playground or the woods would be a washout. We could go to soft play but they would all be packed and a bit hellish. We'd have to stay for 90 minutes, DS would want me to play with him and I just don't have the energy for it. And the food is dire in all the soft play places I know of. In a service station, DS would play for a while, lunch would at least taste decent, it wouldn't be too noisy. We could leave after an hour and I could do my shopping on the way home and make us a healthy supper to compensate for the Burger King or Subway lunch.

Pros are that DS would actually probably love it and find it a very exciting adventure. While I think I would find it less tiring than soft-play. Cons are that as someone who only very recently has a driving licence, I know me of a year ago would think that going on a day out to a motorway service station is the most bonkers excuse of a trip ever. It's also possible that DS would prefer some other outing and I'm just a bit giddy with my new found power of transportation.

OP posts:

kennycat · 01/07/2017 19:39

Sounds like a cracking idea to me. Other excellent rainy day trips I have done are IKEA, Leekes, Go Outdoors and other furniture shops. I think the staff virtually expect it to be honest.
I love a free trip out me!

I didn't read your whole post so can't recall how old your child is but we have been doing these trips since the children could walk.

Enjoy your service station trip,

starsinyourpies · 01/07/2017 19:41

I take mine to IKEA for an outing on a rainy day too and put in the crèche while I eat meatballs.

MothertotheLordsofmisrule · 01/07/2017 20:22

Ds1

"Waddon Zoo" = Pets at Home.

"Wallington Aquarium" = Fish section of garden centre.

Ds1 & 2
Go to Fleet services, stand on connecting bridge and spend 30 mins jumping the cars as they passed under the bridge.
Or when older pretend it was a game of Frogger.

I may still do this much to their horror

plominoagain · 01/07/2017 20:35

What an inspired idea - you wait , there'll be mn'ers all round the U.K. doing it now . I used to pick DS4 up from nursery and we'd jump on a train , just for him to have his lunch. Then have a bimble round Wilco's , and go home again. He's ten now, and still talks about those days

feellikeanalien · 01/07/2017 20:49

My aunts used to take us for a day out to Prestwick Airport. (way back in the early 70s!). Those were the days when it still had loads of transatlantic flights and a rather posh restaurant.

We would also go out on to the viewing area and watch the planes.

I thought it was really exciting and used to love imagining going to all the places on the departure board. Mind you, these were also the days when you used to have to get dressed up to fly.

Last time I flew from there it was Ryanair as were practically all the flights and the airport was packed and horrible!

Toomanycats99 · 01/07/2017 20:53

Mother. We also visit waddon zoo!

Orlantina · 01/07/2017 20:58

It's quite amazing how you can spend time in a garden shop that has an aquarium attached...

IKEA was a treat. So much to explore.

BlackPeppercorn · 01/07/2017 21:22

My dad used to take us on a Sunday afternoon cruise....on the Woolwich Ferry.
Over on the ferry then back to south London via the Rotherhithe tunnel. As we drove through, his idea of fun was to tell us to watch out for drips from the tunnel roof.
We'd then drive back round the Elephant & Castle roundabout where there was a big silver thing on the central reservation. He used to tell us it was where the men from Mars lived.
This was before seat belt days, so we used to travel in the boot of his Volvo estate, which was a treat in itself.

BikeRunSki · 01/07/2017 21:26

I have visited Woolley Edge services (M1 J38) many times with toddlers/preschoolers. It's 10 mins away. More exitingly though, Ikea, where I'd leave DS at the crèche, go to the cafe with (baby) DD, ho and get DS when he time was up, back to cafe for lunch, possibly some shopping, ice cream machine, playground. Awesome day out for the price of a house plant and a pack of flannels.

toomanypasswords · 01/07/2017 21:37

Pets at Home and garden centres with aquariums etc are great. A few near here also have free / v cheap, soft play in the café! Perfect!

ScissorBow · 01/07/2017 21:39

There's loads of house building going on in my town so when it's raining of an afternoon I take my 2 & 4 year old DDs to whichever building site gives us the best view of heavy machinery that week! My 2 love climbing around the car untethered and watching the diggers and dumpers. We visited my friend last night and there's building literally opposite her house so I've logged that as a future site Kids love random shit toys. Why wouldn't they love random shit outings!?

hippoherostandinghere · 01/07/2017 21:39

I live in NI and we've only just got our 1st proper services on the M1 to Belfast recently. But as a child I took many coach trips over to England with my GB. We'd get the boat to Stranraer and travel by coach down to wherever the event was being held. We always stopped at the same two service stations there and back and I remember the awe the 1st time we went. Id never experienced such fun before! I spent many a fun hour with my friends in those service stations and sleeping on church hall floors. Good times.

CotswoldStrife · 01/07/2017 21:41

I assumed this was going to be about Gloucester Services at first, it is run by the same people as Tebay. But alas no junk food there (but there is some nice cake). I intend to go there over the holidays myself as it has a sculpture from the Henson Trail on it.

DD loves garden centres and was mystified when smaller if one didn't have an aquarium in it. In her mind at that time, the two went together. We used to visit a big local one with a large toy section.

As children we were taken a few times to Manchester airport to watch the planes no chance of actually getting on one and I also used to go down to the Pier Head in Liverpool to watch the boats. Happy Days.

Sparklingbrook · 01/07/2017 21:43

I love Gloucester Services in that it isn't like any other but I find it a bit soulless. The farm shop prices are a bit eyewatering too.

TheHeraldOfAndraste · 01/07/2017 22:15

For the most easily pleased child I offer my DS1(5). For life skills at his SN school they get taken to the supermarket, seemingly every Tuesday. Now if I ask him if he wants to go anywhere special I get the most rapt, wide eyed expression accompanied by the word "Asda".

theluckiest · 01/07/2017 22:25

I would genuinely spend a happy day out at either Tebay or Gloucester services. The patisserie is spectacular.

Ikea is also fabulous for a day out. Although I always end up buying something ludicrous that I hadn't intended to buy like a new bed or a garden furniture set so ultimately, not the cheap day out I anticipated...

Unihorn · 01/07/2017 22:32

Also thought it was going to be about Gloucester Services and came on to say 'yes, absolutely!' I once visited Gloucester Services with friends at 1am for a pork pie...

As kids we would often go to the airport for coffee and to plane watch. We also did the car wash trip too. Glad others enjoy the simple outings too! Hope you had a great time.

Wheresthattomoibabber · 01/07/2017 22:39

Go outdoors tent display. DD still likes it at 13.

Steph999999 · 01/07/2017 22:41

I've heard of local going out to dinner at Gloucester services! I used to get taken to the happy eater as a kid because it had a great outdoor play area.

Hope your service station trip was every bit as magical as Disneyland. Sure your DS loved it.

SteamTrainsRealAleandOpenFires · 01/07/2017 23:24

DS loves going to Trago Mills on a day trip with his DGPs from S. Wales,

BikeRunSki · 01/07/2017 23:31

We used to go round and round the Circle Line. I mean, I grew up in Central London and that's the best we could come up with?

icelolly99 · 02/07/2017 00:20

Gloucester Services is my local service station; we visit for naice cheese and beers 😀 IKEA is also a day out.

TentUpFirstBunkUpLater · 02/07/2017 08:40

@DorotheaBeale

We also sat for hours back and forth on the Woolwich Ferry. Sometimes there were boys and we would get chatting to them

Many a school holiday spent like this

Orlantina · 02/07/2017 08:58

I had a really boring sensible though this morning about this.

op - I hope you don't get fined for staying over 2 hrs.....Or whatever the time is. I got fined once (because I might have used it as a place to sleep in the car on a long journey)

Charlie97 · 02/07/2017 09:06

What a brilliant idea....you've given lots of MNs a great thing to do!

Do it! X

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