What's your favourite service station?

[OpenSandwich]

Mine would be Annandale Water, on the M74 near Lockerbie. A lovely spot.

Michaelwood has a nice grassy embankment for the dog to go on, plus it's not the last one before our junction off the M5 (or conversely it's not the first one after we've joined) so stopping there doesn't feel quite as pointless and time-wasting as stopping at Sedgemore does.

It's not the best one though. That's still Hopwood on the M42. I'm stunned it's the least used services, it's always heaving with people when we go. Poor, unappreciated Hopwood.

Another vote for South Mimms here!

With BikeRunSki on 'MichaelWood' services, they're horrid. They smell and they're full of loud, braying people quite a few of whom don't wash.

I like Strensham (northbound) but loathe the southbound one before the M50 turnoff.

Also like M1 Toddington, looking through my receipts I stop there very often.

Are you people all MAD?? Why are you stopping at these places? It's clearly not for petrol.......????

Of course no for petrol. From services? Far too expensive!

Stopping for the loo, M&S and possibly a Costa chicken and bacon toastie for lunch - but not their coffee. Coffee comes from the 'pirate shack' outside. Tea comes from Starbucks.

Don't BUY anything - cant afford it

But they DO offer a superior PicNic area and naice loos

Has the one on the A14 with the Heston Little Chef been mentioned?

Can't conjure up a favourite just now, but I can tell you that Chievely is the shittiest, mankiest, most depressing services I've been to recently. Or ever

Gloucester. Lovely carvery for two with drinks 16.

Family toilets fab and definitely designed by a woman!

You haven't lived until you've been to Gloucester! It's my favourite shop!

Oxford. We have offices in London and B'Ham and anyone going either way always stops there on the way home.

The Tebay one is lovely but not really on the way anywhere we go often. Or ever.

Hopwood is our local. We often PPP in on a Sunday to go to Waitrose.

I'm also quite fond of Boxworth services in Cambridge (near Fenstanton).

I've realised that I actually spend quite a lot of time in quite a few services!

how funny - mine are exactly the same as Rioja Fleet on M3 and Leigh Delaware on M4

opensandwich think you are talking about Forton with the tower. My boyfriend when I was in 6th form lived near it . It's shit.
Wetherby is my fave - Costa and M&S

Wetherby is shit for HGVs though, as the parking bays are far too tight. One car transporter in the wrong place blocks the whole thing.

caulkhead where did you get that information about Hopwood from?

Just to add, Tebay is actually on the M6 in the Lake District, not on the M74 as some earlier posts said. M74 is Scotland.
I travel the UK for work, and it wins by a country mile. Charnock Richard is vile but I nenver knew about the reserve by J31 of M6 - I'll check that out!

Stayed at South Mimms premier inn at the services. Vile place.

Annandale Water? Really? Bog standard bag o crap.

Pease Pottage near Brighton, but only for the name.

I've never been to a bad service station I like them allm This thread is making me want a road trip with a stop!

Hopwood Park is lovely. Clean, Tidy, and hours of entertainment watching people try to find the loos, because they're upstairs.

Aust/Severn View by the old Severn Bridge is like a ghost town, and all the ones west of there are horrific, Cardiff Gate is a cesspit (but there is a Toby Carvery a couple of hundred yards away, cheaper, cleaner and infinitely more civilised)

And I have a soft spot for Trowell and Woolley Edge on the M1, simply for the names.

Yep, got to be Tebay. DH and I nearly missed it by going to the one before it the first time we drove to Scotland but fortunately I needed a wee so we pulled in, then chose to make ourselves late by hanging round waiting for the barbecue shed to open! It's like a gorgeous farm shop.

Meedja

I work at hopwood-I'm going to have "up the escalators and to the left" tattooed on my forehead