Child friendly stops m4 and beyond - london to tenby

[reynoldsnumber]

Hi there

I'm going to drive to Tenby from London next week with my two kids (age 2 and 4).

I reckon we'll need to stop every 1.5 hours or so and wondered if anyone can recommend good places to stop off the m4, or once we get into Wales?

Really grateful for any ideas.

The McArthur Glen Outlet at Bridgend has a decent playground (in the far diagonal corner from the car park) and places to eat and shopping. It's where we stopped when we made a similar journey.

Hi there. There is an 'off the motorway' directory that lists places within a mile or two of any given motorway junction but the site seems to be having issues. There is this alternative in the telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/11029002/Motorway-service-stations-Great-alternative-places-to-eat.html. So many nice pubs etc within moments of the motorway that are much more pleasant than services!

There are loads of service stations once you get into Wales -much more frequent than in the English stretch - but they tend to be small with not many facilities for kids apart from one of those rides you put money in to.

Newbury has a great but slightly hidden playground out the back -just walk in a straight line through the building, coffee place (Costa?) on your right and out thru what looks like a firebdoor. My kids love it.

Membury & Leigh Delamere are both big and fine. In LD, if you go past the toilets and out the building thru the long vehicle parking, there's a nice strip of grass with trees where you can run races (not far - visible from building)

Pont Abraham, where the M4 runs out, although small has some good steps & a steep grassy bank that might amuse toddlers.

Maybe I could have the M4 as my special subject on Mastermind.

When we drive from Wales towards London, we always stop at this pub for lunch: www.ploughbadbury.co.uk/

It's just off the M4. The food is lovely and there's a nice garden with a big slide for the kids to play on. The only problem we had was when DD was a baby in nappies - they only had a free-standing, fold up changing table and nobody working in the pub could figure out how to unfold it, and neither could we. I changed her on a mat on the floor of the ladies in the end. But that was years ago, so they might have got that bit sorted now.

That'll be a real ball ache of a journey if you have to stop every 90 minutes.
Is there a reason they won't tolerate longer?

Thanks all. Great tips.

mozzchops we haven't had the car that long so we haven't tried longer than that in one go yet. And I'll be on my own.

But I take your point - we want to build up to longer non-stop trips!

I can't remember exactly which ones but check out wyevale garden centres for alternative motorway stops - they have soft play areas and restaurants etc. there's a map on their site somewhere with a list of all stops. We did a Norwich to Bristol trip when dd was 12 weeks and ds nearly three. It took us 8 hours on the way and 10 on the way back!! Stopping often was the killer, as was dd's aversion to the bloody car seat.... Enjoy :)