Latest news with #Roadchef
Spectator
05-08-2025
- Automotive
- Spectator
Why truck stop cafés trump motorway service stations
There's something about motorway service stations that seems to encourage the very worst in human behaviour. They're places where no doubt usually responsible members of society have long decided that it's permissible to drop semi-industrial amounts of litter on to the verges, urinate all over the toilet floor and belch with impunity while queuing up for a Whopper at Burger King. For me, it was the full-to-the-brim child's nappy that someone had left on a chair in the revolting 'sit down café' at a services near Preston that made me decide that I would never set foot in a Welcome Break, Moto or Roadchef ever again. I'm lucky; I have a bladder that can tolerate journeys of four or five hours by car. My fiancée, however, is not equipped with such sturdiness. So, over the past few years, we've been seeking out alternative forms of respite from the road. Truck stops are, I always assumed, not the kind of establishment in which a journalist and an intensive care nurse on their holidays would be welcome. Perhaps like many people not involved in the heavy transportation industry, I assumed these were malodorous, members-only places where entry would strictly be restricted to men of a certain age who were covered in axle grease and wearing grimy hi-vis jackets with trousers that comfortably showed at least two-thirds of their backside at any given time. My pompous snobbery was duly kicked into touch when we stumbled across Skelmersdale truck stop café. The first thing to tell you about truck stops is that they are not hard to find, presuming you have a smartphone. Nearly always independently owned and typically situated in an industrial estate around ten minutes' drive from the motorway itself, the locations are frequently aesthetically unedifying. So far, so absolutely predictable, you might say. But what surprised us was the welcome that a couple in a 2014 Ford Focus attracted when pulling into these places. Firstly, there is always parking for cars, as well as articulated lorries. And secondly, there's absolutely no grumpy official telling you that the place is for Eddie Stobart employees only. Inside the café itself; well, the décor is not going to be to the tastes of Philippe Starck. But, then again, neither would the interior of a Welcome Break. Be in no doubt, truck stop cafés are greasy spoons of the type that you seldom see on high streets any more. There will be Formica. There will be a TV showing (silently) football highlights from Bosnia or Colombia. There will be several red-top newspapers discarded across the tables. But there will also be an invariably cheerful woman ready to take your order at the counter for a made-from-scratch cooked breakfast of outstanding quality, and at a price that wouldn't get you a Rustlers microwave burger at a petrol station. Last summer, my Skelmersdale trucker breakfast of two bacon rashers, two sausages, fried egg, black pudding, beans, mushrooms and two slices of toast cost £4. I didn't need to eat again for 12 hours. The typical truck stop café (and there are dozens and dozens of them around the UK) doesn't limit itself to fry-ups, either. Since then I've eaten cottage pies, Cajun wraps, chicken curry, asparagus soup and carrot cake. You'll seldom find a main course that costs more than a fiver and the tea usually comes in mugs that could comfortably hold a tenner's worth of 1p pieces. It's worth remembering the first table-service restaurant in the world was set up to cater for road users. Boulanger's, located near the present day Rue de Louvre in Paris, opened in 1765 to offer 'restoratives' to travellers, including meat broths and sheep's foot in white sauce. The truck stops of Britain today are doing little more than replicating the ethos of Boulanger's. The food isn't intended for, or marketed toward, the majority of the general public. It's simple, homemade, exceptionally keenly priced, and best enjoyed while engaging in low-level conversation with your partner about the road ahead and the likelihood of getting good reception for Radio 4 on the car radio once north of Peebles. The only worry I have about truck stops is that they're seldom very busy. No matter how many trucks there are in the vast parking areas, I've never been to a truck stop café that is anything more than 10 per cent full. It's gratifying after myriad experiences waiting in the festival-length queues for the toilets at a Moto. But I suspect that many of these homespun operations would actually welcome a few more diners who aren't behind the wheel of a ten-ton behemoth. Perhaps the truckers are only here to sleep in their bunk behind the wheel or simply use the shower facilities. But what's become clear to me since I began using truck stops is that it's not necessary to complain about the appalling state of our 'mainstream' service stations when there are so many superior alternatives which we car drivers simply don't use. I no longer gripe about the state of a typical Welcome Break. I just make for the Red Lion truck stop near Northampton (which even sells its own range of sweaters, T-shirts and other merchandise), the Bury St Edmunds lorry park (which is unusually well signposted) or the Lesmahagow truck stop in Lanarkshire, which offers superb views of the rolling hills of the Clyde Valley. Of course, you could just pack your own sandwiches, 'hold it in' and not stop at all on a long drive. But there's something about a cooked breakfast on the road that brings out the Jack Kerouac spirit in me. OK, I'm not jumping off goods trains in Colorado in the dead of night while wired on Benzedrine. But I am hungry. And a litre of tea and some fried bread in a truck stop café beautifully evokes the original itinerant elan of longer haul road trips. Truck stops are the places where the loners, the drifters, the riders of the night congregate for warmth and sustenance. And, as I'm now certain, they're eating better than anyone joining the queue at a motorway Costa.
North Wales Live
24-07-2025
- North Wales Live
Third of people planning a road trip this summer in nostalgia boom
One in three people are set to hit the road this summer with a surge in road trips, according to Roadchef. A new study shows a shift back to nostalgia-fuelled travel, with 62% planning to recreate a childhood holiday. When asked about their most cherished childhood memories, family road trips topped the list, above birthdays, school milestones, and even Christmas. For those hitting the road this summer, whether that be on the continent or classic British seaside destinations such as Blackpool or Cornwall, stop offs remain a key part of the road trip experience, and come in the top five triggers of road trip nostalgia. Top triggers of road trip nostalgia include: Taking in the scenery (24%) Songs from the era (18%) In-car games (15%) Backseat conversations (11%) Service station snack stops (10%) The 1970s emerged as the ultimate decade for road trips, with 23% listing the decade as their ultimate soundtrack, beating the 1980s and 1990sr.
Scottish Sun
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Scottish service station near Glasgow named worst in UK
The unpopular location ranked the lowest out of 95 stations nationwide A SCOTTISH service station has been named the worst in the UK in a new study of nearly a hundred locations. The report by car buying firm webuyanycar named Bothwell services the UK's worst - ranking the lowest out of 95 stations nationwide. 1 Bothwell services only scored 4.8 out of 100. Hamilton services failed to do much better being ranked sixth worst across the UK. Bothwell services only scored 4.8 out of 100, the lowest of all 95 of those included in the analysis. The Roadchef near Glasgow has an average Google review score of just 3.6 stars out of five, struggling with customer satisfaction. Disappointed visitors mentioned overpriced options and lukewarm tea in their reviews. The service station also only had five different amenities, food and retail choices. On the other end of the spectrum, Strensham Services came out as the UK's number one service station - with a score of 80.6 out of 100. The Worcestershire Roadchef offers popular options like McDonald's, LEON and Costa, all contributing to the experience of passersby. Whilst Moto Rugby has the highest Google review score, the location has limited options available, which impacted its performance in the rankings. Head of technical services at webuyanycar, Richard Evans, said: 'While some variation in the quality of service stations is to be expected, the findings do show an inconsistency in UK service stations. "For people who travel long distances, it's important to have service stations with good facilities available to them. Warning over petrol station mistake which can cost £1,000s "Taking regular breaks on long journeys is crucial for safety and well-being purposes, helping to prevent fatigue and keep drivers focused. "Central to this safety approach is having the appropriate rest points where drivers actually want to stop and take a break.'
The Sun
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
10 best service stations across Britain revealed with cheapest fuel & great food options – is there one near you?
A GROUP of experts have revealed the UK's highest rated service stations - loved for their choice of food, value fuel and charging points. Whether it's commuting to work or you've set out on a road trip, millions of drivers make regular stops during their journeys each day - meaning service station essentials are as important as ever. 4 4 4 4 New analysis from car buying service WeBuyAnyCar has looked at 95 service stations nationwide, awarding each a score out of 100 based on the number of food options, facilities, charging points and Google review ratings. By using these ratings, they were able to create a ranking of the best motorway stops - known as the Dream Service Station report. Their data found that Worcestershire's Strensham Roadchef is the best-rated service station in the UK, scoring an impressive 80.6 out of 100. Located between Worcester and Tewkesbury on the M5 Southbound, between junctions 7 and 8, it features a 24/7 McDonald's as well as a Costa Coffee, LEON, Coco Di Mama, Chozen Noodle, Fresh Food Cafe, SPAR and a WHSmith. Naturally, it also offers two hours free parking and EV charging. Indeed, it is the only service station to achieve a score of above 80 - closely followed by Leigh Delamere (79.4) and Reading (74.5). Leigh Delamere, located on the M4 near Chippenham, boasts all the favourites, including Burger King, Chow, Costa Coffee, Greggs and KFC. Third-place Reading, meanwhile, once boasted a 100% satisfaction score for the Westbound services and 96% for the Eastbound building, according to Transport Focus. Of the top 10, three of the services can be found on the M1 motorway; Toddington, Woodall and Newport Pagnell. It's worth noting that Moto Rugby, located on the M6, Junction 1, has the highest rating in terms of Google review score. However, the location has limited options available, which sadly impacted its performance in the rankings. At the other end of the table, Bothwell Motorway Services, found just outside Glasgow, was the lowest ranked service station in the UK, scoring only 4.8 out of 100. According to WeBuyAnyCar's findings, people spend an average of 16.5 minutes in a service station when they visit. They also found that, curiously, Marks & Spencer is the nation's preferred service station chain, followed by Greggs. Richard Evans, head of technical services at WeBuyAnyCar, said: 'While some variation in the quality of service stations is to be expected, the findings do show an inconsistency in UK service stations. 'For people who travel long distances, it's important to have service stations with good facilities available to them. 'Taking regular breaks on long journeys is crucial for safety and well-being purposes, helping to prevent fatigue and keep drivers focused. 'Central to this safety approach is having the appropriate rest points where drivers actually want to stop and take a break.' Britain's 10 best service stations Source: WeBuyAnyCar Strensham, Worcestershire: M5 motorway, between junctions 7 and 8. Leigh Delamere, Wiltshire: M4 motorway, between junctions 17 and 18. Reading, Berkshire: M4 motorway, between junctions 11 and 12. Toddington, Bedfordshire: M1 motorway, between junctions 11A and 12. Cobham, Surrey: M25 motorway, between junctions 9 and 10. Woodall, South Yorkshire: M1 motorway, between junctions 30 and 31. Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire: M1 motorway, between junctions 14 and 15. Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire: M40 motorway, at junction 2. Hilton Park, Staffordshire: M6 motorway, between junctions 10A and 11. Cherwell Valley, Oxfordshire: M40 motorway, at junction 10.
BBC News
15-03-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
New safety features worth £250k installed at M1 service stations
Safety measures worth £250,000 have been installed at two service stations on the Gap and Northampton Services, both in Northamptonshire, now have advanced automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems, more CCTV cameras and better work has been funded by the county's police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC).Roadchef, which owns the two sites, said the improvements would create "safer, more secure environments for drivers". Watford Gap Services opened in 1959 and became a meeting place for musicians in the 1960s, including The Beatles and Jimi 50th anniversary of the site inspired a musical in Services, formerly known as Rothersthorpe, was originally due to be the UK's first service station, but did not open until 1979. A Crimestoppers campaign has been launched to publicise information via leaflets and display boards on how to secure vehicles and prevent them being targeted by PFCC's office applied for the funding from the government's Safer Streets scheme. Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone said: "This will make the venues more secure and help to deter criminal behaviour."This will then free up our police officers to spend more time being visible and accessible in their local communities."Darrell Wade, from Roadchef, said: "These upgrades are vital in creating safer, more secure environments for drivers." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
