Metropol

Pete wrote: ↑Sun 05 Mar, 2023 19.34 Nandos and Pizza Express seem unusual choices for motorway services as you need to wait for your food. All the other outlets are instant serve.

Sounds like they didn’t build it just for motorway travellers according to that same website:

“Although Leeds Skelton Lake calls itself a service station, the documentation made it clear that it intended to attract customers from a new housing estate being built opposite. Until 2013 this wouldn't have been allowed, but changes to the planning laws do now allow service stations to do several jobs at once.”

We've used Nando's at several of the services, especially after being on a site all day and knowing there's a 4 hour drive to go to get back home, it's quite nice to be able to sit down in the warm and be served a proper meal as opposed to sitting on a cold, draughty table with a KFC that's taken 20 minutes of queueing and waiting to collect. Sure, a lot of the time, we just want to stop, grab something quick and get on, but having that option for a comfortable break when you want it is quite nice.

WillPS wrote: ↑Sun 05 Mar, 2023 13.19 The Good Breakfast is the brand Welcome Break use to serve breakfast from Harry Ramsdens kitchens and counters - according to the wonderful Motorway Services Online it seems all the Welcome Break Harry Ramsdens closed at the end of August, not long after I visited Leeds Skelton. Bit weird to just serve fried breakfasts out of a fish and chip counter, but it seems that's what they're doing.

One Welcome Break I went to last year was The Good Breakfast in the morning, then turned into a Chopstix the rest of the day.

Big fan of Cullompton having visited many times driving home from Kernow.

Favourite is Leigh Delamere.

The Extra on the southern leg of the M25 is also awesome and I visited it twice when we did a roadtrip to Sweden.

Alexia wrote: Favourite is Leigh Delamere.

The nice thing about Leigh Delamere is that, if you know the local lanes, you don't need to drive on the motorway to visit; you can get in the back gate.

Is this the case with other services, I wonder? Over to people who live close by.

Nick Harvey wrote: ↑Sat 11 Mar, 2023 12.52

Alexia wrote: Favourite is Leigh Delamere.

The nice thing about Leigh Delamere is that, if you know the local lanes, you don't need to drive on the motorway to visit; you can get in the back gate.

Is this the case with other services, I wonder? Over to people who live close by.

Yeah most of them have a back/unofficial gate. They are often protected by a barrier now to stop them being used as unofficial junctions. Others just have a no entry sign at both sides (which those 'in the know' ignore).

WillPS wrote: ↑Sat 11 Mar, 2023 17.50 Yeah most of them have a back/unofficial gate. They are often protected by a barrier now to stop them being used as unofficial junctions. Others just have a no entry sign at both sides (which those 'in the know' ignore).

Strensham Southbound is accessible from the local roads and the barrier has been broken for years.

Neil wrote: ↑Sat 11 Mar, 2023 21.57

WillPS wrote: ↑Sat 11 Mar, 2023 17.50 Yeah most of them have a back/unofficial gate. They are often protected by a barrier now to stop them being used as unofficial junctions. Others just have a no entry sign at both sides (which those 'in the know' ignore).

Strensham Southbound is accessible from the local roads and the barrier has been broken for years.

Yes, don't doubt it. My sat nav (on one of its final outings before I finally moved to using Google Maps) actually took me through one to avoid a jam on the M1. That one had an electric barrier which was seemingly permanently in the raised position - might have been Northampton services.

Tebay North is on the local road network to allow access to its hotel.

Pete wrote: ↑Sun 05 Mar, 2023 19.34 Nandos and Pizza Express seem unusual choices for motorway services as you need to wait for your food. All the other outlets are instant serve.

It does encourage you to sit down and take a break from driving for about an hour tops though, so could be a good thing?