Extra at Leeds Skelton Lake is a new motorway services which opened in 2020 on the M1, located just…read moreoff Junction 45, this is motorway services done differently. Inside, it is modern and has a huge selection of brands including Burger King, Leon, KFC, Nando's, Pizza Express and Starbucks, it even has a Sourced Market, it's the only location outside of London as it stands, sadly it wasn't open on my first visit as it was Christmas Day, but the selection normally is incredible, selling fresh, local produce giving publicity to great Yorkshire brands. There is also a Ramada hotel which is also pretty new and looks okay an ideal location if you are looking to hit the road while taking a break from your driving hours for truckers, but the hotel is nice enough to appeal to other markets too. The main seating area is also so welcoming and comfortable, there are TV screens, one was showing football highlights of Leeds United versus Derby County (The game which Leeds won, obviously), and another screen was showing the news. There was a selection of comfortable seating, plug sockets and free wi-fi too. The parking area was huge, you can get three hours of free parking which is ample for a break from driving, or even if you want to spend some time here to relax, get some lunch and walk around the stunning Skelton Lake. There is also plenty of outdoor seating, with another communal area outside while many of the restaurants such as Pizza Express, also have an outdoor area. If you're looking for a shop, they have a SPAR as part of the Texaco garage which also has a coffee machine if you're in a rush, but there is also a Sourced Market inside the main building selling great produce and essentials. Another thing which impressed me wasn't just the selection of brands, comfort or how modern the service station was, from the outside (it looked like a football stadium with solar panels and grass on the roof), but also the friendly staff who didn't let working on Christmas get her down, she still seemed friendly and willing to ensure the customer's experience was a pleasant one, by making sure the experience here was a safe and enjoyable one. The main flaw of the services was that many brands haven't opened back up again yet, but with COVID-19 still a growing issue in the UK and Leeds being in Tier 3, it is understandable as there's no point opening for very little customers, so I can't mark them down for that. It is also a shame it's hard to get in touch with anyone at the service station directly, the only phone number I could find was for the Texaco garage, hotel and sourced market, or for the head office where Extra MSA is based, which is only open at working hours. Overall, this is a service station done differently and done better too. It felt like going on holiday!

We call in at burtonwood services to get picked up and get dropped of for our cruise…read more We have been 4 times and always get there well before so we can relax with coffee and a snack. It is always a good start for our trip and the toilets are excellent before we get on the coach .last time on our way back I left my rucksack near the car park and after ringing the service office a very kind lady from there travelled 45 mins out of her way to bring to me . What a tremendous thing to do .she is a credit to the company and I send my heart felt thanks to her

Burtonwood Services is operated by Welcome Break, it is in the Burtonwood area of Warrington,…read morefairly close to the IKEA. I called in here to spend Christmas Day, due to a dislike for this day where near enough everything is shut, but British law dictates that stores must close on Christmas Day with an exception for motorway service stations, which must provide a basic service. I visited the Eastbound of Burtonwood, there are three outlets here: Starbucks, WHSmith and KFC - Two of those three outlets were open, the only one being closed being KFC, KFC share a small area and seating with the Starbucks, but of course this was closed today, the other part of the Eastbound was the typical Welcome Break Gaming, which was also closed with it being Christmas Day. From the outside, the services do look quite nice and appear to have some sort of solar-powered roof, it even looks futuristic due to the tiling, perhaps like an alien spaceship. The services its-self seems to be very basic services at the best of times, worsened by the fact it was Christmas Day when I visited, for example, there is not a Waitrose here like there tends to be at most other Welcome Break Service Stations. If you want to stop on the motorway while travelling through Warrington on the M62 this is a decent place to go, to grab a coffee at Starbucks perhaps and then get a snack from WHSmith or KFC, but that's about it, the cleanliness of the service station was good but in terms of selection and choice it was basic, another issue that arose was getting into the service station, approaching the Eastbound from Manchester way, I struggled to find the services, which involved various roundabouts and coming on and off the motorway which also was an issue. Christmas Openings and a decent branch of Starbucks help to warrant a two-star rating, but issues with overall selection, with the services, feeling a little basic through the lack of rival places to eat than KFC, and Waitrose not being located here like most other WB locations, and ease of access mean I can't go any higher.

Charnock Richard Services is a fairly nice motorway services, it is located just off the M6, three…read moremiles away from Chorley town centre and is operated by Welcome Break. It is split across Northbound and Southbound, the Northbound is the larger of the two Here you will find TWO different Starbucks locations as well as a Little Waitrose and Partners, WHSmith, Subway and a Ramada Hotel in a separate building. The Southbound side is a little smaller but still has good facilities including a Starbucks, WHSmith and a Post box, with a large parking area and petrol station (very overpriced petrol) on both sides. On the bridge connecting the two, there is a KFC and Burger King - so plenty of choice across both services for fast food. The bridge is fairly modern, it has the benefit of being fully inside so you do not need to leave the service station and go back out again, do be advised that the Northbound side does NOT have an elevator, it has an upwards escalator, and a staircase. The southbound side however has an upwards escalator, and an elevator - It was a little odd how they only had escalators in one direction and an elevator/lift on one side, but at least I got my exercise for the day! I always visit service stations on Christmas Day for something to do, they always seem to have basic facilities here including at least Starbucks and one of their stores open, alongside the usual bathroom/shower facilities. Fairly clean and modern, nothing too exciting but well worth calling in as a stop-off point along your journey. 4*

We stopped off here recently and were quite happy with the outlets, especially the pleasant small…read morebranch of Starbucks. We got there not long before it closed at 9.00pm but were not made to feel that we had to rush. Another outlet called 'Eat In' was pleasant and sold very nice ice cream in little pots! There's also a KFC, Burger King, WHSmith, and a Games room. 2 hours free parking and disabled bays right next to the entrance. A petrol station and a Day's Hotel are at one side.

Useful motorway service station where we sometimes stop. The same outlets can be found on both…read moresides of the M6, linked by a footbridge and between Junctions 16 and 17. It's easy to get in and out too, whereas some service stations are gigantic and it's a bit like 'Spaghetti Junction' finding your way (or, not finding it). For refreshments there are Costa (quite large), Restbite and The Burger Company. There's also WHSmith, Amusements and toilets, including disabled and with baby changing facilities, and a (free) cash machine. Parking in the large car park is free for up to two hours too. There is live traffic information on flat screen TVs overhead in the main building (very useful if there's a traffic jam so that you can go and have another coffee until it clears!) There's also an Esso service station for fuel before rejoining the M6.

Always a friendly and efficient service from staff. Forecourt alwats clean and tidy. Good variety…read morein the shop.

Roadchef Motorways - Chester Motorway Services is a decent stop, it is just off Junction 14 on the…read moreM56, opening in 1998 it is the only motorway service area on the M56 and the last before heading into North Wales, so it is a useful stop off for sure, even if it is just for a toilet break or rest. The service area was clean, modern and featured a good number of brands, many of which you'd expect to find in most motorway services anyway, but it did seem to offer more than the bare minimum. Brands here include Costa, Spar, WHSmith, and Leon as well as a 24-7 McDonald's and a Days Inn Hotel. I did find it a little hard to get in and out of the service area when using a car, as the layout isn't exactly clear when leaving, especially in the dark, and it is easy to go the wrong way when leaving, and going through the Shell Petrol Station. There are two hours of free parking and EV charging on-site, however, EV charging is a paid service. 4* - A useful stop-off on the M56, an above-average motorway service, which I will return to when passing through the area.

We consider Chester Services to be the half-way point on our monthly journey from Caernarfon to…read moreWest Yorkshire, so often stop here for refreshments or to use the toilets. The services are 24 hour, and are located near Runcorn, just past the city of Chester. The services are quite small but have an ample car park. On the outside of the services in a seating area, and a small grassy verge with trees, separating the area from the motorway. At the entrance to the services is a dog bowl filled with water and an AA stand. Further inside, there's a Wimpy, which is closed at nighttimes, a Costa coffee bar, an ordinary cafe area and a WHSmith, which has the usual stands outside filled with books and special offers, such as camping chairs and waterproof jackets or fleece jackets. Behind these are the toilets. The toilets are clean and there are many of them. Before entering the toilets there is a useful area containing boxes of leaflets for local attractions, and a mobile-phone charging station, which allows visitors to charge their phones, securely. The WHSmith is quite impressive - it stocks a range of foods and drinks, magazines and newspapers, CDs, maps and books. They always seem to have a lot of special offers on too. The Costa coffee is a bit hit and miss, though. Because it's often quiet, they tend to use the chairs to separate areas, which means going outside on the terrace is sometimes not allowed. On a few occasions the coffee has been lukewarm, and once, they had run out of ice, and a customer was given an iced latte that wasn't even cold (I overheard them complaining about it).

I often stop here for petrol when I'm out and about!…read more Situated just around the corner from the main supermarket, they have 16 pumps meaning they can get through a serious number of cars in one go - although there's still loads of them parking up and queueing to get in (probably because they're the first main station to drop petrol below a £1 - although it should still be much lower given the huge price drop in oil) You can pay at the pump like I do and they have a kiosk selling papers, snacks and the like.

From the owner: Pop down to your local Morrisons petrol station to fill up your tank, add some sparkle to your…read morewheels with our car wash and jet wash facilities, pump up your tyres and grab some tasty snacks or a meal deal for the journey ahead. Need a caffeine fix? Pour yourself a Costa Coffee for the ride.

A professional service station with lots more to offer. There is a Subway sandwich store inside and…read morelots of general shopping items to save you going to a supermarket. Petrol of course is the main reason to visit BP and their prices are low at the moment. Staff are really friendly and very efficient so there is rarely a long queue like in many petrol stations. Also, it is situated very conveniently on the Formby by-pass and is easy to spot.

Stopped here to get some sleep in the car late on after a long day, as per government road sign…read moreadvice. It was dark and I didn't see the parking signs. Unfortunately parking eye operate here and prey on those needing a break on the motorways, got stung with a hefty fine for staying 22 mins over the 2 hour grace period. Day light robbery at its finest.

EuroGarages own 2 branches of Motorway services in the UK, as well as (you've guessed it) many…read moregarages. This particular one is located in Bolton, on the way to Preston on the M61 between Junctions 6 and 7. I stopped here twice on my journey to and from Blackpool and I noticed a big difference between both Eastbound and Westbound. I noticed in Westbound (Going from Preston to Manchester) they is a lot more spaces, making it easier to get in and out of your car, which means disabled people/ prams can get out, they might be some parking around the other side of the shop in Eastbound (parking is very tight) as they was in Westbound, they are very similar but still it is hard to find, especially for most tourists who don't regularly stop at this station. In Fact, in the Eastbound it is probably easier to park at a petrol pump if you are disabled and need extra room. On each side they is a Spar Shop, BP Garage, Starbucks and Burger King : I find this to be quite disappointing as if you want a breakfast you will struggle, especially if you want to avoid the Burger King brand, and Starbucks' honestly don't do much for breakfasts, or food in that matter, your best choice here is probably a sandwich, however I don't know how they operate at breakfast, I attended very late in the evening when most things were shut anyway, which makes me upset as a service station should be fully 24-7 with hot drink and food facilities. The Spar shop, as it is operated by BP, does take nectar cards which is probably one of the few upsides and they do stock Starbucks' Iced Coffee drinks, including one that is so hard to source "Chocolate Mocha flavour" however this one is £2.29, and the bigger ones much easier to find are £2.19, which is awful as they is always an offer on somewhere to get them for £1 or £1.79 if you are not very lucky, and I feel this product and many others, shows why this service station is very pricey, even for a service station. Overall, they do sell some hard to find drinks but parking is hard even with very tight gaps in between, hot food and drinks are hard to find as Burger King and Starbucks' are not opened 24-7 and with it basically being a garage, it is very expensive, but adding a motorway services to that title, makes it extortionate. I would probably advise you to come here only if you need to go to the toilet on the motorway, even though the toilets are not very nice with toilet paper as hard as hail stone but this particular branch of motorway services can get away with the expensive items (much more expensive than normal services), poor range and lack of hot food at certain times as it is the only motorway services on the M61. I feel 2 stars is fair as it is okay for a last resort, but honestly I would rather dread having to come here, than feel relaxed knowing the motorway service station I visit, will take care of my needs. Its' lack of facilities 24-7, pricing and size is the total opposite of what I think of when I think Motorway Services, and for the worse. Update: Due to a declining amount of products stocked in the shop and the overall feel is much poorer than many other motorway services stations I sadly feel this place deserves more of a low two star rating.

Now I frequent a lot of services in the course of my working life. This is one of the better ones,…read morewhilst it (and all service stations) will suffer from over pricing on refreshments and fuel that is what they are. The forecourt is a good size and I always find a pump to fill up at without cueing, which I think is always a bonus. The additional services include a cafe and KFC. So if you are hungry and in need of refreshment this service station will provide. There is plenty of space to park up and have a break from the monotony of driving. If you are that way inclined they even have a car wash on site if you need to arrive wherever in a clean car you can do this to. Not to mention the often most important thing you want at a service station, the toilet they have them and they are clean ;-)

The new breed of services, an Extra outlet, where they think providing Starbucks and KFC as the…read moreonly food alternative is a good idea. Go to the pub which is also off the roundabout instead, or just take any road off the A50 or A34 instead to find a country road.