I was flabbergasted; I mean my flabber has never been so gasted. A litre of diesel was 38 pence…read moremore expensive than I'd paid just before getting on to the motorway network to go from Bath to Manchester. As we don't live here we literally never go into a motorway service station and we knew they had a reputation for over-charging customers but, my word, I wasn't prepared for this huge rip - off difference. We stopped here to grab a decent coffee (in a Pret A Manger) and to use the restroom because on two occasions we had been stopped on motorways the worst being near Birmingham where we literally turned off the car and sat for a very long time not moving at all. The entire 4 Lane motorway was at a standstill. It took us near to 6 frustrating hours to travel 180 miles or about as long as it took in Victorian times. It may have been exacerbated by the fact that the RMY has a rail strike. It seems that it's fine for Tories and their funders to asset strip the British nation for 13 years but well date any worker - train driver, nurse, teacher, doctor, actor look for a decent income for them and their families. In this last month alone the uk government borrowed £20 billion to fund the gap between income and spend so in the last financial year borrowing has been around £170 billion from a party that lies when it says it can be trusted on the economy. The only two things they can be trusted to do is rob the country blind to enrich themselves and their off shore chums and lie when they speak.

I dislike Moto Motorway Services, and a key example of my dislike for the Moto chain has to be…read moreStafford Motorway Services, located in the Stone area of Staffordshire on the M6, just 11 miles from the much better Keele services (Welcome Break). The overall service area appeared to be pretty much standard by all means, it has pretty basic brands and nothing too exciting such as a Costa and a WHSmith, the latter which you'll tend to see at virtually every motorway services regardless of whether it is operated by Moto or another company. Standards in every other department across the services including service seemed poor, and of course the presentation and taste of the food in the motorway services own branded cafe (which isn't one of the big chains), just looking at the plate it appeared to be some sort of insult. The scrambled egg looked like more of a mess than Fulham currently do in the Premier League, it looked like vomit and I even had to build up courage to take a bite (I wish I didn't put it that way), the beans also tasted cheap and slightly hard, with the bacon appearing to be chewy and highly low-quality. Stafford really shows why Moto services are the weaker motorway services in the network, with this branch, in particular, being a truly poor and depressing experience, even for Moto standards hence warranting a one-star rating.

As a rule, one motorway service area is pretty well like another. The one you choose often depends…read moreon where you happen to be when you start feeling hungry. Or, sometimes it's dictated by the state of your fuel tank; you may as well refuel yourself at the same time as you refuel the car. This time, the warning light started flashing just before the Sandbach Services, on the M6. And it was lunchtime, so The food was adequate, so I'll award it a star for that. But, the service was abysmal. We had to call for a server, who arrived, presumably, after she'd finished doing whatever she was doing in the kitchen at the back. Also, the cash desk wasn't manned. The cashier was busy collecting plates, and we had to wait till he'd finished to pay! At 1 o'clock in the afternoon, that's just not acceptable. (And, £1 a serving for peas is, I think, over the top, too. Our local chippy only charges 40p.)

Although I have eaten at the Beefeater Grill many times this was my first stay at the hotel…read more Being christmas getting a place to stay in the city centre was difficult and quite expensive. My friend was up from the stop and we just needed a base to rest our heads after a night on the pop. On arrival the staff on reception were really friendly. That always is a good start. Rooms paid for we went up in the lift to the 2nd floor. Our rolms were a nice size, hugh tv mounted on the wall, tea and coffee was in good supply and bath shower etc. My room over looked the large carpark that is sectioned up for the Premier Inn, TGI Fridays and Akbars Restaurant. The room key was an actual key... you dont see those anymore lol. But it was cool. Really secure. Had to go down to ask reception for a hairdryer as they are not supplied in the room. What was supplied was of good quality. To get into Birmingham the staff called a local cab firm no problem at all. The good night garauntee' worked for me after all that drinking and dancing I never surfaced until gone 11am!! At just about 1 mile out the city its a good location and a great quality budget hotel on the Hagley Road!

Well, let's get started shall we... The nice man, named…read moreVlad, which I assume is short for Vladimir (Not Putin.) Served us in an efficient manner and attempted to upsell the special offer on Onion Rings, to which I didn't oblige. But don't let my man Vlad fool you though, then came the real problems... Firstly, my brother's cheeseburger came in a hamburger package. Boy, discomforted is an understatement. Another great query of mine is that the salt came out of the sachet far too quick for my nimble fingers to manipulate. Overall, my meal was a tasty treat and a whopping good deal at 6 pound. But it was let down by some major flaws and lack of attention to detail. 3 stars.

The car park at the north bound services are in a state of total chaos, new electric car charging…read morepoints are being installed but who ever is managing this should sacked. There is no organised segregation of arriving vehicles and the machinery used to resurface parts of the car park where the cables have been laid resulting in total chaos. followed the signs for cars and caravans and since we were towing a caravan we expected to see a place to park but we left with no where to park and because we were towing a caravan we could not turn around to find the exit but instead had to exit the back way resulting in a 15 mile detour to get back onto the M1

Shabby & poor food.read more

While all Travelodge's are fairly similar when it comes to amenities and service, this one isn't…read morenecessarily an exception to that rule. However, the staff were very friendly and helpful. The hotel is located in the back of a rest stop, and is next to a mixed Burger King and breakfast cafe. Our room at the Travelodge faced into the back of the hotel, which was well maintained (and full of cute little bunnies!). Considering we only paid £28 a night during our stay, we were well pleased. Definitely one of the better Travelodges.

The bar next to the hotel, old converted stables give the place a quirky rural charm. The Batman…read morewas a hoot and the rest of the staff super friendly and charming. Great music (for me anyway) plays while you chow down on the outstanding delicious pub fare, all freshly cooked, hot and delicious. We are a fussy crew but loved every bite! Park by the back of the bar to avoid paying parking.

This is a very popular place for tourists and in the summer it gets very crowded,…read more It has a good range of local real ales which are served well. However. The food is terrible. It is overpriced, poor quality and in the case of the burger we had, just disgusting. It seems their strategy is to use the cheapest ingredients and charge top price for them. Everything is served with large amounts of salad to fill the plate up.

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.

In September of 2006 I was visiting England with the purpose of attending the wedding of my friends…read moreAly and Helen. After a long train and car ride I found myself in a lovely village known as Eccleshall. The main part of the village is simply a intersection lined with small shops and homes. While I was standing there a absolutely beautiful 20's era Bentley drove by. Won't you know it was even green, my favorite color. While window shopping I came across a grand millennium clock. It had 4 faces with one pointed in each direction. It was slender and blue which made it stand out very well from the red brick buildings which lined the streets. I came to a window of what seemed to be a pet shop. In that window there was a big sign which read. 3 Chocolate Bitches, 3 Black Bitches, and 3 Black Dogs. Being American I chuckled a bit and moved on. I strolled across the street to the inn where I was staying. The George Inn is straight out of the past and very reminiscent of the Inn featured in the movie Three Weddings and a Funeral. It is a large white building with green trim. Window boxes filled with flowers hang just below the window ledges. A large sign indicated the restaurant side of this establishment. Lets go in shall we? When you step into The George you find a small reception desk where you check in and out. The staff are very friendly and extremely helpful with whatever needs you may have. Don't be afraid to ask, they don't mind where you come from, even America. Just through a doorway you will find the restaurant. I only had breakfast here but it is definitely worth a go. The full breakfast was very nice indeed. Two eggs over medium, toast, bacon, puddings, and coffee. The most civilized breakfast a mere man could ever wish for. Across from the restaurant you will find the pub. This room is from another time and if you haven't been in an old pub you will just have to see it to believe it. Tables are available for groups but I preferred sitting at the bar with my mates. Here the owner and brewer will present you with something very special. Slaters is his own label of brew and here it's whatever your pleasure since the available range is extensive. From Lager to Stout, Slater's has it all and the quality is fantastic. bring your mates and your thirst, it will be a top night guaranteed. The rooms are what are to be expected in a country inn. Nothing fancy but the comforts of home. It is very nice that my room had a window because I like some circulation while I sleep. The bed is comfortable but don't expect pillow top comfort. Their is a private bath in the room, did the shared bath thing once and it was unpleasant to say the least. There is a wardrobe for your clothes if you don't like living out of your suitcase. I have done so much traveling so I rarely unpack unless I am going to be staying in one place for a while. So if you read my review and find yourself in Eccleshall stop into The George and stay for a pint, or two, or three, or aww just forget it and check in and make a night of it then.