The best and worst service stations in Britain revealed – including one that is so chic that it has a cheese desk and deli

Which one? Has unveiled the best service stations in the country – and those who can better avoid motorists.

The consumer champion asked 4,000 of his members to assess 90 of the British service stations, to assess their experiences in eight categories, including food prices, cleanliness and external space.

Considered as an integral part of every British trip by car, service stations offer a brew, a bite and a toilet stop, but, the research found, standards could vary enormously.

The bad news for British drivers? Which one? It reports that it is still largely a gloomy picture for travelers on long journeys, with facilities on many service stations described as often ‘dirt, dated and insufficient’.

However, there are a few radiant lights, with Gloucester Services on the M5 that receives the highest score of the customer survey of 85 percent, getting five stars in almost all categories.

The luxurious service station has a farm shop and kitchen that sells locally produced products – including gelato, cheese and patisserie – from 130 regional suppliers, as well as 24 fast charging points for electric vehicles and a quiet lake to sit by.

At the less glamorous end of the Spectrum, Moto Bridgwater in Somerset, an hour south of Gloucester Services on the M5, it did the worst, soil on the list – with one visitor to say that Bridgwater’s toilets ‘melts or stale urine’.

Include other complaints Inadequate parking spaces and tight and too expensive facilities that ‘look filthy’.

In the meantime, the investigated over Gloucester Services offered glowing reviews about their time there, where a happy customer describes it as ‘head and shoulders above all the others I used’.

Another who had visited, said which?, That conducted his first research station research in four years: ‘If all the highway stations were like Gloucester, I would like to spend time.

‘Gloucester is a pleasure, has great staff, beautiful food, a farm shop, a garden with a walk on the lake and dog walk. They deserve every success. ‘

The eight categories on which the 4,000 members were asked to give up Food/shops, shops, selection of food and drinks, facilities, cleanliness, convenience and accessibility and outdoor space.

Gloucester Services is part of the Westmorland family, which is no stranger to positive reactions from customers.

It had two other services in the top five, including Tebay M6 services in Cumbria, which had a score of 77 percent, and north of the border, Cairn Lodge on the M74 in Lanarkshire, which received a score of 72 percent.

Both may have challenged for the first place, but neither of them did well at the price.

Located on the M6 ​​in Cumbria, just an hour south of the Scottish border, Tebay Services is often considered one of the best in the country – and has been described by some Tap As ‘right boujee’.

Elsewhere, motorists who need a breathing break at the M6 ​​in Warwickshire should take care of Rugby’s Moto Services, which rose in the survey, with a score of 75 percent – and four stars in almost each category.

A traveler said: “Rugby is new and clean and on a beautiful day is perfect to break your journey.”

Nationwide Brand Moto generally had gloomy reactions, but the success with rugby – which opened its doors in April 2021 – means that it is the very first national company ever that ranks so strongly into a which one? questionnaire.

However, Moto will probably still shiver in his ranking; the The largest service area of ​​the UK filled nine out of ten places at the bottom of the table.

Other services that made no impression are Lancaster Services on the M6, which only scored 34 percent in the survey.

Customers grumbled that a pedestrian bridge over the highway, with facilities on both sides meant that the experience felt ‘pressure’ and with ‘poor access’.

A driver said he was forced to pull over the bridge to get an underwhelming breakfast that was served in a cardboard box ‘was not ideal.

And Hilton Park, also on the M6, noted the same score, with one motorist called it “dark and gloomy,” while another said that basic soap and hot water were not always available.

Rory Boland, editor of which one? Traveling said about the latest survey: ‘The best service stations are a handy pit stop with decent food and facilities, but our survey shows that this is very little between and that many services are not aware.

He added: ‘Poor facilities and excessive prices for food and drink were widespread complaints, but the most shocking of all was how drivers told us how many services were unclean.

“To avoid disappointment, people have to plan their route to prevent the worst service stations and to look for alternative places to stop.”

The availability and the number of EV charging points were also an important factor for the first time, with both Moto Rugby and Leeds Skelton Lake, run by having extra, supposed to have fast and abundant places to charge electric vehicles.

Leeds Skelton Lake scored a total of high – 68% – also over other areas, with its RSPB viewing platform above Skelton Lake a certain highlight.