How to avoid the dreaded Motorway Services

How to find a decent place to eat when on a road trip in the UK

I have a deep hatred of UK Services on the motorways.  Please don’t take this personally, but I vividly remember experiencing my first UK Motorway services about 14 years ago; after badly navigating the one way system almost exiting by mistake, then fighting for a parking spot, nervously leaving your car fully loaded with valuables, hoards of stressed people to then be offered substandard fast food, notably Wimpy in this case.

In Canada, services are very minimal, sometimes you will be lucky to get a flushing toilet and a few picnic tables, but normally in quite beautiful surroundings with the odd bit of wild life wandering around.

Off the beaten track

We do try to avoid them at all costs and thanks to technology we can.  I have the Good Pub Guide App (£4.99) on my phone.  I simply have to select, ‘find a pubs and breweries near me’ then I can scroll through and find one that is close, serves food and is child friendly.

We’ve found some absolute gems and they are only minutes off the motorway.

Once I find one in the guide I simply enter the post code into my Sat Nav and off we go.  If you want to plan ahead you can also use the post code and address option.

Do try it as it will make your journey much more enjoyable.

Happy travels…..

Author: mediocremum

A slightly older mum of one, who drinks far too much red wine and has an unhealthy obsession with her slow cooker. During the day she's an ICT Trainer, Social Media/Online Marketing consultant and does a bit of public speaking. Full Profile on Google+ View all posts by mediocremum