Rich Cross, known as the 'Service Station King', has spent over a decade visiting all 97 official UK service stations. The 28-year-old from Bristol began exploring service stations with his father during school breaks, sparking a lifelong fascination. Now, he reveals the most significant warning signs he has observed.
Biggest red flags at UK service stations
Speaking to SMC Coach Hire, Rich Cross highlighted key red flags: "I don't like it when sites are too busy. If you're getting poor customer service because it's too busy, you're less likely to return. People want to be able to pop in and out quickly if they need to. If the toilets are a mess, that's a big red flag." He also noted the condition of the road surface: "The condition of the road through the site is a big thing for me. It's a big topic especially for the lorry drivers, who are the most regular customers. Things like potholes are a big problem."
Service stations that stand out
While Cross cannot pick a single favourite, he listed several that impressed him. "The iconic one is Lancaster Services on the M6. It's got the Pennine Tower that towers above the site. That's usually one that crops up in conversation quite frequently. Back in the day it used to have a restaurant at the top there with views of Lancashire but unfortunately that's closed now." He also mentioned Charnock Richard (M6), Keele (M6), and Leicester Forest East (M1), which have bridges where visitors can sit above the motorway and eat. Newer sites like Leeds Skelton Lake and Rotherham are trying to blend into the environment; one has a country park with a 2km walk.
The perfect service station
Cross described the ideal service station: "A site has to have a variety of offers to cater for different types of customers. The more brands you have in the building the better, it gives people options. Clean toilet and shower facilities are also really important, as are EV chargers. You need to have plenty of them, especially at the moment as the country moves more towards that revolution. Ease of access to the site is also a hot topic. There are two types of entrance - online sites and offline sites. Online ones are the ones directly on the motorway that you just access via a sliproad. Offroad are ones where you have to come off at the junction and you've got to drive a little bit to get there. Online sites are preferred because you don't have to faff around as much."
UK's finest service stations: Do they deserve their reputation?
Gloucester, Tebay, Beaconsfield, Rugby, and Cairn Lodge are often named the UK's best. Cross gave his verdict: "Gloucester, Tebay and Cairn Lodge are all run by the same company, so they all have the same style. They have a farm shop style, with a different and alternative set up. That's why they always rate highly. They offer locally sourced produce and everything is made freshly on the day. They are all very landscaped, there is plenty of green space." He added: "Rugby is one of the newest ones, it opened in 2021. It's fantastically landscaped out the front. There is plenty of EV charging for people who need that. The site is well laid out despite being a junction site. There are plenty of brands inside for people looking for a variety. Beaconsfield used to have the UK's only Wetherspoons. It's all about choice there, I think there are about 15 different brands there. It's also the first site when you get to on the M40 when you come out of London, so it's popular for that reason as well - people stop before they go in or straight after they come out. They've really invested in EV charging there as well."
