[Travel] Best services on M1?

[BNthree]

Soon I'm off to a wedding in Yorkshire)and am driving up. Normally I get the train for long journeys whenever possible and was just wondering which services do NSC'ers consider the best and why?

I'm looking for somewhere that does a decent coffee mainly but I can't stand Starbucks coffee (nothing to do with their policies etc, just think it tastes crap).

Thanks

 

[Notters]

They're all pretty crap on the M1 to be honest. The good ones are all on the M40/M5/M6.

Coming off the M1 at junction 26 and using IKEA can be a good bet if not at a peak time.

 

[LlcoolJ]

Soon I'm off to a wedding in Yorkshire)and am driving up. Normally I get the train for long journeys whenever possible and was just wondering which services do NSC'ers consider the best and why?

I'm looking for somewhere that does a decent coffee mainly but I can't stand Starbucks coffee (nothing to do with their policies etc, just think it tastes crap).

Thanks

#accidentalpartridge

 

[Ken Newbury]

The one I always stop at on my regular trips between Brighton and Newcastle is Donnington Park. Clean and airy, not overly busy, has a Costa, Gregg's, etc. Plus has a Harvester which has always served me a decent breakfast or evening meal. It's at junction 23A.

 

[Brovion]

Soon I'm off to a wedding in Yorkshire)and am driving up. Normally I get the train for long journeys whenever possible and was just wondering which services do NSC'ers consider the best and why?

I'm looking for somewhere that does a decent coffee mainly but I can't stand Starbucks coffee (nothing to do with their policies etc, just think it tastes crap).

Thanks

I like Clackett Lane and also the new one at Chertsey. For old-school I like Keele and Wolley Edge.. I don't think any of them are on your route, but as you're obviously a bit of a service station buff they're well worth a detour. .

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

When you are feeling thirsty or hungry and your petrol gauge is on the way down, pull off the motorway and go to a town and get food you can eat, coffee you can drink and petrol all at proper prices and not the expensive horrible crap service stations dish up, especially on the M1.
Maybe do a bit of map research, I find nothing wrong with cafes in supermarkets, Morrisons is usually good with much cheaper fuel.

 

[stss30]

Newport Pagnell are decent. On and off the Motorway quickly. I believe it is a Starbucks there, I'm not a huge fan either but there's a Subway which do decent coffee.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Watford Gap is roughly half way, very compact, and all you need. We stop there every time. It's just after junction 16 heading north. It helps I get Defence discount on any purchase. That also applies to a blue line card.

 

[studio150]

Just stop after about 2-2.5 hours driving

 

[wolfie]

The thing I do like about M1 service stations is that you don't have to drive for several miles to the car park after coming off the slip roads (as at Oxford, Beaconsfield, Chertsey etc)

 

[Thunder Bolt]

The thing I do like about M1 service stations is that you don't have to drive for several miles to the car park after coming off the slip roads (as at Oxford, Beaconsfield, Chertsey etc)

Except Northampton at 15A.

 

[AmexRuislip]

The thing I do like about M1 service stations is that you don't have to drive for several miles to the car park after coming off the slip roads (as at Oxford, Beaconsfield, Chertsey etc)

The Beaconsfield services aren't that far from the M40, unless you're a snail!

 

[grubbyhands]

The thing I do like about M1 service stations is that you don't have to drive for several miles to the car park after coming off the slip roads (as at Oxford, Beaconsfield, Chertsey etc)

There are services at Chertsey, well I never.

 

[cloud]

Depending on which part of Yorkshire you're going to, the A1m can be just as good a bet as the M1, and not much difference in time.

https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/stories/restaurants-on-the-a1/

 

[Sussexscots]

The one I always stop at on my regular trips between Brighton and Newcastle is Donnington Park. Clean and airy, not overly busy, has a Costa, Gregg's, etc. Plus has a Harvester which has always served me a decent breakfast or evening meal. It's at junction 23A.

+1 this is the one I usually use if using the M1. Couple of reasonable areas to sit outside and doesn't feel like it's been teleported in from the 1960's.

 

[Saunders]

Depending on which part of Yorkshire you're going to, the A1m can be just as good a bet as the M1, and not much difference in time.

https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/stories/restaurants-on-the-a1/

If you like roundabouts.

 

[Eeyore]

Watford Gap is roughly half way, very compact, and all you need. We stop there every time. It's just after junction 16 heading north. It helps I get Defence discount on any purchase. That also applies to a blue line card.

Always used to be funny when people who sung the Watford Gap song didn't realise it was nowhere near Watford.

Hence they sung it to away fans who were south of there.

 

[LamieRobertson]

The Beaconsfield services aren't that far from the M40, unless you're a snail!

They could be!

 

[AmexRuislip]

They could be!

Minor details

 

[Mr Putdown]

Donnington.