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Motorway Service Stations – Sanity Savers for Families!

I’ve always considered those large service stations along the UK’s motorways to be the playground of the higher income brackets. Places to be visited by those who are either in search of emergency bathroom facilities, or have time and money to throw away on “local produce” and speciality breads. Travelling by car with two small children from one end of the UK to the other however has completely changed my opinion however.

OK, so I stand by the fact that mostly the service stations are going to cost you money, the chocolate bars are almost double in price and the vending machines are more than a bag of fresh coffee from Italy. What you have to balance that against is what you get for that money. For example, the stress level of trying to navigate a car of increasingly bored children through yet another lengthy road works tailback can become of monumental proportions if it’s not diffused. This is where the service stations come into their own as a bright beacon for parents on the motorways.

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It doesn’t have to be a lengthy stop. You don't have to go in and have IPL treatment at the latest in a line of promotional stands to grace the stations forecourt. We found that even a 15 minute stop for ice cream was enough to restore good humour and harmony in our vehicle which lasted a good 70-80 miles until the sniping began again and it was time to look for another service station. Over the course of the 600 miles we covered in a week, we found there were favourites amongst the service station chains that seemed more focused towards child travellers. It didn’t matter to us that the usual fresh baked country flapjack fair was replaced by international fast food chains. What did matter was that the children knew what to expect, liked what they saw, and found entertainment aimed at their various age levels to take their mind off the travelling for a while.

As a parent watching my children visibly relax, being able to take them to clean bathroom facilities (one of which was even decorated with fresh flowers), and know that when we restarted our journey they would be rested, fed and ready to go, the money it cost at each service station was worth it because of the amount of good relations it restored.

So if you’re travelling long distances with small children, watch out for the larger service stations such as Moto/Travel Lodge/Express. They may not serve the same menu as you’d get at say a Little Chef, but they will provide respite for travel weary kids. Besides, most of them can provide decent cup of coffee for you to take with you when you get back in the car!