Parking in motorway service areas

One of the problems with leaving a motorway to find a nearby layby is they are usually full with empty cars, the occupants have gone to work or wherever in a car share or have been taken on somewhere. Many do this to save parking fees at services.

I am only a year into towing and am a sole tower.

Is there anywhere where fellow caravaners have listed recommended services to use.  I'm hoping to travel from Essex to Blackpool in June so would ideally be using M1, M54, M62 and M6 - thanks in advance

You can use GoogleEarth to zoom in and look at any part of your route too get an idea of whether it is suitable for a break. You can use 'street view' to do a virtual drive round.

We often use Norton Canes on the M6 Toll (discount on tolls for Club members) It has a nice parking area for caravans and clearly marked although it is popular.

David

I'd agree about the toll road services, they are generally quieter. We use Stafford Services a lot, look out for the separate caravan area just before the lorry turn, but you'll find the north bound services packed with lorries through the lunch hour. South bound are better but you will find other vehicles parked there too. Keele services, if I recall is parking with the lorries unless there is space round the edge.

As CY suggests, do google earth to get a better view.

Motorway services are for the use of all road users. --- HGV drivers have to have rest every so often and the Service operator make provision for those drivers.  The remaining drivers, who don't have restricted driving hours quite simply have to park in the services parking area as best they can-----. or park in a layby away from the motorway.........  Caravanners have their own toilets on board and the ability to provide their own meals, so don't really need to use Services,  unless they want to fill up with fuel at extortionate prices. I travel  down to the south of England and back to Scotland each year and  I have never found a problem parking on any services in the UK.  Sometimes it involves reversing either into or out of parking spaces but that's no problem.

K 

There can be problems Kennine, if you are a frequent motorway user and not just once a year. Our experience of being hemmed  in by lorries at Stafford North (in the caravan area) was one I recall well even though the lorry drivers apologised we were unable to get out till they were ready to leave. We totally understood their parking problems too.

Slightly off topic,  but we stopped at Cullompton a couple of weeks back, not towing, and parked up near the HGV area at the far end of the services. We were amazed and very impressed at the skill of those drivers reversing huge vehicless into the narrowest of spaces, including one Argos driver with a double truck who reversed straight into a gap between two artics with barely a glance in the mirrors! Great respect to those guys! 

Brue, What is "a Frequent Motorway user" ?.  There are motorways covering the whole of the UK.   I personally use the motorway network regularly to travel North ; South ; East and West from my home. 

Cheers  K  

Err, not the whole of the UK by any means.