Motorway Service Stations

When we travelled to TF from north notts with our caravan, we split the journey and combined it took 8 / 9 hours out of peak. If you stop at a motorway services for more than 2 hours don’t you have to pay, sometimes up to £25. Personally I would loose a day and use that money towards a night stop on route.

Here’s a photo of Taunton Deane services on the M5 on a summer holiday weekend - they are probably here overnight.

On a Saturday in Summer you are almost certainly going to get into major traffic hold ups around the Bristol area no matter how early you leave home (even assuming a smooth journey that far.) The ongoing roadworks on the M4 between the M32 and M5 junctions are having serious knock on effects. As other have said, it would be far more sensible to break the journey and arrive at TF on Sunday - and you'll feel all the more relaxed for it.

If you let us know what route you are hoping to take I'm sure folk can come up with all sorts of recommendations of better alternatives than motorway service stations. 

You can always set out to do it in a day and if it becomes too much to do, pull over somewhere for the night (site or service area or even a layby as the last resort) and arrive next morning. If you do this, do let the site manager know what is happening. You do not have to arrive at 1p.m. you have until 8.p.m to arrive on the Saturday. So if you left at 5a.m. that is 15 hours travelling time.

peedee

An idea !  

Tell Trewethett you will be a day late. Leave home 9 am.in order to allow  the Bristol bottleneck to clear a bit by you get there. Stop overnight with a pub meal at the Watchfield Inn at Highbridge -250 miles is enough -  but talk to the landlord to arrange it first. Walk tne dog.

Day 2 . Leisurely breakfast - maybe the pub again -walk the dog - then a gentle 3 hour drive to Tintagel. Walk the dog again.

Enjoy your holiday.

Hi,

Fellow Yorkshire Caravanner with dogs here who does Sidmouth 295 miles every year, albeit that’s short of your Cornwall.

We have found the services on the M42 Hopwood Park south of Birmingham a pretty good option on balance, tarmac in good order, a few speed bumps, some grassed exercise areas for doggy doo’s and some spare Caravan bays hopefully . Shops & outside seating etc. Should be about 3 hours + roughly target for you ? 

Depending on M5 traffic congestion then Gordano at M5 Bristol we found ok and spacious. Might take you 2 hours for that leg. Onwards then a few options your soon onto A roads and depends on your fatigue. 

General point. Leicester Forest Services Lorry parking area is just shocking and dangerous now, May 23, if your towing - very deep potholes etc ! 

M

Thank you to all that have offered advise, I will let you know how we get on,its the 8th July that we are going so fingers crossed.

I would expect it to take you 9 or 10 hours WITHOUT major holdups.  How about setting off on Friday evening and stopping off at a CAMC site with a late arrivals area about 10/11pm?  Then complete your journey the following day.  You could overnight at a motorway service area having paid the appropriate fee but by all accounts its not a pleasant experience

Don’t forget that you need to be booked on the site to use a LNA spot and you take a chance on finding space still available as others may have beaten you to it.

Hi we stayed on m5 services on way to Cornwall in may £30 for 24hr parking you can park for free for 2 hours.there wear12 caravan parking bays about 8 lorries parked in the bays and we did not get much sleep