Motorway parking spaces

The truly clued up tourer avoids motorway services. We have our catering facility and comfort zone with us. Caravan or MH, makes no difference. We know what the services are like and avoid if possible. Did stop at Gloucester North one time, newly opened, not so busy. But it’s probably the same as everywhere else now with nicer food.

We have to cross over country if travelling to SW, but don’t use the M42, ghastly route. We use M69, A46 and stop off at Evesham Country Park. Loads of room for the biggest of outfits, nice walks to stretch legs and give dog a break, great food and other outlets. Easy pick up of M5 at Tewkesbury. It’s an enjoyable part of our journey........and no HGVs to tangle with on park up.😁

Certainly Gloucester Services, the subject of the OP, expect them to be used by MH's as well as caravans. Below is an extract from their web site:-

Relax with 3 hours free parking in our car park.

ANPR is in operation on both our North and Southbound sites.
Please pay for stays in our car park over 3 hours at our Filling Station or at tills within the mains services building and display the ticket in your vehicle.

CAR PARKING

Car parking tickets are available for stays between 3 and 24 hours for £12.

CARAVAN / MOTORHOME PARKING

Caravan and motorhome parking tickets are available for stays between 3 and 24 hours for £23 and you receive a £5 voucher to spend on food in our Kitchen.
Facilities include free, clean showers in our main building and Filling Station. Please be aware there is no waste water or electric point provision for caravans and motorhomes.

I agree, TDA. Service areas are to be avoided whenever possible. On the few occasions per year when we do use them, it’s only for the briefest of stops and we often don’t set foot outside the door. I feel an element of sympathy for HGV drivers who are forced to take a break and don’t have the option of detouring off the m/way. It’s no wonder they end up in caravan bays at times if there’s nowhere else to go.

It’s not good value Steve. £5 wont get you two coffees there, and whilst nice, the food is still very expensive. I agree GS are the best in the country, but very expensive still and sadly the people using the services are as selfish and unthinking as anywhere else. But I know some folks like to stick to motorways and are willing to put up and pay up whatever is required.

Back when we were both working, we used to stop off occasionally at Taunton Deane South. We usually just got our heads down for a few hours and hoped that the HGVs around us didn’t have refrigerator units grinding away. No charge back in those early days, M5 wasn’t that busy. But as roads have got busier, we explored alternative routes that were nicer for us and our dogs. Not least a few CLs that were happy to take arrivals past 8pm. It’s made our long journeys much pleasanter, and hassle free.

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I certainly wouldn't want to stay overnight TDA. I would imagine the high cost of parking is meant as a deterrent. Which is sensible if you want the spaces to be available for those just passing through. Wouldn't buy the coffee. The roast vegetable pasties, they sell in the farm shop, are very nice though.😋

I appreciate what you do is very different to what we do over here AD, and the distances are much greater. If, when, our turn comes, what you do is the kind of information that would be essential for us, as we have only driven in Spain and OH says their motorways were virtually empty. The M5 used to be very quiet in the early 1980’s, it was a lovely part of the journey to Cornwall. Nowadays it’s as much of a nightmare as M1.

Hope your current trip is back on track, and the weather is being kind. Seems to be a lot of bad weather this year various parts of Europe. We watched end of Criterium cycle race yesterday in Southern France, appalling conditions.

You ought to try our route Steve, probably a good mid way stop for you. We are around an hour further up M1 than you, but get to Evesham easily. I have a sneaky feeling that it wouldn’t be hard to overnight up at the very top of the car park, which is a lot quieter. But I think they do lock the lower gates. It’s a great little stop, and even if you don’t use the Country Park area, there is a filling station and I think a small Coop for any requirements. It’s outside the town, just off a dual carriageway. We use it when travelling in car as well. Stop off at a Travelodge on route, then 10 minutes on stop for a good decent priced breakfast, and to give dogs a decent walk.😁

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