All The Motorway Service Stations Episode 8

[@pedanticradiator]

When i was a kid growing up in Penrith, we would often stop at Southwaite after a shopping trip to Carlisle for a meal. Dad being a senior nanager at Tebay services used to claim back the money by saying he was on a spying mission

[@InterFelix]

Astonishingly, there is nothing like the british larger service stations on the German Autobahn network. All "Raststätten" I've seen at least are more like the british rest areas, with a gas station and sometimes an additional building with a restaurant. These full-on service stations with multiple shops and restaurants are something I've never seen in Germany. Sure, there's the occasional "Autohof" with usually a hotel, a gas station, a shop and two or three (fast food) restaurants, but those are always a bit further from the Autobahn on regular exits, usually about 1-2km from the exit, while Raststätten (and Rastplätze, on which you're lucky to even find a toilet) have their own slip roads that don't lead anywhere else and are located directly on the side of the Autobahn.

[@davidhall7744]

In the pantheon of motorway stations, Southwaite is a bit legendary for us Scots 😊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 It is usually the classic target ‘get to first toilet break’ when heading south. Especially reminiscent for us of travelling to ice hockey matches and meeting up with other be-shirted sports fans heading in all directions. It also served as the final late night stop on the way home from said hockey matches. Happy memories!

[@alecoldroyd6213]

I called at Washington soon after it opened. Hot meals were got from vending machines, and came with a plastic token. You then bunged your plate in a microwave (first one I'd ever seen!) inserted the token and let it do its stuff. As noone had a microwave then, and didnt know about the "plate heating" effect, there were a few dropped plates and Anglo Saxon expletives around.

[@libman2006]

Leeming Bar is left over from before the A1 was converted to the A1M. I like these smaller services, they tend to be a bit more localised

[@MrKpsuk84]

2:01 The Playdays theme! That was unexpected 😄

[@barneypaws4883]

Very delightful

[@geoffreycoan]

That’s got to be the most we have heard Aiden talking in any of your videos Jon ! 😂

[@philipnelson4057]

The internal walkway in Washington southbound was always a bit of a tunnel between the wall above the toilets and space invaders, and the shop. I don't think it was ever totally open onto a plaza or food tables, until half way along, as it is today. Fond walkway memories: carpeted floor, gentle creaking of the boards, nostalgic tobacco / pipe smoke drifting up from the cafe, the instruction not to jump over the bannister to walk on the false ceiling, and the sounds of the amusements games getting louder as you walked along with intense anticipation (e.g.Sinistar)

[@sydnorth5868]

I remember the drive through at Scotch Corner. Used it frequently on Monday mornings and Friday evenings during a 6 month spell of working in Tyneside and living in the West Midlands!

[@ElDJReturn]

The Hey Arnold theme, wow! Been watching some of your older content and these service station videos are fantastic. I love all the show tunes you end up putting in these.

[@johnlladron735]

Brilliant series, thanks a lot. Yes, I do probably need to get out more and maybe seek professional help.

[@mikecawood]

I thought the designers of Washington Services took inspiration from a coal mine. Love the blue rally Ford Escort.

[@socklesslad]

Last time I went to Washington it was in a snowstorm - and there was more snow on the ground in the bridge than outside!

[@richardyoung1053]

Washington Northbound used to have an escalator up to the bridge.

[@TruckinAboutWithSteve]

That is Middleton Tyas, 1 half of the services at Scotch Corner. The other half is the next junction that you missed which is Barton truck stop

[@philipnelson4057]

Washington Northbound was unoccupied in the 70's into the 80's (empry since constructed?), then it suddenly sprung to life at some point. A missing piece of my psyche was immediately fulfilled! (Local lad, regularly wandered around its empty skelaton)

[@alecoldroyd6213]

Todhills... Home of the lurking VOSA

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Another great video stopped at Scotch Corner and Southwaite recently when we went to Elvington for Volvo600.

[@AutoShenanigans]

Thanks mate. Appreciate you watching!!

[@VectorTracker]

playdays theme .. I'm here for it 😁

[@andysvehiclehistorychannel]

Very nice Escort MK2

[@Nige1146]

Don't use the toilets northbound at Washington! Head over to the southbound where the services and toilets are a lot better. Plus Washington had the most expensive fuel in the UK at one point. Probably still is!

[@dansheppard2965]

That bridge at Washington is *so* cold. I was regularly there at about 2am in Jan & Feb and the bridge has zero insulation and is so exposed. It's like walking through a freezer.

[@sameyers2670]

I enjoy this channel and seeing the oddities you come across. Do you just cover the motorways and main A roads or do you cover more minor roads as well?

[@philipnelson4057]

The fire doors at the east end of the Washington bridge were originally at the top of the stairs I think, meaning you could try to roll a 2p coin all the way along its length. The staff could interpret this science as rowdiness, and impose unjust bans to those involved. 😳

[@beatlegreg07]

Love the walkway at Washington Services.

[@gary3561]

SPOILER ALERT. In another episode they find Bridgwater service station making the total 96! Sorry folks.

[@guybrennan5801]

Why didnt you go on Southwaite Northbound? I worked at Southwaite on 2 occasions, once in The Granada Shop (Before Moto) and once for Tandy Electrical which became T2 in later years, until Moto closed it down in 2004.

[@PhilReynoldsLondonGeek]

Washington is a pretty impressive service area. I don't know Todhills at all. Southwaite has been the scene of some lovely times and one awful one... if I'd been feeling well enough and had suitable coinage about me I would have phoned my grandparents and asked them to rescue me.

[@touringcarmagazine]

Washy services is famous now! I used to go there every Friday night as a teenager (when you could get served at 14 or 15 for a pint....) and had many (non Auto) shenanigans after a night down the pub. Playing Sega Rad Mobile on the arcade. Booted out for trying to get some sleep on the walkway a few times. Managed to lift a few full sets crockery and cutlery (30 years on I think I've still got some) got pulled by my Geography teacher for being half cut, so we let off a powder fire extinguisher through his car window - Jesus, the whole thing inside became a massive white cloud. Happy days being a young arsehole. Must apologise to all affected though! (The car was a Dutton kit car, and yes, that teacher did have patches on the elbows of his cardigan.

[@libman2006]

2:10 It's the motorway services stop

[@pedanticradiator]

Moto or Granada briefly renamed Southwaite as Carlisle Services in the 1990s

[@glassowlie]

They did the same thing with Woolley Edge, renaming it to Granada Wakefield.

[@highpath4776]

Goes all John Rodgers about 6.14

[@aaaaplay]

I wish someone would do this for Australia.

[@MrGreatplum]

Who doesn’t love a motorway bridge?

[@anthonybeale1584]

what about going through all the UK tunnells

[@Vtarngpb]

Watford Gap is open 24/7 😉

[@libman2006]

I still can't see how a 3 foot wall kept the roman's out

[@GodlessGrandpa]

We've got taller as a species over the centuries. The Romans were actually only around 3 foot tall.

[@TruckinAboutWithSteve]

It didnt lol The romans built it to keep the short arsed vikings out that occupied Scotland

[@pedanticradiator]

​@@TruckinAboutWithSteve picts not Vikings

[@jakeroswell]

So Exelby is not a Service Station?

[@pedanticradiator]

It's not signposted off the motorway

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

Ford Escort trying hard to look like the only proper 70s rally car Fiat 131 Abarth….

[@insignificantaftermathPROJECTS]

95 service stations seems too little.

[@dacrlit]

Leeming Bar is still the same.

[@markauckland666]

Popped into Leeming Bar last week, its a total dump

[@pedanticradiator]

Hasn't changed since the 80s then