All The Motorway Service Stations Episode 7

#motorway #servicestation #travel
It's grim up North... so they say, couldn't disagree more. It's wonderful and we've many service station delights lined up. We look at an old coal mine... I did say we we're up North? We also stop to look at a field... where a service station would have been built if only for the fact it wasn't.
We are embarking on a journey across the UK to visit all 93* motorway service stations.
*It turns out there are 94 **
**95
In this episode, we'll be stopping at;
Blyth Services - Moto - A1M
Doncaster North - Moto - M18
FerryBridge - Moto - M62
Woolley Edge - Moto - M1
Heartshead Moor - Welcome Break - M62
Leeds Skelton Lake - Extra - M1
Wetherby - Moto - A1M
Give our twitter a follow -- @JonShenanigans We'll be sure to update it as we go along.
Hit that subscribe and notification button to make sure you're informed of our latest videos.

[@TheFlyingBusman]

From a coach driver’s perspective, this is a very interesting series of videos. Must say, Gloucester, Tebay and Skelton Lakes are my fave stop offs.

[@McRocket]

4:31 'And I am also tragically unfit'. 😄 You have great style, imo. ☮

[@frankiestopforth7789]

I adore your use of the "Batteries not included" theme for this video. A very underrated piece of music! ☺️👍

[@AutoShenanigans]

Well spotted!!

[@MrGreatplum]

Welcome Break being very unwelcome I see… Leeds Skelton Lake services is certainly the most interesting architecturally so far on your journey.

[@edbrown84]

Shame on welcome break for not letting you film. It could be free advertising for them but instead it's showing them in a negative light

[@sazwell]

An unwelcome break indeed

[@JayYoung-ro3vu]

They probably had a good reason(s)?

[@Johnketes54]

​@@JayYoung-ro3vuyes power hungry arseholes I imagine he explained his KZbin channel

[@RebMordechaiReviews]

Driving from the M11 and onto the A1(M) heading north towards Scotch Corner, our rented Toyota Rav4 (the model we hire every year) starts to give us the Coffee symbol in the dashboard display (and the text "Take a Break") just before Wetherby Service Station. Consequently, we know Wetherby rather well. For some strange reason, coming back down the A1(M) heading south, the "Coffee sign" comes on again, just before Wetherby South. Strange...

[@johncamp2567]

That was an interesting tour for those of us arm-chair travelers. Thank you!

[@Azeria]

Pet peave of mine with a couple of the comments is the spelling of Woolley, as it’s a family name of mine, and for some reason, chronically misspelt. Double U, double O, double L, E, Y.

[@andykilvington1651]

I remember coming out with a rather silly question on a trip to Harrogate donkeys years ago. It was what's the similarity between Barnsley Motorway Services and a sheep. Answer? They both have a Wooley Edge (woolly edge).

[@AutoShenanigans]

chortle. Proper dad joke that....

[@beatlegreg07]

Good ol Blythe services was the halfway point to my grandparents house when I was a wee nipper. Many happy holiday memories of swapovers at Blythe. We would actually eat at a little chef down the road now called Joe's Cafe last time I checked.

[@EuropaSman]

Leeds University students who used to study at the Bretton Hall campus before it closed (alumini including Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith & Mark Gatiss) used to nickname Wooley Edge as Fluffy Corner. My sister studied there in the early 2000's and I've been to the northbound services a few times myself.

[@JimmyRyan13]

I always wondered what that space was for by Doncaster services, makes sense. Not just an entertainment but an education as well 👍 Cheers.

[@AutoShenanigans]

thanks for watching!

[@suzyqualcast6269]

Keep y'eyes, ON the road.

[@glenjones6980]

I remember having to use Ferrybridge and Hartshead Moor in the mid 90's quite frequently and thinking both were that old they needed pulling down and replacing. Having got as far as Wetherby in the upload yet but having had many a tacho break there I've always wondered why so many car drivers seem to miss the car park and end up in the lorry park. Never fathomed why they made trucks stop as they made the exit from the car park a straight run, killer in a truck with the stop, tight turn and then the roundabout, no wonder it can be a pig for everyone to get out of.

[@orbtastic]

I once met British Bulldog at Ferrybridge services. He was having a meal. He had so much food he had 2 trays. He must have had four cloches. God knows what the state of his toilet was like after. Also, they mooted a new service station on the A1 on the A635 junction. It went through planning and all sorts and was supposed to start work but suddenly got canned. Apparently they want rid of the huge layby as it's a popular dogging spot (also used to be the premier dogging spot about a mile away but that was flattened and tarmaced over with floodlights lolz) but too many people objected to the services on wildlife concerns (although I go walking there regularly and rarely see any...)

[@grindelston5968]

You seem to have a suspiciously large amount of knowledge of the local dogging scene! R.I.P. Davey boy

[@orbtastic]

@@grindelston5968 I used to go up there and smoke dope, it was really good for parking up in a secluded bay and not being seen.

[@grindelston5968]

Oh ok. ;) Did you get to speak to British bulldog -Davey boy- or did you just leave him to it ?

[@orbtastic]

@@grindelston5968 Nah mate. left him to it. Poor bloke was only trying to get his tea

[@6643bear]

Very interesting and informative, great idea for this type of video. Thanks mark

[@insignificantaftermathPROJECTS]

Lol How are you today? I am yeah!

[@libman2006]

I used to like Wetherby services but became too overcrowded so go to Skelton Lake more now. Can't see that J46 improvements is going to help things either, need more parking.

[@JD-wn3cc]

I don't mind Wetherby but yeah, it's always so busy! At anytime I've been there!

[@EdgyNumber1]

Wow! A Drax coal train. Last thing i can remember about Drax powerstation is, not only the badass name for the village its named after, but the fact that it supplies 10% of the UK's electricity. Its huge site! Question: Was it the same Granada that owned the North West ITV studios, Granada television?

[@misterflibble9799]

Yes. Granada PLC owned both Granada TV and the Granada chain of motorway service stations (eventually rebranded as Moto).

[@glassowlie]

Yep, until the mid 80s, they used the same logo as the TV station in red and white.

[@martinhughes2549]

Granada also had a big chain of TV rental shops as well.

[@glassowlie]

Also, those striped poles are from Granada. They have a red curved top for the flag poles.

[@sarkybugger5009]

There is (or was) a back entrance to Woolley Edge services. Handy access for locals, and for the viewpoint.

[@PlayWatchViewKayden]

there is one on every one

[@PhilReynoldsLondonGeek]

That's Blyth in Nottinghamshire of course - not the other one. Also, there is just one service area on the M1 I don't know - Leeds Skelton Lake. I don't mind Woolley Edge generally but it was one of the worst for the double trouble of towing a trailer and using a wheelchair. The only one worse was Frankley.

[@hrg1]

skeleton lake is nice as you can walk from the templenewsam park to it

[@bogdan.bobocel]

Amazing videos you got! I would sugest to use a DJI gimball for your phone and the image stabilization will be much better, specially when you walk…

[@TheDeeplyCynical]

Wetherby looks almost identical to Cherwell Valley

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

Welcome Break not exactly welcoming… I say sod ‘em and film anyway…

[@thehouseholder5468]

Do you think that maybe motorway service don’t like competition and a lot of money was passed to inhibit the amount of services on stretches

[@libman2006]

Skelton Lake is good in fact I think all the Extra services I've been to have been good but I like Skelton Lake especially. I have a friend who lives near a place called Skelton and when I'm going to see them I tell them I'm in Skelton and they sh*t themselves because they think I'm just round the corner when I'm actually still a good 90 mins away.

[@PlayWatchViewKayden]

theres no skelton in leeds, you do know that, right?

[@jonntischnabel]

"doncarrster" just doesn't sound right 🤣

[@europa504]

I think you need to punish your researcher. At 10:07 you mention that Hartshead is the highest service station. My map has it at about 460ft. Tebay is 700ft, Killington Lake is 722ft and Abington (if you include Scotland) is 850ft.

[@loveisall5520]

Out of six signs at that Welcome Break, three are American companies, Burger King is Canadian (Tim Horton's) and the last two are British. What gives, guys?

[@wanderingorganist]

I really cannot imagine why they shd be so publicity shy. I'm only 2/3 through, waiting to see if this got resolved.

[@I_Was_Chrispy_Kreme]

I’m not surprised they didn’t let you film. There is no way they can justify the prices the charge.. I always wondered why there was a competition investigation into them… then I remembered who has been in power for the last 12 years….

[@JD-wn3cc]

Welcome break, roadchef and moto all charge pretty much the same don't they? They've always been a bit of a rip off, especially the fuel stations. In fact, I think that its only the inclusion of chain fast food places that's given some, dare I say, value for money eating options vs the fully owened restaurants which use to be the only option.

[@Sozbear]

Yeah, because before that they were bargain basement weren't they? Ridiculous false argument if ever there was one. There are reasonable explanations out there as to why costs are so high though no doubt there is an element of unjustifiable charging.

[@I_Was_Chrispy_Kreme]

@@Sozbear All I know is when I first started using service stations back in the 90s there used to be cash machines outside free to use. Last time I went on a longer trip (pre covid) there was a £4.95 charge to withdraw £10. I think it was the RAC did an investigation into motorway fuel prices and the industry response was 'it's very expensive to get fuel to us' we have to pass off that cost... a 'reasonable explanation' until the RAC followed a tanker which dropped off at the Motorway Services then drive into town and service all the local stations which guess what... were 5-10p litre cheaper...

[@Sozbear]

@@I_Was_Chrispy_Kreme It's the banks that have withdrawn the free cashpoints, even in some city centres. The Link network is nothing like it was. Garages the country over have either got rid of them or now have fee paying machines. Sadly as with anything what was free often isn't any more. The service stations have to be open 24/7 even if no-one is using the premises. they cannot close and have to pay anti-social hours wages to staff. They also have to keep toilets operating and a food offering, all of which costs when they're not taking much in. I'm sure there is a degree of rip off, but not as much perhaps as you feel.

[@KingOfLochs]

@@Sozbear The majority only started charging btw, ever since the government banned surcharge charges by paying by card. It is industries that are conning the public out of money imo

[@VegasMilgauss]

No Surrender ✊

[@5340robert]

No Markham Moor ?

[@neilevans8940]

It's not motorway there, just A1... 😉

[@Mickey-wl9oc]

Emotional

[@professorpodcast3029]

What was the music used at the beginning?

[@AutoShenanigans]

What a good looking question... It's the theme from 'Grange Hill.'

[@professorpodcast3029]

@@AutoShenanigans ah, I have heard it many times before but I didn't no the name, thanks!

[@AutoShenanigans]

A staple for anyone who grew up in the 80s/90s. Thanks for watching, catch you soon!