Off to Bristol at the end of the month for a long weekend.
So I’m asking which / where are the ‘better’ MSA’s to stop at after Whetherby?
Haven’t been down that far for years, so can’t remember them (if any now)… 
Goldfinger:
Off to Bristol at the end of the month for a long weekend.So I’m asking which / where are the ‘better’ MSA’s to stop at after Whetherby?
Haven’t been down that far for years, so can’t remember them (if any now)…
Going by ? car bike truck, If your by car /bike stop at a pub for a meal and look for fuel at a asda etc it’ll be cheaper
Gloucester…but so far as I know they are still building the south-bound site.
If you’re not in a hurry poodle down the A38 it’s a good old fashioned road with eateries a plenty or if you’re in a hurry most services are all pretty much the same so stop when you’re ready.
I would imagine Strensham will be busy. Hopwood isn’t too bad.
No point stopping at Gloucester as you’re almost at Bristol.
Conor:
No point stopping at Gloucester as you’re almost at Bristol.
Also Gloucester is only Northbound.
The northbound Gloucester is so good with such a good shop its worth stopping no matter what your destination. I assume going down means you’ll be coming back so its well worth a visit.
Anything just before Strensham, if that place is going to be possibly overly busy?
Would’ve been ideal with it being 2 hours before our final destination going that way…
As someone else suggested if I were you id take to the A Roads and stop in villages and pubs etc. Could cut through part of the Cotswolds
switchlogic:
The northbound Gloucester is so good with such a good shop its worth stopping no matter what your destination. I assume going down means you’ll be coming back so its well worth a visit.
Agreed…come off at 12,turn around back down to the services… Fill up with proper grub, down to 11a and turn around back towards Bristol. Not very far between the junctions, only takes 5 mins or so.
I highly reccomend the beef foggy and the wild boar sausage roll. The filter coffee isnt bad either.
If you have the time to be a driver and not just a human auto pilot on the motorway come off the M42 at junction 3, the A435 for Evesham. The road becomes the A46 at a roundabout with a filling station and Muckdonalds but parking for large trucks is limited.
At the start of the Evesham by pass is another filling station and services with a restaurant and better parking.
Between Evesham and junction 9 Tewkesbury on the M5 is the Vale Transport cafe and fuel.
The road is flat all the way with a fair bit of dual carriageway. I go this way with the car from Bristol to feel human for a while when I go north.
On nights I used to use the 24 hr garage where the A42 meets the M42 jcn 11, for my wake up coffee. Decent sized shop. It’s only 2yrds down A444 sth. There’s also a McD’s but never used it. Coming from Newcastle it’s a handy 3 1/2 hrs into your journey.
If you’re coming down the M42, then Hopwood park is probably the best of a bad bunch. As others have pointed out, the new Gloucester services are a bit special but the southbound one is still under construction, it’s worth driving past it and doubling-back on yourself for a few miles. Having said that you’re virtually in Bristol by this point and I’d imagine you’ll want to stretch your legs before getting to Gloucester.
By the way, does anyone know, was the only way for them to get planning permission for Gloucester services to build them like a military bunker with a grass roof!?
Sprinter Si:
If you’re coming down the M42, then Hopwood park is probably the best of a bad bunch. As others have pointed out, the new Gloucester services are a bit special but the southbound one is still under construction, it’s worth driving past it and doubling-back on yourself for a few miles. Having said that you’re virtually in Bristol by this point and I’d imagine you’ll want to stretch your legs before getting to Gloucester.By the way, does anyone know, was the only way for them to get planning permission for Gloucester services to build them like a military bunker with a grass roof!?
No, they are just hippys who wanted it to look nice. Which to be fair it does.
Sprinter Si, the locals objected for many years for the new Gloucester MSA, as they wrongly assumed it would transpire in to an ugly monster, that was the same design as the sterile Roadchef and Moto money grabber Msa,s.
The Gloucester MSA was designed not be seen from the NIMBIES that lived in the village nearby, so the whole new site was built to be sunk low in the ground, if you look at the car park, it can not be seen from the villagers over the hill.
The same for the main building and fuel station.