On this day 25 years ago (2001): Baldock services opened. The third of Extra's launch trio and probably the smallest of the set and one of the winners of the cancelled A1 upgrade

It is officially the most barren "Services" sign (and yes it's also the wrong colour)

Since posting an anti-AI rant, this website has gone offline twice. First time was because of a complicated operational limit I don't understand. Second time was because I installed an update without reading the changelog and then went to lunch. That's how a website should be run.

ICYMI: The independent A-road service area called 'Cornwall' has been purchased by Welcome Break.

The Wetherspoon pub at Beaconsfield services, a subject of controversy when it opened, has quietly closed

On this day last year (2025): Rotherham services opened. Great attention went into the building design inside and out with many novel features, including its creative effort to cram into the only space available by the chaotic roundabout.

Welcome Break have announced their purchase of Cornwall services. I was going to tell you to read our coverage (link: motorwayservices.uk/Cornwall#Sale ), but we can't get you a picture better than what Reach Plc are using for this story:

On this day 35 years ago (1991): the M40 opened between Wheatley and Longbridge. It was the last time Britain would open a new motorway corridor, or a long length of new motorway. It transformed Banbury, relieved the M1 and changed the A34 corridor.

On this day 25 years ago (2001): Peterborough services opened. It was Extra's first motorway site, winning from a series of proposals to build facilities on the new A1(M). It has since expanded considerably.

I can't find it because Google's a mess, but somebody once wrote that our website is "old fashioned", in a way "the web needs more of" As more and more websites feel broken, stick two fingers up at AI summaries, video, data tracking and trolling by reading a massive page about a service station

Aliens, innit?

How many of roads.org.uk 's references did you spot?

Was scrolling through waiting for a punchline and actually it makes a very good point

Car skeeters. Is this a DB5 or a DB6? Or am I completely wrong?

Things can disappear before you realise. How many of our former operators did you realise aren't named on the motorways any more?

If I happen to spot a cock-up on signs I *will* document it, even if you fix it...

Sometimes it can feel like you've seen all the historic evidence you're going to see, and other days you stumble into a picture of Welcome Break Pease Pottage

It's surprisingly rare, but the McDonald's at Hazelgrove services has closed following the opening of the new bypass

Why nobody knows what colour this road sign is

On a permanent sign?!

What happened to the UK's quirky independent operators? You won't any these days.

Merry Christmas from Folkestone service station

Basingstoke councillors raise concerns about "critical shortage of HGV parking" and then oppose planned Basingstoke services

On this day at 12pm, 60 years ago (1965): A four month trial began for Britain's 70mph motorway speed limit. The trial was a response to a number of incidents often involving fog, so a 30mph speed restriction during fog was included. The trial was extended before becoming permanent

Moto and Welcome Break have published their detailed Christmas opening hours, finally revealing what a good portion of the road network will be offering over the festive period

Rownhams services robbed as staff forced into toilets

I have read this trash so that you don't have to, and the only complaint I could find was that she wanted to eat all the cheese.

Used to think the longest thing in the world was the walk to the toilets at Rugby services, but after watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw I'm not so sure.

It appears that EG Group are installing these signs at all of their sites, seemingly without LHA approval given the flag signs are wrong sized, and placed well before a turn, and do not meet the requirements for non-motorway service area facility signs. @motorwayservices.uk Have you spotted any?

Moto begins removing West Cornwall Pasty Co. units from service stations

A lot of online newspapers are running a Christmas story about the best service station. It's based largely on our data with little attribution. So you can see the actual list of your top-rated service stations here:

Christmas advert idea. You stop driving because the weather is bad. Then you get snowed in at a service station. But it's OK because it's Beaconsfield services and there's actually loads to do.

We don't use Cloudflare, so while the internet is offline, why not read about service stations?

Our 2026 calendar is now available to purchase. With 12 stunning images of Scotland’s roads from the 1930s to the 1990s! 🥳 Order here: www.scottishroadsarchive.org/online-store...

When asked what colour they think signs for A-road services are, the majority of drivers said "green". Do you know why they're wrong?

We've added 22 more A-road service areas to our ratings database. See if your favourite (or least favourite) is waiting to be rated:

As well as being nearly 2 years out of date and wrong, an article in today's Daily Express makes the bizarre claim that the UK hasn't opened any other service stations since 2005.

William Woollard at Gordano services - anyone know where the rest of this episode can be found?

Well, we promised a follow-up for #MapMonday to the fascinating London Ringways #Map for another major city in Great Britain, so here it is... The Greater Glasgow Transportation Study from 1968.

Earlier this week I spoke to London Centric about the Ringways Map and all things unbuilt London - they’ve dedicated the whole of their latest edition to the story! substack.com/home/post/p-...

Media reports that the planned Brentwood services is "on hold" are true but misleading. Anybody who wants to interfere with a motorway has to pass safety checks. Otherwise we'd all build our own junction. NH say this work is "progressing well". Hurdles are the reason most MSAs are on roundabouts.

German Doner Kebab to expand to 5 motorway locations

🇮🇪 Queues expected as Taco Bell prepares to open at Lusk services

New: What was your favourite stop-off like in 1990? We've recorded all the results from Egon Ronay's guide

I think every website which researches facts is saying the same thing

Infrastructure planning is bonkers, episode 33: The new Basingstoke services will be legally only accessible to motorists, despite having a large source of potential employees just 380 metres away from the building and the route by road being much longer (and congested).

GRIDSERVE starts construction on two 'Electric Freightway' service station eHGV charging

London's Ringways are a whole network of unbuilt urban motorways threaded through the capital. There's never been a complete map of them,not even one made by their designers, until now. Today we're publishing the Ringways Map from @roads.org.uk to let you see in the city that London nearly became.

New! After eight years of waiting, they're online! See London's unbuilt motorways as even their planners never could in our amazing, immersive Ringways Map, hosted by the amazing SABRE Maps. It *might* be the best thing we've ever done. #ringways

Consistently our lowest-rated motorway service area and constantly threatened by a rival opening up next door: just what is going wrong at Bridgwater?