I’ve taken advantage of some spare time over the holiday period to add the ability to view larger versions of the photos on the site. This only works for ones submitted in the last year or so, as before that I didn’t keep a copy of the original photo submission due to space constraints. But, for those where I do have a copy of the full-size original, it’s now linked from the standard images under the “Photos” tab – if the icon changes to the “link finger” when you mouse over an image on the Photos tab, then it’s clickable and the link will show the large image.

For an example, go to the Photos tab for Beaconsfield services and you’ll see that all the images are clickable and lead to the larger version.

As mentioned in the previous blog post, Watford Gap services is 50 years old today. Opened on the same day as the M1 itself, it’s the first and oldest MSA in the UK. (more…)

For those who may not be aware of the fact, the M1 opened exactly 50 years ago today. And, with it, the first motorway service area, Watford Gap.

There are celebrations taking place today at Watford Gap to mark the occasion, so if you’re passing by then make sure you drop in. A full report will be posted here later today.

Yes, that’s right, you can now follow MotorwayServices.info on Twitter. Whenever someone posts a new comment here on the site we’ll tweet about it, so you can easily keep up to date with what people are saying.

Some of the most common criticisms I’ve received about MotorwayServices.info have been about the hotel links and information. Specifically, there were two main points that have been made the most often:

1. Although each area page lists the on-site hotel where there is one (and we know about it), there’s no clickable link directly to it. Instead, users have to follow the general “hotels” link and then try to find the one that’s located at the MSA. And, often, it’s not listed on that page at all.
2. Many of the prices shown in the hotels list turned out to be unavailable when actually trying to book a room.

The main reason for both of these problems was essentially the same. Firstly, the data feed on which the hotel lists are based didn’t include Travelodge, which is the most common operator of hotels at MSAs. And, secondly, the data feed wasn’t being updated often enough, meaning that prices were often several months out of date.

The solution to that is twofold. Firstly, and fairly obviously, I’ve now set up an automated system to update the primary data feed on a weekly basis, meaning that prices displayed here will never be more than a few days out of date. I should really have done that a long time ago; it was just a lack of round tuits that stopped it.

Secondly, I’ve now managed to get a data feed for Travelodge, something which had previously evaded me! That, in turn, has made it practical to include direct links from each area page to the appropriate hotel where the data is available. That covers the majority of sites where the hotel operator is either Travelodge or Days Inn, and some of the sites where the operator is Premier Inn. I don’t have a full feed yet for Premier Inn, but that’s something I’m hoping to add in the near future if at all possible. However, it’s less essential as they’re only the third most common hotel operator at MSAs.

The separate hotels list still exists, as I know many people prefer to use other hotels near to MSAs rather than the on-site hotel, so the list and the advanced search facility makes that possible. But I hope the changes will help those of you who simply want an overnight stop at the most convenient location and also want the most convenient way of booking it.

…is, according to The Times, Motorway Service Stations.

You pop in to go to the toilet and five minutes later you’ve bought a full-English breakfast for £18.99 and joined the AA.

I have no idea what relevence this is to football, unless it’s a sideways look at the life of a supporter. I suppose if you travel to a lot of away games, you’re going to see the inside of plenty of MSAs in the course of a season.

Browsing the BBC news website during my lunch break, I came across this amusing tale of a course designed to increase our appreciation of motorways and motorway service stations. As the introduction to the piece puts it:

 

There’s more to motorways than tarmac, tailbacks and tepid coffee served at tourist prices. To prove it a lecturer took a minibus of students on a day-long tour of the M1.

 

Many people suppress feelings of mild dread at the idea of spending any time at all on the motorway. Few struggle with secret yearnings for the over-lit service stations areas that dot their routes.

This is all the brainchild of Peter Lawrence who, apparently, has a PhD in motorway services. Much as I approve of his dedication (and wonder why he’s never contributed to motorwayservices.info), I can’t help thinking that there can’t be that much original research you can do about MSAs. I’d love to read a copy of his thesis.

In an idle moment last night, I added a basic stats page to the main site, showing which sites get the most and fewest comments. It’s probably no surprise that Bolton West has had more comments so far than any other site, as it’s not only located on a very busy motorway but also has the largest number of negative comments – people seem more likely to comment when they’re complaining rather than praising!

However, at the other end of the scale, there are five sites which, at the time I write this, have had no comments at all either negative or positive. These are:

• Derby South Westbound
• Caerphilly
• Tiverton
• London Gateway
• Burton-in-Kendal

Of these, I’m less surprised about the first three. They’re all relatively recent additions to the database, and the Derby South services aren’t even real MSAs – they’re MSA-like services on the A50. But the lack of comments on the other two does surprise me. They’ve been listed on the site since I created it, and they’re both on major motorways (the M1 and M6 respectively). London Gateway is possibly a special case since it’s actually fairly small, and doesn’t get as much traffic as its seemingly prime location would suggest – it’s so close to the end of the M1 that a lot of potential customers prefer to use off-motorway facilities either before joining the motorway or after they leave it.

But what about Burton-in-Kendal? It’s on a busy motorway, there aren’t many off-motorway options nearby and it’s the northbound twin of the popular Killington Lake. It’s also in between Lancaster and Tebay Northbound, both of which also have a fair number of comments. I’d expect Burton-in-Kendal to have at least some comments here as well, therefore. But no – it has remained resolutely uncommented on since the site was created.

Is that because no-one uses it? Do you all stop at Lancaster, or continue to Tebay instead? Or is it simply so bland and uninteresting that no-one who does use it thinks it’s worth commenting on?

Whatever the reason, it would be nice to fill in the gaps and get at least one comment (and, ideally, at least one photo) for each MSA listed here. So if you happen to be passing Derby South Westbound, Tiverton, Caerphilly, London Gateway or Burton-in-Kendal, why not drop in and let us know what you find. But especially Burton-in-Kendal. I want to know why it’s so unpopular with readers of this site.

The Times today carries an obituary of John Greenwood, the former chief executive of RoadChef. According to the obit,

John Greenwood was a captain of the food service industry who as chief executive of the RoadChef chain of motorway service stations from 2001 to 2004 made sure that a decent cup of coffee was finally available to British motorists.

I know that it’s a general rule in obituaries not to speak ill of the dead, and I’m sure that John Greenwood was a very competent chief executive. But it’s rather stretching a point to give the impression that he alone, or even that RoadChef, finally gave MSA customers what they want. A quick glance through the comments here will dispel that idea!

The obit goes on to say this about Norton Canes:

Resembling a Scandinavian airport lounge rather than a traditional roadside greasy spoon, the £15 million complex boasted sleek furnishings, food cooked to order and, most importantly, clean, modern washrooms and lavatories. It set the benchmark for the industry.

Again, this looks like hyperbole to me. I’ve used Norton Canes and, while it’s certainly better than most, it’s not outstandingly so. And it’s nothing particularly special, in terms of design – it’s pretty much the same as all of the newer generation of MSAs. And “food cooked to order” was actually a feature of most of the earliest MSAs – until the operators realised that most customers wanted simply wanted fast food instead. Plus ca change.

Today’s Sunday Express carries a story about the proposed “star rating” scheme for motorway services, and it includes three quotes from our reader comments. Unfortunately, I can’t find the story online at their website, so I can’t link to it, but I think it reports the situation pretty well.