Michael spoke to Michael and we remembered why we miss him (though Ball is good in his own way).

Parky made a savage attack on motorway cafes - quite right; a few days ago I stopped for breakfast on the motorway to Manchester and could not believe I was being charged PER RASHER of bacon!

Parky said the exact same.

Plus it was revolting.

Motorway service stations are revolting generally. However, there are nearly always some well-kept secrets half a mile or so down the road where the truckers go for their food. I know where a few of them are.......

Tommorow I will inevitably be eating at the dreaded services again, overpriced and disgusting but needs must.
I really cannot give a tip on what to eat there really at any of them and there are probably not many in the UK that I have not stopped at by now.

They seem to put raw food out under the infra red lamps and let it stew by itself, failing that , you can`t have anything!


And the coffee prices? grrrrr! I have paid over 6 quid for one, I think that drivers should get free coffee from the services, even if only a small black watery one which seems to be the ones that get sold most.

Hang on. There is ONE exception. The "Westmorland Farm Shops" services on the M6 at Tebay in Cumbria.

If you're travelling up to/down from Scotland on the M6, there is a services on both sides of the M6, which is actually owned and operated by the farmers that originally owned the land before the M6 was built. Both sites (north and south bound) have greast restaurants plus farm shops - plus northbound have a fantastic hotel, with a really good restaurant.
Take a look at this link, (even if you only look at the photos):
www.visitcumbria.com/pen/tebay-services.htm

It always amuses me about these loathsome motorway service places because as Marcus points out, there are lots of little secrets to be found near motorways... usually on the roads you turn off usually a mile or two down. You'll come across those trucker stops - usually a converted caravan - and there you get good portions and decent value for money. Of course it does help to know where they are but there are more of them about than you may think.

So, I'd say it's often worth the gamble of turning off the motorway and taking a look down the road to see if you find a truckers cafe. Might mean using up a little more time and petrol but in the long run, you won't have to pay the ludicrous rip off prices of the motorway services and actually eat something more substantial and filling than the motorway services.

Only downer side to this method is often a lack of toilets facilities!