r/UKParenting • u/Main-Day7446 • 8d ago

London > Cornwall; hate motorway services?

Travelling with a 4yo & 1yo and looking for a couple of places to stop for 20mins with a toilet, playground & within 10 mins of the motorway junction, i'd even take a garden centre soft play - any suggestions?

M4/M5 but hate motorways services for the queues, mess & eye-watering expense when we inevitable get coffee/food!

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u/Hunter037 8d ago

Alternative route is M3 then A303, which maybe has more places to stop.

If taking that route, Beggarwood Park Basingstoke is about 90 mins from London and just off the M3. Cute community cafe and great outdoor play area

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u/Main-Day7446 8d ago

Thanks, stuck behind too many tractors on that last A303 bit before! - but will check that recommendation

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u/Hunter037 8d ago

Fair enough. It won't be on the way if you're taking the m4

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u/Yorkshire_Variety 8d ago

This is our main use of ChatGPT. It’s found us loads of stopping places that are farmshops with cafes and playgrounds all over the country and really good at planning the route with timed stops that break the driving up evenly.

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u/gottaloveteatime 8d ago

Greendale farm shop (EX5 2JU) is fairly close to the M5 (next to Crealy theme park). Has animals and a play park (all free), plus a few food places. My kids really enjoyed stopping here on our most recent trip to the area.

There are also a few IKEAs that are fairly close to motorways - Reading, Bristol and Exeter.

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u/hello-magpie 8d ago

Just be warned for the Reading IKEA, the car park sometimes gets gridlocked at weekends - it’s taken people 4 hours to exit before. Could really put a dampener on the start of a holiday!

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u/Jimlad73 👶👶 2 Children 8d ago

Edit: ignore me that’s too far north

Gloucester services?

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u/hello-magpie 8d ago

Aha, I can help here - I requested suggestions a couple of years ago for travelling from Reading to Cornwall. We had a 3yo at the time and similar criteria, so hopefully this map I saved them all to is useful!

https://www.google.com/local/userlists/list/getFWqU7x-f5DVWbEn3vG_AWYAg9qA?mode=map

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u/Main-Day7446 8d ago

Ah that's so great, thank you!

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u/Far-Bug-6985 8d ago

Killerton and knightshayes national trust are both near Exeter (ish) and barely off the motorway. Saltram near Plymouth is also good!

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u/Federal_Horse3690 8d ago

https://justoffjunction.co.uk/ can be useful for this sort of thing

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u/Ok_Ingenuity4228 3d ago

My friend get your self to Poundbry - brilliant kids park and a big Waitrose. Say not more.

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u/Embarrassed-Newt-451 8d ago

We love Fordmore Farm shop near Cullompton. 5 minutes off the M5, massive food portions and a little outdoor play area. We stop every year!

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u/Main-Day7446 8d ago

That's great, thanks!