© Copyright David Sullivan, 2007-2009.
Named reports remain the property of the submitter. Otherwise, unless specified, the text and images supplied here are the intellectual property of the author. The article may be printed out for your own personal use but may not be copied into other websites or distributed in any other form either whole or in part without permission.
All trademarks acknowledged.

This has two and sometimes three consequences. Firstly the bays are generally full of (guess what) HGVs. Secondly they're often in a remote part of the service area, away from the facilities. (For that reason, the air often stinks of urine as well but let's not go there!) Thirdly there is sometimes no easy way back to the fuel pumps because only the diesel ones are accessible. All the major operators claim this isn't true but I for one am not convinced (Frankley southbound on the M5 certainly does not have access from the caravan bays to the full fuel services).

Even where there is a designated separate parking area for caravanners, there is also a problem caused by HGV drivers who park there either because their own area is full or because the caravan bays are closer to the facilities. Even solo cars are known to occupy caravan-only bays. Such illegal parking seems to be tolerated by the management teams (or by the enforcement companies working on their behalf) but if caravanners park where they shouldn't, they get clamped.

What this website will try to do is to set up a database that will praise the good sites and shame the poor ones. Hopefully it will guide caravanners as to which ones to avoid.

Please use this form to send in any information you can give me or, if you prefer, use the email link at the bottom of this page. I need to know which motorway and service area, and as many of the following details as possible - designated parking for caravans?, clear and unambiguous signing from the entrance to the parking bays?, proximity to amenities?, access to fuel? The type of parking bay can also be helpful - eg "drive-through" bays, "layby" bays or "reverse-in" bays.

The links below are in bold if there's a report for a service area on that road. Service areas that have good reports are coloured green (yes there are a few!), mixed reports amber, bad reports red and any areas for which there's not yet any report are blue. Please note that these ratings indicate the quality of caravan parking facilities and are not representative of how good the amenities are.