It avoids duplicating facilities on both sides of the road. There are ones where the slip road crosses the road to avoid duplicating facilities, like London Gateway (formerly Scratchwood) on the M1 and the new Cobham services on the M25. Alternatively some of the newer ones are built just off the motorway such as Cherwell Valley and Beaconsfield on the M40.
London Gateway is interesting too, as it uses an unbuilt junction off the M1.
I believe there's one on the M1 with a restaurant on the bridge over the motorway (which I must admit, I consider rather groovy !)
Leicester services are due to close soon as the motorway is being widened. That is the problem with bridge services
Yeah, it is Leicester Forest East. The closure has been in the pipeline for some time, to expand to 4 lanes. They still keep getting refurbishments though (last time I was there last summer it was the toilets that were getting done) so it can't be too imminent
How many motorway services are there that can actually be walked to on foot?
I'm thinking of when I stayed at the Premier Inn South Mimms, 5 minute walk and you go past a small service station that seems more designed for trucks and the like, then a few minutes later you're at the big Welcome Break services.
Of course, unless you're driving to that particular Premier Inn in the first place it isn't the most accessible! Used to get a taxi from either Potters Bar or High Barnet with it being a lot cheaper than a central London hotel but now prefer Stevenage with the hotels there walking distance from a regular 20 minute train to London!
Technically probably the majority, since most will have access roads - just not all of them will allow access with a vehicle by non employees though
As far as I'm aware there have only ever been five service areas with catering facilities in the bridge over the motorway, and I think they all still have some version of them: Leicester Forest East on the M1, Medway (formerly known as Farthing Corner) on the M2, and three on the M6: Keele, Knutsford and Charnock Richard. I've used them all except Meday.
Had forgotten about Charnock and Keele, though I have only visited once or twice when I worked in a support role for the operator. I don't recall what food outlets were on the Keele brodge, as I recall the restaurant (Eat In) on the southbound was next to the hard shoulder, but some of the offices were on the bridge, oddly!
I'm surprised no-one's mentioned the famous Watford Gap services - 1st service area in the country to open. It was originally operated by Blue Boar (who also operated Rothersthorpe (Northampton) and Annandale) bfore they sold out to Roadchef.
Newport Pagnell's also an interesting one. The motel is located on the northbound side but there is also official access to a separate car park serving it from Little Linford Lane. This is so that southbound users can access the motel but there's also nothing to stop non-motorway traffic from using this car park and walking over to the services. There's no way of accessing the northbound carriageway from this car park though.
Newport Pagnell has access from Little Linford Lane to both services. They're barriered but I believe hotel staff will let people through to/from the hotel. I believe the access roads have been used on occasion to release trapped traffic from the M1 when there have been incidents. It was also the location (southbound) where a coach "fell over" a few years ago on the slip road
Ah...the fun of being a teenager with a car...
