Motorway Services Online

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Carnforth truckstop

Location:

M6 at J35
(also accessible to traffic on the A6070 and the A6)

Signposted from the road.

Postcode:

LA5 9RQ

map and directions

Access/Layout:

Single site located at a junction.

Rating: See the reviews


The long-standing Carnforth truckstop is now an independent facility located at the end of the spur road off the M6. The site is signposted from the M6 and what was the A601(M).

Facilities

Catering: Bar, Restaurant Shops: Shop Amenities: Conference Centre, Games Arcade, Showers, Hotel Outdoor Space: Small grass area at front of building Forecourt: Esso, Shop, Tchibo

Parking Prices

First 2 hours free for all vehicles, after which cars must pay £5 and HGVs £19 to include a £2 meal voucher. HGVs can also pay £23 to include a £6 meal voucher or £27 to include a £10 meal voucher.

No parking is available for caravans or motorhomes.

Prices are paid in the shop or restaurant, and can be paid with GBP, EUR, fuel cards or SNAP.

This information is provided to us by third parties. You should always check with staff on site.

Contact Details

🏢 Address:
Truckhaven (Carnforth) Ltd
Scotland Road
Carnforth
Lancashire
LA5 9RQ


Trivia and History

HGVs stopped under a black petrol station canopy, with an Esso sign.
The forecourt.

Carnforth was the last remaining part of the larger Truckhaven business, which provided a number of truckstop facilities across the UK, including in West Bromwich. The Carnforth site is now independent.

The facility was initially provided for HGVs only, but was soon allowed to serve the general public. Between 1996 and 2006, Truckhaven held planning permission to build a restaurant and petrol station for cars on the opposite side of the roundabout, next to the railway line. This was eventually refused for being a greenfield site.

For fans of technicalities, Carnforth has some strange history. The town had its own little motorway, the A601(M), which had a mess of ancient signs, some of which had patches calling the truckstop by its brand name, "Truckhaven". Signage on the M6 looks like those for a motorway service area, but with all the words removed, and a journey to the truckstop involved the unusual perk of a journey along the length of a whole different motorway.

For many years, there was no official policy for acknowledging motorway truckstops, which is why the authorities made it up at Carnforth. Signage on the A6 and on the motorway roundabout treats it like a local service area. An official policy of using black signs has existed since 2008, but no effort has been made to apply that here: when the signs on the M6 were replaced in 2015, they were replaced like-for-like, with more incorrect models.

Planning permission is currently held for eight InstaVolt electric vehicle chargers to be added to the car park here, suggesting the site's focus is not just HGVs.

Alternatives

Previous:Next:
Lancaster (13 miles)Services on the M6Burton-in-Kendal (M6 northbound, 5 miles)
Killington Lake (M6 southbound, 15 miles)

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