Hilton Park

Hilton Park
Moto
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Road:	M6 between J10a and J11
Address:	Moto Hilton Park Motorway Services Area M6 Essington Wolverhampton Staffordshire WV11 2AT
Telephone number:	01922 412237
Signposted from the road?	As Burger King/Costa/M&S
Opened:	1967
Previous operators:	Rank, Pavilion, Granada
Previous names:	Birmingham North
Grid reference:	SJ962050
Services type:	Two sites located between junctions, connected by an internal bridge.
Visit Hilton Park Northbound/Moto's official website Visit Hilton Park Southbound/Moto's official website

Squashed in on the M6 between J10a and J11, Hilton Park is a large and very busy service area not far from Birmingham.

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Facilities

General: Local Information, Picnic Tables, Children's Play Area (southbound only), Lucky Coin, Showers, Wi-Fi
Restaurants: Eat & Drink Co., Burger King, Costa Coffee
Shops: WH Smith, Ladbrokes, Marks and Spencer Simply Food, Fonebitz
Fuel: BP with pumps for Unleaded, Ultimate Unleaded, Diesel, Ultimate Diesel and AdBlue
Motel: Travelodge^{[book rooms]} (southbound only)

Parking Prices

First two hours free for all vehicles, after which cars must pay £8 and HGVs £18, or £20 to include a £7.50 food voucher.

Prices can be paid through the phone, with instructions in each car park. They are strictly enforced by CP Plus.

Trivia

Location

Hilton Park has a lot to answer for. Its location is the main reason why J10a only faces south, and it has also meant that a whole new dual carriageway has had to be proposed to link the M54 to the M6 Toll. For a while it was to be closed so that junction improvements could take place either side, in a similar fashion to Leicester Forest East.

This isn't going to help southbound traffic, where the next services are 30 miles away for traffic for the south-east and 50 miles for traffic for the south central. This would have been solved by Perry Barr services, which were never completed. When you consider this and just how busy this bit of the M6 is (it's the second busiest single stretch of motorway in the UK), it's no surprise that in 1998 Hilton Park was noted for being the busiest service station in the UK. However, since then the M6 Toll has taken a small amount of that traffic away so it's not known where it still lays claim to this title.

Its location has also meant that the M54 needed its own service station - Telford.

History

Around the time it became the busiest, Hilton Park was extended to become the first "mini-shopping centre". The extension made it the first site to gain a Cyber Café and the last to get a Trucker's Lounge. Neither of these facilities are still available.

The northbound tower

Each side of Hilton Park has a distinctive tower. Its opened was delayed by problems with the sewage system, and when it finally did open the operators were unhappy that the motorway kept being closed as it was being extended. At first both towers held a restaurant with a panoramic view, but this has since been closed due to fire regulations and now has offices. If this story sounds familiar, it's because Rank did it again on a much larger scale at Forton. The staircase for the northbound tower is still used to access the bridge, but you cannot reach the top. On the southbound side the toilets are on the second level beneath the tower, with a second staircase being used.

The name Hilton Park derives from the name of the stately home which the services are built on, which itself is named after the nearby village of Hilton.

For a while Hilton Park was known as Birmingham North before changing back. They changed back partially because Wolverhampton Council weren't happy with something within their area being named after Birmingham.

Recent Developments

An M&S store opened here on the 15th February 2007 and a WH Smith store has also opened here, replacing the Retail Store, T2 and Birthdays. The bridge between the two sites used to be unsafe to walk across due to high levels of asbestos. They thought it might need to be completely rebuilt, which would require closing the M6 below and the Highways Agency wouldn't give Moto permission to do this. They did mark Hilton Park as an "approved truckstop", but this is no longer the case.

Survey Results

In 2006 Hilton Park won a five star loo award.

Also in 2006, Holiday Which? magazine rated the services at 2/5.

Alternatives

Comments and Reviews

Showing the most recent responses only: for the full thread and the ability to edit your own posts, you need to view the topic in the forums.
Author: Message: Dek I am better on a vegetarian diet and called in for lunch at Hilton 25 8 10. The only option was the usual jacket potato and the lady said they had not had any veg meals for the last 2 weeks. Please rectify. Posted: 25 Aug 2010, 14:28 Sale Yes I agree, these so called 'rest areas' are just ways to extort money out of people who need a rest on a long journey. No I didn't see the signs either, and like you I never even left my car. I will not be using ANY moto/hilton rest area again although I might call in but only to pick holes in the business with the staff, I need to get my £50 worth of value out of them one way or another. Ordering food then leaving it at the cash desk might be an idea to waste some of the money they stole off me. Any other good ideas out there? Posted: 11 Jul 2010, 20:35 Anonymous I pulled in to Hilton Park southbound the other week, as I was stuck in the usual J10 traffic, and was feeling a little tired so didn't want to risk being stuck in start-stop traffic for another hour without a nap. I was rather annoyed, therefore, to recieve a £50 fine in the post this week, stating that I have stayed in the car park for 3 hours 1 minute. I honestly hadn't looked at the clock, I simply pulled off the road for a nap, and drove off when I woke up. Clearly this enforcement is done by number plate recognition cameras, as an attendant may have had the courtesy to chap the window and ask me to buy a ticket after 2 hours. Daylight robbery in my opinion. I often stop at Hilton Park services to fill up with diesel (three quarters of a tank, because their pumps inexplicably stop at 75 litres!), but I'll be giving them a wide berth now. Posted: 09 Jun 2010, 22:36 Lady Low Loader Driver (unwashed) I have just paid £20 to Dick Turpin to park here as I have no hours left to get any further up the road. After a day's work driving my lorry and loading and securing dirty site machinery I need a shower. Guess what, there aren't any here for women! I've now got to sleep in this state and then waste half an hour in the morning going into Stafford Services for a shower - I may as well have parked up in a lay-by and saved the money. I thought it was 2010. Posted: 22 Mar 2010, 21:15 birthday girl I would like to single out for praise..amid all the negative comments here... all the staff at EDC on Thursday morning 11th MARCH--My birthday! Travelling DOWN to Wells, we stopped to have breakfast--had to cross the bridge and came across the VERY pleasant ladies at this eatery. I would like to metion in particular Chris for nothing was too much trouble . She even pointed out that we were going in the wrong direction for Wells..we weren't but we HAD crossed the bridge. Thank you ladies..we had a good day AND a happy birthday.Even though she was from Manchester..only joking Chris! Other travellers take note..very pleasant breakfast. Posted: 12 Mar 2010, 17:22 Meandzac These services cannot conform to health & hygeine standards, the hgv pumps are dangerous, the shop is run by staff who just dont care, the shelves are bare and the facilities for truckers are what you would probably see in a third world country, absolute disgrace especially as they charge well over the top fuel prices, should be a law against this. Over the years of managing, driving and now owning a transport company I have now come up with a feasable plan to give the back bone of the UK (truck drivers) an alternative option. Watch this space !! Posted: 17 Nov 2009, 23:31 autodel I called in to HP Northbound a few weeks ago and there was only one truck diesel pump working. Oh well. Called in again yesterday 24th Oct and still only one pump working wth!!! They charge .10p more per liter and can't afford to get their pumps fixed. Agree with others place is filthy, feel like taking a shower after you visit the place. Only stop there for M&S store. Posted: 26 Oct 2009, 14:35 soundman I have to agree with Dave(Stockton)I use the M6 on a regular basis as an LGV driver,covering up to 2500 miles a week.Hilton park must have the dirtiest,untidiest,old fashioned system for commercial vehicles on the whole of the M6(Leicester Forest must take the same accolade for being the worst on the M1)The south-bound side of Hilton Park is so bad for commercials it is almost beyond belief!! I usually fill up on the M6 going south as i have to reload at my depot in London and then go north again.I normally fill up with 600-700 litres of fuel,but i will never,ever fill up at Hilton Park because of it's lack of cleanliness! Posted: 11 Jun 2009, 23:08 dave stockton i use hilton park as a hgv driver and find it to be the dirtyist services ive ever used where the hgv pumps are these rubbish every where and the floor is slippery i slippet over walking from the pump to the cash desk . i now use only when in need of derv it is well past its revamp date Posted: 27 Nov 2008, 20:09 Johnny I can't find it on Google Maps either. I'll have to ask Moto (or one better - nag Ziathon ) Posted: 12 Sep 2007, 19:45
Showing the most recent responses only: for the full thread and the ability to edit your own posts, you need to view the topic in the forums.

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