Hopwood Park

Hopwood Park
Welcome Break
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Road:	M42 at J2 (also accessible to traffic on the A441)
Address:	Welcome Break Service Area Junction 2 M42 Redditch Road Alvechurch Birmingham Worcestershire B48 7AU
Telephone number:	01214 474000
Signposted from the road?	As Starbucks/Waitrose
Opened:	1999
Grid reference:	SP037739
Services type:	Single site located at a junction.
Visit Hopwood Park/Welcome Break's official website Facebook Page

Hopwood Park is a modern service area. As well as a children's play area, it has a small field, picnic benches, and a small path round a fountain for walking dogs. The toilets are at the back, you need to use the escalators to get there. The petrol station itself offers a wide variety of services, including a retail store and toilets.

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Facilities

General: Picnic Area, BT Openzone, Welcome Break Gaming, Children's Play Area, Traffic Information, Nature Reserve, Showers
Restaurants: Starbucks, Burger King, Eat In, KFC
Shops: WH Smith, Waitrose, Fonebitz
Fuel: Shell (pump types unknown)
Motel: none

Parking Prices

First two hours free for all vehicles, after which cars must pay £8 and caravans, coaches and HGVs £22.50. These prices include a £2/£8 food voucher respectively.

Prices can be paid in the shop and restaurant, with instructions in each car park. They are strictly enforced by ParkingEye.

Trivia

The model of the services which is on display inside it

Hopwood Park was the first service area to get live traffic information, as part of a joint trial between the Highways Agency and Welcome Break.

It was opened on the 23rd August 1999 by TV chef James Martin, and it cost £25million to build. Its design is very similar to that of Oxford, which was opened at roughly the same time, and South Mimms which was rebuilt at this time following a large fire.

See Are We Nearly There Yet? for information regarding Hopwood Park's location and the problems with where it is.

A Waitrose outlet opened here in February, replacing the Petroleum Menswear store. Hopwood was one of few services to have an individual outlet operating within it.

Starbucks Coffee has just opened replacing the two Coffee Primo outlets.

Survey Results

In 2008 the services won a five star loo award.

In 2006 and again in 2007, the services and the adjacent petrol station both won a five-star loo award.

In 2006, Holiday Which? rated the services as 5/5. They said it had helpful staff and a good variety of food in a smart café, but it didn't win, Tebay on the M6 did. Hopwood's traffic reports also received thumbs up.

In 2005, Hopwood Park won Best Provision of Group Facilities, the first time a motorway service area has ever won such an award. The Coffee Primo unit was also been nominated for 'Best Beverage Experience'.

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: K. Wassell I am very upset at PARKING EYE Who regulate parking at Hopwood Posted: 27 Nov 2009, 19:06 Johnny I visited on a Sunday afternoon in August and it was pretty clean. There was a steady flow of customers and the nature reserve was welcome as always. The services are very popular with dog owners. I did manage to get lost within the WH Smith stock which is spewed out across the centre of the building, some tidying up should be done there. Posted: 24 Aug 2009, 17:05 Anonymous I dont know how they ever got an award for their toilets We visited on Sunday 9th August, it was very busy at lunch time with few staff clearing tables. One poor guy Martyn seemed to be in charge of everything! He came with me to clean the ladies toilets after I complained about the thick dust present on the back of several toilets These had obviously not been cleaned properly for weeks There was also a lack of soap as 2 out of 3 dispensers were empty He said he knew about this but they had run out Does this sevices have a manager? It has to be the worst services I have ever visited and shows Birmingham at its worst Posted: 23 Aug 2009, 11:35 Anonymous We went there today for the first time and thought it was very nice. We particularly wanted a Burgerking meal and were served very quickly despite it being busy because of the school holidays. Will definitely be returning to look at the menswear shop and Smiths.And Burgerking again as all the Burgerkings in the rest of Worcs seem to have closed down. Posted: 17 Aug 2009, 22:32 Roadhog ^ Email the services on hopwood.rdm@welcomebreak.co.uk or phone them on 0121 4474000. Posted: 16 Aug 2009, 21:34 EMAIL REMOVED BY MOD We were silly enough to leave a bag in the car park as we left the premisis and have been trying to call desperately for 2 days. we have left messages to no avail! Is anyone there? I wouldnt be too bothered as it contains nothing valuable but it has my daughters medication on it. please check the answer machine!!! Posted: 15 Aug 2009, 11:00 Julie Just used these services the facilities were fine but the KFC outlet was 'crap' waited for 20 minutes and only two people were serviced although there was plenty of food cooked and waiting to be sold!!!!!!!! Posted: 23 Feb 2009, 19:35 Anonymous Although the area was clean and well kept the prices for refreshments in Primo coffee are over the top!!! £3.25 for a croissant!!! Costs about 40p!!! £2.50 for a mug of coffee - which was one third froth!! We had the coffee ( no other option as everything was stinking dear)but brought chocolate bars in the shop to keep up our sugar levels. The next time we have to travel this route we shall take a flask!!! Posted: 10 Sep 2008, 20:11 Johnny Hi there, The reason why I have worded it like that is simply to cover my own backside! Sometimes you will be allowed to buy more than 24 hours parking at once, sometimes the £8 will allow you to park all week, sometimes neither of these is the case. It really depends on the direction which the wind is blowing, so the only way to be sure of what they're going to say is to email Welcome Break. Posted: 28 Jun 2008, 11:30 MRH Is it impossible to leave a car parked for the weekend? Your website says I have to renew the £8 parking fee after 24 hours - so I can't join up with a friend to save fuel and go off for a 2-day weekend. Is this right? Posted: 28 Jun 2008, 10:36
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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