Hopwood Park

Hopwood Park
Welcome Break
31 more photos in the gallery
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.

Main Page | Photo Gallery | Location, Map and Directions

Facilities

General: Picnic Area, BT WiFi, Welcome Break Gaming, Children's Play Area, Traffic Information, Nature Reserve, Showers
Restaurants: Starbucks, Burger King, Eat In, KFC, Papa John's Pizza
Shops: WHSmith (with Costa Express Krispy Kreme), Waitrose, Fone Bitz
Fuel: Shell (with: WHSmith Krispy Kreme Costa Express Autogas LPG Ecotricity electric vehicle charging point)
Motel: none

Parking Prices

First two hours free for all vehicles, after which cars must pay £10. Further information is not available, please update this if you know.

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 May 2012 and August 2011, Visit England rated the services as 3 stars.

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