| Keele | |
| Welcome Break | |
 | |
| Road: | M6 between J15 and J16 |
| Address: | Trusthouse Forte Welcome Break Keele Motorway Services Area Three Mile Lane Keele Newcastle Staffordshire ST5 5HG |
| Telephone number: | 01782 626221 |
| Signposted from the road? | As Starbucks/Burger King/Waitrose/KFC |
| Opened: | 1963 |
| Previous operators: | Motorway Services Ltd, Trusthouse Forte |
| Grid reference: | SJ806440 |
| Services type: | Single site built upon the motorway. |
| Visit Keele/Welcome Break's official website Facebook Page | |
One of the oldest services, Welcome Break have refurbished Keele many times. The fast food is located on the bridge.
Contents |
Facilities
General: BT WiFi, Traffic Information, Welcome Break Gaming, Showers
Restaurants: Burger King, Starbucks, Eat In, KFC, Papa John's Pizza
Shops: WHSmith (with Costa Express Krispy Kreme), Fone Bitz (southbound only), Waitrose
Fuel: Shell (with: 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
Keele was among the first services to be built. The design was favoured by the Ministry of Transport at the time, because of the efficiency and impressiveness of the structure. Unlike its sister site, Charnock Richard, Keele's architecture is distinguished by water towers at each end of the bridge. It has no motel but it's thought that one may have been sited here previously.
Welcome Break recently completed a major refurbishment scheme for the services which included a new WHSmith store, after a member of Newcastle-under-Lyme's council suggested that the services looked tired and in need of a facelift.
As you approach the services southbound, there is a sign in the central reservation for the services. It's thought that this is original to the opening of this bit of the M6, and Keele is the only services to still have one of these.
During the mid-'80s there was a fire on the bridge at the services which led to the motorway below being closed for several days. This is one of the reasons why today the Highways Agency are reluctant to allow bridges across motorway services. In 2003 there was another fire in the car park which destroyed part of the northbound carriageway.
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 won a five-star loo award. The petrol station was rated four-star.
Also in 2006, the services were rated 2/5 by Holiday Which?
Alternatives
| Previous: | Next: | |
| Stafford (North) (M6 northbound, 10 miles) Stafford (South) (M6 southbound, 11 miles) Derby and Burton (A50, 33 miles) | Services on the M6 |
Sandbach (15 miles) Crewe (6 miles) Derby and Burton (A50, 45 miles) |
| Corley (60 miles) Hopwood Park (M42, 56 miles) Telford (M54, 43 miles) Derby South (A50, 42 miles) | Welcome Break services |
Charnock Richard (53 miles) Burtonwood (M62 west, 40 miles) Derby South (A50, 53 miles) |
With thanks to Trevor Wilson and Samuel Goddson for the information used on this page.