Motorway Services Online

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Kinross services

Location:

M90 at J6
(also accessible to traffic on the A977)

Signposted from the road.

Postcode:

KY13 0NQ

map and directions

Access/Layout:

Single site located at a junction.

Rating: See the reviews


The M90's only service area is actually a tourist information centre in disguise.

Facilities

Catering: Burger King, Costa Coffee, Greggs, Costa Express, f'real Milkshakes, Krispy Kreme, Tango Ice Blast Shops: M&S Simply Food, WHSmith Amenities: Travelodge, Full Hou$e, Showers Outdoor Space: Large grass area next to car park Charging Points: GRIDSERVE Electric Highway HPC 350kW CCS, 100kW CHAdeMO & 22kW Type 2 Forecourt: BP, Shop, Costa Express

Parking Prices

First 2 hours free for all vehicles, after which cars must pay £15 and HGVs, caravans and motorhomes £26. HGVs can pay £29 to include a £10 food voucher.

Prices are paid using PayByPhone. The location code is 2445.

The fees are strictly enforced by CP Plus.

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

Contact Details

🏢 Address:
Moto
Turfhills
Kinross
Perth and Kinross
KY13 0NQ

🌍 Operators & Official Websites:


Trivia and History

Kinross 1987.jpg
A low resolution view of the service area and informal car park, taken in 1987.

Camera icon

Opened as Turfhills Tourist Centre 1979
Acquired by Granada 1981
Re-branded Moto 2001

Strictly speaking, Kinross is the most northern motorway service area in the UK. No such point is ever simple and, in this case, Broxden is further north and it does have a sign on the motorway, but Broxden isn't officially a motorway service area, so Kinross holds on to its title.

At the back of the car park is an ancillary building which is now used as a dog groomers - certainly unique for a motorway service area.

Opening

The service area has unusual origins.

It was built by Tayside Regional Council as what they called a "motorway information centre". They said it was aiming to take advantage of the tourism in the area, with four more sites planned for Scottish A-roads. It was branded Turfhills Tourist Centre and opened on 29 May 1979, at a cost of £16,000. It offered tourists caravanning, camping, a restaurant, petrol and go-karting.

One of those tourists was Granada's managing director, who was on a fishing holiday to Pitlochry. He thought the site had potential, and by 1981 Granada had purchased it. At the time they said it was being managed by "a locally based consortium".

Granada added a garden room to the restaurant and opened a Granada Lodge in 1987 on a spare plot of land. A large caravan parking area was converted into the HGV parking. An official report said Kinross could handle 20 HGVs - the lowest capacity of any motorway service area in the country (as of 1983).

By the time Granada were involved, it was definitely classed as a motorway service area. Given its unusual roots, Kinross was one of the first motorway service areas not to provide any breakdown facilities. It was also left with an unusual internal layout, where the restaurant and toilets are at opposite ends of one long corridor, running along the very front of the building.

The outbuilding at the south end was originally advertised as an 'information bureau'. It was extended and became a craft store and is now the dog groomers.

Reconstruction

In 2010, Moto announced plans to rebuild the entire service area, replacing the amenity building with something much more modern and at the same time moving the petrol station and reorganising the car park. Moto claimed it would have helped Kinross town take more advantage of tourism in the area.

As part of the work, the entrance to the service area would have been converted into a roundabout, a change which had been recommended for a while. The new building would have included eight retail units, which Moto claimed would have been rented out with the income covering the cost of the new roundabout. A sign was erected encouraging prospective tenants to come forward.

The work was expected to be completed in 2013, but was postponed indefinitely. The sign was still there until 2018, despite the postponement.

An M&S Simply Food store eventually opened inside the old building instead. A Greggs was positioned in a kiosk outside the entrance, opening on 3 March 2017.

Moto gave the amenity building a minor refurbishment in early 2022, redecorating the main corridor and updating the toilet and shower facilities. A new electric vehicle charging hub was also added in summer 2023, with the chargers going live in October 2023.

Alternatives

Previous:Next:
Forthview (18 miles)
Heart of Scotland (Harthill) (M8 west, 36 miles)
Services on the M90Broxden (17 miles)
Stirling (M9, 26 miles)Services on the A977none
Stirling (M9, 26 miles)Moto servicesnone

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