Tebay

Tebay
Westmorland
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Road:	M6 between J38 and J39
Address:	Westmorland Motorway Services Ltd Westmorland Place Orton Penrith Cumbria CA10 3SB
Telephone number:	015396 24944
Signposted from the road?	Yes
Opened:	1972 (northbound) 1993 (southbound)
Previous names:	Tebay Mountain Lodge
Grid reference:	NY605062 (northbound) NY608065 (southbound)
Services type:	Two sites located between junctions, with no public connection between them.
Visit Tebay/Westmorland's official website Facebook Page

You'll either love it or hate it, because Tebay causes a split in opinions amongst travellers. It's a family owned site which sits in the Lake District on the M6, consisting of two services offering great views. It has many nice and unique facilities such as a duck pond, a fireplace, a farm shop and a caravan park, and its quality and cleanliness are often praised. However, all of this popularity comes at a price, both at the tills and in the fact that the services can get very crowded. Some people might also want to note that there is no fast food available at the services.

To conclude, if you appreciate natural views and you want something different to typical service station scenario, stop here, but if all you really want is a burger and chips you may be better off looking elsewhere. Lorry drivers may prefer the J38 Truckstop, which is also ran by Westmorland and located a few miles to the south at J38.

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Facilities

General: Picnic Area, Caravan Park (northbound only), Conference Room, Field, Children's Play Area, Showers
Restaurants: Restaurant, Farm Shop, Barbecue, Butcher's Counter (southbound only)
Shops: Retail Store
Fuel: Total (pump types unknown)
Motel: The Westmorland Hotel^[website]

Parking Prices

First two hours free for all vehicles. Further information is not available, please update this if you know.

Trivia

The southbound services opened in 1993, but the northbound side opened approximately 20 years earlier. It forms the head office for Westmorland who run several businesses in the area.

In 2008 the southbound services were refurbished and became the only motorway service station with a butcher's counter.

In 2010 the services raised £3,500 for the Cumbria flood appeal.

Survey Results

By and large, Tebay tends to be favoured in most surveys it features in.

In December 2009 the services won a five star loo award and came top in the motorway services category, but few services took part in this.

In 2009 it won Egon Ronay's British Academy of Gastronomes’ Grand Prix award, thought to be the first time a service station has ever won such a thing.

Also in 2009 it won the Northern Foods Rural Action Award in the Businesses in the Community Awards for Excellence. It was also listed in The Telegraph's top 50 farm shops, and The Times listed it as the best service station in the country.

In November 2006 the BBC's 'The Money Programme' loved Tebay's food but hated the prices that came with it.

Holiday Which? also loved Tebay, and in 2006 they chose it as the best service station in Britain.

The services were inspected by the AA on the 3rd and 4th of April 2004 and it turned the general opinion of Tebay on its head. These are their results:

The services were said to offer good food and a good shop, but the toilets, floor and showers were all dirty and it was the only service area in the UK to ever fail the 'quality of access roads' test.

Tebay's farm shop won 'Best Local Retailer 2003' in 'BBC Radio 4's Food and Farming Awards'.

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: Matthew King Undoubtedly the best service station in the UK. Well constructed buildings in beautiful scenery; good local food and service, beautiful views; excellent provision for families with play area, garden, ponds and a waterfall. Compared to the lazily-run, ugly, corporate service stations that dominate motorways up and down the nation, Tebay is a haven of civilisation. Posted: 21 Aug 2010, 13:32 Anonymous Tebay is the best Motorway Service Area in the world. Posted: 01 Aug 2010, 09:27 Bill Messham Called in at Tebay Southbound 11.06.10 Had a good meal from a good choice.Prices not much different from other services but quality much better. I was not too happy with car park lay-out,be careful.Farm shop very good,better quality than some supermarkets.Overall,I will go again,and again Posted: 24 Jun 2010, 16:21 ronnie I use the Tebay truckstop at least 4 times a week and without doubt its the best stopover on the motorway network Posted: 31 Jan 2010, 20:05 JeannieC The huge main attraction for us at Tebay, when we are going north to Scotland twice a year, is the designated dog walk. We know that we can safely walk our dogs there, they don't have to be on their leads and they can relieve themselves if necessary. And, as good dog owners, we always clean up after them! Not many service stations have designated dog walking areas and that is such a big bonus for the dog-owning public who like to travel with their dogs. I have never found the loos to be anything but clean and attractive and a visit to the farm shop, although expensive, is a treat. Posted: 30 Dec 2009, 23:06 Anonymous On a trip back yesterday (13.7.09) called in to the southbound side. the services are unique, a far cry from moto, Road Chef and Welcome Break. Food is a little pricey but no worse than any of the other chains. Certainly tastes a lot better. Cleanliness not perfect but there had been several large coach parties in. To be fair the place was being cleaned up as quick as it could. Petrol was about 8p a litre more than the North West where I live. Had to buy some to get me home, but certainly did not fill the tank. Despite this will be calling again. Staff were very friendly adn the views! Posted: 14 Jul 2009, 19:26 Anonymous On the way to from Scotland, I stopped at both northbound and southbound services . Had a meal at the northbound services. Food was fantastic (worth the price), service was good / fast, the restaurant pleasant and the view fantastic. The view from my table was magnificent scenery and the duck lake. Paid a shorter visit to the southbound services on the way back. Larger premises, more to look at. Looked around but didn't buy anything. Mustn't forget to mention the state of the art loos! Very impressed with Tebay services overall. I'd factored in a visit to them on my long journey, was not disappointed with what I found (the place more than lives up to it's good reputation, IMO). Higly recommended for all the things the place is famous for. Posted: 07 Jul 2009, 01:04 Anonymous Visited on the way back from Scotland 22.6.09 and was looking forward to visit following earlier one some years before. Very disappointed - dirty, run down, poor choice of sandwiches, just looked uncared for which is not at all how I remember it. If they are going to charge what they do and sell it like they do i.e. as a destination in its own right they need to pull their socks up. Posted: 29 Jun 2009, 16:37 Alan I can now confirm that Tebay's operatore is now called "Westmorland" with "Farm Shops" co-signed with it. It appears on the distance signs this way too. Posted: 16 Apr 2009, 17:26 Anonymous we have visited tebay many times, bit pricey, food exellent,parking free but badley sign posted. love the farm shop lots of different and unusual food. Posted: 02 Aug 2008, 18:22
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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AA survey results from the Automobile Association, you can view the full report and what they were looking for in this PDF document.