Cherwell Valley

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Moto/Costa & M&S services, M40 at J10

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Road: M40 (also accessible to traffic on the A43 and the B430)
Junction: J10
Operator: Moto (signposted as Costa and M&S)
Location: Oxfordshire OX27 7RD
Telephone: 01869 346060
Signed from the motorway? Yes
Previous operators: Granada
Previous names: none
Services type: Singe site located at a junction.

Official website: Visit Cherwell Valley/Moto's official website

A large service area with many facilities, including a field round the back for dogs and children. The main problem with it is that the junction it's off is very busy and very complex.

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Facilities:

General: Cash Machine, Pay Phones, Local Information, Picnic Tables, Children's Play Area, Field, Showers
Food/Drink: Caffè Ritazza, Eat & Drink Company, Burger King, Upper Crust, Costa Coffee
Shopping: WH Smith, Scoop, Thorntons, Marks and Spencer Simply Food, T2, Ladbrokes
Fuel: Esso with pumps for Unleaded, Super Unleaded and Diesel
Motel: Travelodge

Photos:

Click on a photo to view the full size. If you have one to add, contact me. It's never too late to get your name in the limelight.

	The usual queues at M40 J10, this sets the tone for trying to access the services. When I took this photo, the time was about 4pm and it took 20 minutes to get there. Photo taken in 2006.
	The front of the services, looking rather like a supermarket. The Caffè Ritazza (now Costa Coffee) is on the other side of the wall. Photo taken in 2007.
	The food-themed doorway. For some reason I get the impression that the M&S is open from 7 'til 10. Photo taken in 2007.
	Standing in the doorway, where you can see the Marks and Spencers to the left. We're off on a hunt to the toilets! Photo taken in 2006.
	The centre of the services, and we still haven't found them. Photo taken in 2006.
	One of the corridors, and the toilets are round the corner at the end. Of course they're well signed, but this shows just how far they are. Photo taken in 2006.
	The restaurant. Photo taken in 2006.
	The "newly extended" Travelodge. Photo taken in 2007.
	The outdoor eating area. Photo taken in 2007.
	Hidden round the back of the services is this field. When I visited, it had flooded. Photo taken in 2007.

Trivia:

Cherwell Valley is a large service area and it's the first 'proper' one for traffic coming from the South Coast on the A34. Between the opening of the M40 in 1990 and the opening of the services in 1994, it was possible to drive from Dover to Telford (239 motorway miles) without passing any services.

Its biggest flaw is the junction it's on, which was recently remodelled following the upgrade of the A43. The new junction has five single-lane sliproads, four major exits and three tight roundabouts. One of the roundabouts causes a conflict between traffic heading from the M40 north to the A43 and traffic heading from the A43 to the M40 south, causing queues even outside rush hour. Even if you don't need a break when you see signs for the services, you will when you get there.

The services were one of the first to gain a Marks and Spencer store, which was recently extended along with the Travelodge to keep up with demand. Despite this, Moto tried to claim compensation off the Highways Agency for a loss of traffic due to the roadworks and the new junction layout. Moto lost the case.

Survey results:

In 2006 the services won a five star loo award and were graded 4/5 by Holiday Which?.

Parking Prices:

Vehicle:	For up to 2 hours:	For 2 to 24 hours:
Cars:	FREE	£8
HGVs & Carvans:	FREE	£19*
Coaches:	FREE	£19*
* For an extra £2, the price will include a £7.50 meal voucher. The above prices are intended to be a guide only. Tickets must be renewed after 24 hours, and can be obtained from the 'Pay & Display' meters located in each car park.

Alternatives:

Warwick Welcome Break services on the M40, 22 miles to the north.
Tamworth Moto services on the M42, 58 miles to the north.
Oxford Welcome Break services on the M40, 20 miles to the south.
Chieveley Moto/Costa M&S services on the A34, 44 miles to the south.
Northampton RoadChef services on the A43, 22 miles to the east.
Markfield Moto services on the M1, 63 miles to the east.
Oxford Peartree local services on the A34, 12 miles to the south.

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:

MatthewB6323

To my surprise, when heading down the M40 southbound this evening I saw that the services are now branded on the main services facilities signs as 'Costa M&S'. They remain 'Moto M&S' on the distances list, and while one Moto sign has been taken down from the entrance to the services, the main one remains at the door. It seems that Moto might be following RoadChef's lead in experimenting with playing down their own brand in favour of their main licenses.

Posted: 28 Jul 2008, 00:50

johnfromlondon

Yes, don't even try this one. There's nothing wrong with the services, it's that horrid junction.

Posted: 16 Feb 2007, 20:41

Mike B.

The services are fine, but it is too hard to access them. The junction is full of traffic and roundabouts.

Posted: 07 Feb 2007, 17:34

Admin

Post your comments and reviews on Cherwell Valley here, or click here

to go back to the services list.

Posted: 10 Sep 2005, 08:42

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.

Main Page | Location, Map & Directions

With thanks to the user 'MatthewB6323' for the information used on this page.

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