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Content:
Pease Pottage
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Moto services, M23 at J11
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Road: M23 (also accessible to traffic on the A23 and the A264)
Junction: J11
Operator: Moto
Location: West Sussex RH11 9YA
Telephone: 01293 562852
Signed from the motorway? Yes
Previous operators: Welcome Break, Granada
Previous names: none
Services type: Singe site located at a junction.
Official website: Visit Pease Pottage/Moto's official website
The only 'proper' services on the M23/A23 route and the last for almost 100 miles, Pease Pottage is very small. It suffers as soon as two or more coaches try and stop at the same time, but despite this it's a rather nice place to stop.
Choose a section: Main Page | Location, Map & Directions
Photo taken by Michael Tidd.Facilities:
General: Cash Machine, Pay Phones, Picnic Tables, Local Information
Food/Drink: Eat & Drink Company, Burger King, Caffè Ritazza
Shopping: WH Smith, Marks and Spencer Simply Food
Fuel: Shell with pumps for Unleaded, Optimax, Diesel and LPG
Motel: none
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 front of the services. This is pretty much all there is to them. Photo taken in 2004 by Michael Tidd. |
 | Inside the services, standing as far back as I could. The entrance is to the left, the shop (now a WH Smith) is to the right and the Fresh Express (now Eat & Drink Company) restaurant is ahead. Photo taken in 2006. |
 | In the restaurant. Photo taken in 2006. |
 | Photo taken in 2006. |
 | And finally, as a bit of harmless (and largely pathetic) fun, we're going back on to the motorway to see what the signs for the services are like. This one doesn't seem to know whether they have a hotel or not. Photo taken in 2006. |
 | The next one. Quite why we needed that 1½ sign when we've got this 1 mile one as well I don't know. Photo taken in 2006. |
 | Now we're at ½ a mile and we're still waiting. As far as road signs go, this one seems to be following its own rules. Gosh, isn't sign-spotting fun? Photo taken in 2006. |
 | You wouldn't think that such small services would need so many signs. There's a 'tiredness can kill' sign here, too. Photo taken in 2006. |
 | Another sign for the services, once again following its own rules. I make that five signs, plus the ones actually at the junction. A little over the top, don't you think? Photo taken in 2006. |
Trivia:
Pease Pottage is unofficially the smallest service area in the UK, however this title is now being questioned after Chieveley was upgraded.
Given its lack of size you could be forgiven for thinking the services aren't needed. Heading north, it's actually almost 100 miles to the next services - Toddington on the M1 and Oxford on the M40. Thankfully, two new services are proposed; Cobham on the M25 and Beaconsfield on the M40.
As the services are situated within Pease Pottage, a small village with few shops, they act as a corner shop to the residents, who can access it via a bridge over the A23 and a path round the side. This isn't actually allowed, as motorway services can't be built or designed in any way so that people will be making journeys just to visit them. I suppose because the extra visitors are pedestrians the Highways Agency have turned a blind eye to it.
To give you an idea just how small the services are, you need to consider how few facilities it has. The Marks and Spencer is a new build, built as an extension to the main site. The retail store was recently converted to a WH Smith, and at some point the showers were removed to get that little bit more space.
There was a sign on the M23 southbound which stated the distance to Pease Pottage, but under the name 'Moto GU221', with the 'GU221' being in a smaller font. It turned out that even the Highways Agency were completely unaware of this, but in December 2005 they found out and, after not even they knew why it was there, patched it over. Maybe it was added by someone as a joke, referring to Moto Guzzi the Italian motorcycle manufacturer?
The services were built by Welcome Break, but they became Granada (now Moto)'s after the Fortes and Granada merge/diverge mess, which is what happened at Sutton Scotney on the A34.
Survey results:
In 2006 the services won a four star loo award.
Parking Prices:
Vehicle: | For up to 2 hours: | For 2 to 24 hours: |
| Cars: | FREE | £8 |
| HGVs & Carvans: | FREE | £18* |
| Coaches: | FREE | £18* |
* For an extra £2, the price will include a £7.50 meal voucher. | ||
Alternatives:
- Heston Moto/Costa & M&S services on the M4, 49 miles to the north.
- Thurrock Moto services on the M25, 43 miles to the north.
- Clacket Lane RoadChef services on the M25, 22 miles to the north.
- Medway Moto services on the M2, 51 miles to the north.
- Handcross services on the A23 southbound, 3 miles to the south.
- Hickstead services on the A23, 8 miles to the south.
Main Page | Location, Map & Directions
With thanks to the user 'luke85' for the information used on this page.