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Place should be bulldozed. Awful environment. It felt line going back in tine to 1970s!! Dated, bathrooms dirty cracked tiles. However the staff are very happy and friendly under the circumstances.
Scott Sinclair, Wed 16 Dec 2015
Shocking. Stopped here on the way back from Yorkshire after a lovely holiday to be greeted by a depressed atmosphere. Very old & bleak. Toilets are located just inside the door and have experienced more hygienic conditions in park toilets. The stench is something so strong it filters through to the eating area. On which subject is appalling. I would love for Gordon ramsay to pay this place a visit! Firstly it is understaffed. The food counter chap was away on his break so the one from Costa had to serve our meals. Thru no fault of his own he didn't have a clue how to plate a meal and had to dig the the mashed potato to find a soft bit as looked like had been sitting on the hot plate a week. I also had a steak pie which had dried hard meat inside the sealed pie so how long that had been there is anyone's guess. My partner choose fish and chips which the Costa man had to cook fresh . For a person that I've seem eat anything he picked at this tasteless undercooked meal. Pls be aware there is a burger king on site but u r looking at nearly £10 for a standard size meal. Our table was wobbly and the staff all looked like a family member had just died.. regardless of a sign behind the till telling them to "smile and brighten someones day" visited wh Smith where the manager came and rudely shouted at the till lady who left her post there was a customer. She shouted a back at him.before Coming to serve me. We left throughly depressed and more tired than had started. The man from the hot food counter never did return from his break . Avoid at all costs
cara green, Sun 5 Oct 2014
Stopped here today on my way to leeds from Norfolk. A thoroughly depressing experience. Greeted by strong smell of urine from toilets just inside the doors. Horrendous! Had long wait in W H smiths as only one member of stAff on tills.the counter in the shop was dirty and cracked and like the rest of the services needs a refit. Went outside to eat although nowhere nice to sit but could not stand the atmosphere and smell inside. Sat on one of the picnic benches and my 80 year old mum nearly had a fit when the bench appeared to begin to collapse. There was a bolt missing from it. We did not fall but it was an uneasy lunch. The area around the two benches was dirty with cigarette ends everywhere and litter flying around.i went to complain but there was nobody except a man in WhSmith who let me write down my comments and told me that ICM is the company that looks after the services! Not much sign of that today. We deserve better!!!!!!! Will never stop here again.😡😡
Lorraine Lake, Fri 26 Sep 2014
We stopped here on our way back from Yorkshire, travelling to Portsmouth in our motorhome. Being aware of the huge fines incurred by overstaying the two hours, we went straight WH Smith and paid £11.00 for 24 hours, including free showers. We were told to park up anywhere and stayed fairly close to the building, under the lights as there was no obvious security. We had a very quiet and comfortable night and the next morning went for showers. At first glance the shower didn't seem too impressive, bit antiquated, curtain instead of screen/door but once turned on it was absolutely super ! The water was pre-set to the perfect temperature and once turned on it ran until you turned it off - unlike others where you are constantly pressing the button. Even though the whole service station could probably do with a lick of paint we would choose it for a stop if we venture this far north in the future. The staff were friendly and efficient and the food and drink were basic but acceptable.
gillygrim, Thu 14 Nov 2013
Had the need to stop here for a few hours on way down a1 the other week and do you know what, its not the biggest of sites and could do with some TLC but, it provides what you need, its clean and the staff fairly plesant. The forecourt shop looks like its been squeezed onto an island but actually, i thought it was good pretty decent for a needed stop.
ianthetrucker, Sat 8 Jun 2013
The whole site is run down and in need of modernisation, and must rank as a contender for the 'Worst Services in Great Britain Award'. The toilets were filthy and only a few had locks on the doors, there was masses of wet toilet paper strewn all over the sink area, presumably used by 'truckers' to wash themselves.
There was no staff in WH Smith, no staff in Costa's in fact the only member of Staff to be seen anywhwere was lounging in the 'massage' chair reading a magazine.
After loitering for a while a lady with a WH Smiths uniform came and served me at the Costa stand. Back in the car I found my coffee to be luke warm, which frankly, didn't surprise me.
I for one will never be going back - I'd rather cross my legs or find a suitable bush.
Jon, Fri 7 Jun 2013
I suggest you monitor your fuel levels when travelling on 'main' roads, since you can never be sure what the fuel cost may be. High fuel costs at main road services is not a new phenomenon.
Ross, Mon 12 Nov 2012
I had the misfortune to run low on fuel on the south bound A1 and pulled off to this service station where, to my horror, the price of 1 litre of unleaded petrol was 148.9p. An outrageous price and had I known how close the next filling station was I would have left immediately. As it was I paid in cash for a small amount of fuel, whereas had it been a reasonable price I would have filled my tank spending £60+ The service station was empty in the middle of the day and the man behind the counter told me that it was not his fault that the price was so high, it was a motorway service area, which, of course it was not. He informed that I was not the first person to complain. As I carried on my journey within about 5/6 miles I passed a filling station with the price 137.0p per litre. As I have already said the price I was charged was outrageous.
John G. Church, MBE, Thu 18 Oct 2012
In need of refurbishment and looked like it was raining.inside.
Staff friendly and coffee good as expected from a Costa. Stop regually
Gary Allison, Wed 18 Jul 2012
The services look really grotty from outside and could do with a revamp inside and out. However toilets seemed clean even with the constant stream of people using them. Staff were friendly and shop and cafe were good. Have been in others that were far worse!
Verity, Fri 6 Apr 2012
Had a nice panini and chips in the resturant, however the restaurant was dirty. Had difficulty finding a clean tray. Toilets at this location also seem to often be dirty. In the petrol station the nozzle did not shut off automatically when my car was full, causing me to dangerously spill some fuel. Generally site is old and tired, the only rationale for visiting it is its the only place on the A1.
Kevinho, Mon 26 Sep 2011
Very poor service, particularly in Burger King and nowhere to buy a lottery ticket despite having garage and whsmiths.. eating area disgusting..
Nick, Fri 24 Jun 2011
Gents toilets run down, scruffy, dirty and very smelly. Not surprising, as the monitor showed they were overdue for a clean by nine hours and forty minutes when we visited. Not good enough, Moto
Ian Forbes, Mon 7 Feb 2011
We found these services to be clean, tidy and modern inside with excellent coffee, quick service and friendly staff. Overall a very positive experience and we will definitely visit again when in the area.
Jo, Sat 27 Nov 2010
We have just returned from holiday in USA and as my husband was feeling jet lagged we called into Burger King for a cup of coffee and mini pancakes. We were informed mini pancakes were sold out even though it was barely lunchtime. We opted for 2 coffees and 2 french fries. The service was bad,price of over £8.00 absolutely over the top. No wonder no one stops there anymore.
Mrs Hunter, Thu 28 Oct 2010
sad little services here but they were friendly and the coffee was good!
malcolm, Tue 18 May 2010
These services are on a newly grade separated junction (the old roundabout removed). With the junction looking so new, I was a little surprised at how run down the services were, peeling paint and a generally tatty appearance. Inside, however, things improve. The modestly sized service centre houses a WH Smith, a Moto cafe, a Burger King and a Costa. Everything is well laid out and modern. The staff were very friendly and the service was prompt (although it was quiet). The BP station is equally run down, with the tiniest of shops which felt crowded with a queue of 5 or 6 people. The member of staff there was very polite and apologised to each customer for the wait. All in all, a pleasant half hour or so.
Kevin, Sat 11 Jul 2009
Along with Pease Pottage, Oxford and Sutton Scotney, Grantham North was originally a Welcome Break but was retained by Granada after its takeover of Forte in the 1990s. Welcome Break and the rest of its service areas were then sold off as Granada was ruled to be too big by the government.
Alan Simspon, Mon 23 Jun 2008
Grantham North Services A1 is a 4 burger rated service area.
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