Scotch Corner

[ckn]

I drove up to Scotland today and I stopped at Scotch Corner for lunch (just shy of Darlington for those not sure) as it’s a natural half way point. I decided to fill up the car while convenient. 139.9p per litre of regular unleaded. They didn’t even have the good grace to wear masks when they were robbing me. I put £10 in before I noticed the price.

Also, when did it stop being a service station and become a “rest stop”?

[Trojan]

57 minutes ago, ckn said:

I drove up to Scotland today and I stopped at Scotch Corner for lunch (just shy of Darlington for those not sure) as it’s a natural half way point. I decided to fill up the car while convenient. 139.9p per litre of regular unleaded. They didn’t even have the good grace to wear masks when they were robbing me. I put £10 in before I noticed the price.

Also, when did it stop being a service station and become a “rest stop”?

Best place to stop is further south at Boroughbridge.  There's a Morrisons just off the motorway.

[ckn]

4 minutes ago, Trojan said:

Best place to stop is further south at Boroughbridge.  There's a Morrisons just off the motorway.

Never had to fill up fuel there, I can usually do the 420-ish miles easily on a single tank.  It's just a long-term historical and easy stopover for us on the way up, get there, get a sandwich and toilet break, get going again.  I only decided to fill up as I've now got a petrol car and I thought I'd be under a quarter of a tank at the end of the journey, icy roads and snow over the southern highlands in Scotland meant that I wanted a fuller tank just in case I got stuck and needed to keep the engine going.  I won't be stopping there again if I need fuel!

[Trojan]

45 minutes ago, ckn said:

Never had to fill up fuel there, I can usually do the 420-ish miles easily on a single tank.  It's just a long-term historical and easy stopover for us on the way up, get there, get a sandwich and toilet break, get going again.  I only decided to fill up as I've now got a petrol car and I thought I'd be under a quarter of a tank at the end of the journey, icy roads and snow over the southern highlands in Scotland meant that I wanted a fuller tank just in case I got stuck and needed to keep the engine going.  I won't be stopping there again if I need fuel!

Morrisons is brilliant.  It's two minutes from the motorway, signposted as "Services" you can get fuel at supermarket prices, get a meal, get a sandwich. Do your shopping if you want.  In my days on  the road I used it a lot. Boroughbridge generally is quite a good stopover town.  There are shops, chippies, several bakers, pubs that do meals, and it's not really out of the way, you can exit the motorway at the first southbound junction, before the Ure bridge, drive into the town and access the motorway at the next junction southbound.

[Old Frightful]

Dick Turpin was tried and executed in York.

Surely it was foolish to travel any further and not expect to be robbed.

[Trojan]

34 minutes ago, Old Frightful said:

Dick Turpin was tried and executed in York.

Surely it was foolish to travel any further and not expect to be robbed.

Dick Turpin must have some descendants in the motorway filling station game.  When my daughter lived in Salisbury, we always came off the M! at 21 and took the M69 then A46 so that we could fill up at Morrisons at Binley near Coventry to avoid the M40 and A34 prices. Plus of course they don't know what to charge for fuel around Larkhill where she used to live  I've often wondered how much demand there would be for a book advising people where they can eat and refuel adjacent to the motorway.  But perhaps research on the internet pre journey would make it redundant.  I sound like Eric  Idle in the North Minehead Bye-election sketch! I'll shut up now  

[ckn]

11 minutes ago, Trojan said:

Dick Turpin must have some descendants in the motorway filling station game.  When my daughter lived in Salisbury, we always came off the M! at 21 and took the M69 then A46 so that we could fill up at Morrisons at Binley near Coventry to avoid the M40 and A34 prices. Plus of course they don't know what to charge for fuel around Larkhill where she used to live  I've often wondered how much demand there would be for a book advising people where they can eat and refuel adjacent to the motorway.  But perhaps research on the internet pre journey would make it redundant.  I sound Eric Idle in the North Minehead Bye-election sketch! I'll shut up now  

It's poor planning to drive somewhere in the UK and have to rely on motorway service stations for fuel.

[Tongs ya bas]

2 hours ago, ckn said:

I drove up to Scotland today and I stopped at Scotch Corner for lunch (just shy of Darlington for those not sure) as it’s a natural half way point. I decided to fill up the car while convenient. 139.9p per litre of regular unleaded. They didn’t even have the good grace to wear masks when they were robbing me. I put £10 in before I noticed the price.

Also, when did it stop being a service station and become a “rest stop”?

I have special memories of scotch corner. It was the best place ever for getting lifts in the late sixties, early seventies. Happy memories. Never had lunch. 

[Robin Evans]

The mainsgill farmshop just 10 mins on the A66 from scotch corner is the poodles swingers mindst.

[Derwent]

Well for a start if you’re getting to Scotch Corner then you are on the wrong road. Get off the A1 at Dishforth and onto the A19, a much better road with a lot less traffic and more reasonably priced petrol stations. Then pick up the A1 again north of Newcastle at Seaton Burn.

[Trojan]

1 hour ago, Derwent said:

Well for a start if you’re getting to Scotch Corner then you are on the wrong road. Get off the A1 at Dishforth and onto the A19, a much better road with a lot less traffic and more reasonably priced petrol stations. Then pick up the A1 again north of Newcastle at Seaton Burn.

Depends where you're going. if you're going to Glasgow, then A66, M6, A74.  There's a huge layby on the A66 just after Scotch Corner, with a cabin that does bacon sarnies etc.  Parked at this layby, was the first time I saw a jay.

[JonM]

11 hours ago, ckn said:

I drove up to Scotland today and I stopped at Scotch Corner for lunch (just shy of Darlington for those not sure) as it’s a natural half way point. I decided to fill up the car while convenient. 139.9p per litre of regular unleaded.

There's a couple of other places on the A1 with similar pricing. I have often wondered who buys petrol in those places.

[Shadow]

9 hours ago, Trojan said:

 I've often wondered how much demand there would be for a book advising people where they can eat and refuel adjacent to the motorway.  But perhaps research on the internet pre journey would make it redundant.  

http://www.justoffjunction.co.uk/

 

[ckn]

2 hours ago, Derwent said:

Well for a start if you’re getting to Scotch Corner then you are on the wrong road. Get off the A1 at Dishforth and onto the A19, a much better road with a lot less traffic and more reasonably priced petrol stations. Then pick up the A1 again north of Newcastle at Seaton Burn.

I always go across the A68 to Jedburgh then Edinburgh as I have a good friend just outside Galashiels where always pop in for a brew and gossip. 

Depending on traffic reports, I go A68 from near Darlington or A696 from Newcastle.

Some bits were a bit hairy last night with the icy weather, especially coming down the zigzag hill road the other side of the border!

[Trojan]

34 minutes ago, Shadow said:

http://www.justoffjunction.co.uk/

 

Very useful, thanks Shads