A small communal seating area on the lower level extension of Knutsford, at the Northbound side. It primarily serves the two brands located between it, Costa and Burger King, but also acts as an overflow seating area when the larger, possibly more luxurious seating on the footbridge becomes full. Pretty bog standard seating area for a Moto, with wooden style flooring. Knutsford’s unique building design means it has a total of 3 separate seating areas. This pic evidences the dated, worn-down interior of Knutsford. Moto haven’t invested as much into it as other local Moto sites, such as Stafford North or Lancaster Northbound. This seating area does obtain large windows, but these only provide an uninspiring view to the parking area. The Northbound and Southbound lower levels of Knutsford are both post 1963 extensions. When the amenity building was constructed in 1963, it was just a buffet restaurant footbridge with outdoor staircases either side and two car parks. Unsure when these extensions were completed, but the Northbound extension is slightly smaller than Southbound. This pic evidences the entrance to Travelodge as well, which is fairly rare to find at a services, especially with a building as old as 1963. Knutsford being one of Moto’s busier sites means it might be in line for a dining area upgrade, meaning this seating area would be renovated. Despite Knutsford’s unique building design, motorway services like it are commonly found along the M6, with Keele and Charnock Richard obtaining bridge-based foodcourts as well, however, Knutsford has always stood out because it’s a different operator, and the way Moto have distributed brands across the site seems almost random compared to Welcome Break, who include just BK/KFC on the food bridge and everything else in the lower level extensions. This seating area was very tidy during my visit, and fairly visually appealing. It was also quite quiet as I took my photo and in low demand, which is a bizarre contrast to the Southbound seating area which was much more busy.

Photo taken on 10/02/2024 by Tom Moon.

Assigned to galleries: Knutsford, M6 (England), Moto