Motorway Services Online

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Gordano: Difference between revisions

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==Facilities==
==Facilities==
{{Facilities| Restaurants | {{Burger King}}, {{Harry Ramsden's}}, {{KFC}}, {{Starbucks}}, {{Subway}}, {{Krispy Kreme}}, {{Starbucks on the Go}}, Tango Ice Blast, {{Starbucks Drive Thru}} }}
{{Coronavirus|14 May 2020}}
{{Facilities| Shops | {{Waitrose}}, {{WHSmith}} }}
{{Facilities| Restaurants | {{Starbucks on the Go}} }}
{{Facilities| Amenities | {{Changing Places}}, {{Electric Car|warning=Ecotricity & Tesla}}, Footpath, Showers, [[Welcome Break Gaming]] }}
{{Facilities| Shops | {{WHSmith}} }}
{{Facilities| Amenities | {{Changing Places}}, {{Electric Car|warning=Ecotricity & Tesla}}, Footpath, Showers }}
{{Facilities| Motel | {{Ramada}} }}
{{Facilities| Motel | {{Ramada}} }}
{{Facilities| Forecourt | {{Shell|lpg=Autogas}}, [[Select]], {{The Deli}}, {{Starbucks on the Go}}, [[Rollover]], {{Krispy Kreme}}, Top!Blue AdBlue }}
{{Facilities| Forecourt | {{Shell|lpg=Autogas}}, [[Select]], {{Starbucks on the Go}}, Top!Blue AdBlue }}


==Parking Prices==
==Parking Prices==

Revision as of 05:25, 14 May 2020

Location:

M5 at J19
(also accessible to traffic on the A369)

Signposted from the road.

Postcode:

BS20 7XG

map and directions

Access/Layout:

Single site located at a junction..

Rating: See the reviews


Busy services located at a busy junction. Like all M5 services it struggles under the summer holiday pressure, but its large building and surroundings means it copes fairly well - until you try to get back on to the roundabout.

Facilities

Template:Coronavirus Catering: Starbucks on the Go Shops: WHSmith Amenities: Changing Places, Template:Electric Car, Footpath, Showers : Ramada Forecourt: Shell, Select, Starbucks on the Go, Top!Blue AdBlue

Parking Prices

First two hours free for all vehicles, after which cars must pay £15 for a further 24 hours and HGVs, caravans and coaches must pay £29 (or £31 to include a £10 meal voucher).

Prices can be paid in the shop and forecourt, with instructions in each car park. They are strictly enforced by ParkingEye.

Contact Details

🏢 Address:
Welcome Break
Gordano Motorway Services Area
M5
Portbury
Bristol
Somerset
BS20 7XG


Trivia and History

Gordano ice cream shack.jpg
Some of the outdoor buildings which originally adorned the services.

Camera icon
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Opened by Trusthouse Forte 1973
Re-branded Motor Chef 1974
Re-branded Welcome Break 1988

The Starbucks drive thru here, the first to be purpose-built, was originally going to be a KFC. It replaced an old workshop building which was going to be re-used. It was decided to turn this into the fourth (at the time) Starbucks counter instead, with its own seating area, but the building was in too poor a state to invite customers in to and had to be re-built.

The toilets at Gordano costed Welcome Break £1,000,000 to install when they were introduced in 2006. Although they are now quite old, the room still looks relatively smart. It is one of few services to have toilets with a separate exit to the entrance - the exit directs people towards the food court.

The site got top marks in Holiday Which? Magazine's survey in 2006, it was said to have "stylish toilets" and the food was "as good as a local curry house". It didn't come first though, Tebay on the M6 did.

During summer 2018, the former Days Inn motel underwent a major refurbishment. As part of this, a large extension was built to include more rooms on site, a new restaurant and bar and a fitness suite. The motel was also rebranded to Ramada upon reopening.

Location

See also: M5 Service Area Planning

Gordano was the second service area to be built at a junction, as the government conceded that there was not enough space in the area. With a large viaduct to the north and a split-level section of motorway to the south, anything else would have required a lot of engineering. Today this junction suffers from severe congestion.

Rank were allowed to bid for the services as not much traffic was expected to come from Aust, but Taverna were not.

Early Design

It was sometimes referred to as Portbury services.

Shortly after opening it gained a snack bar and AA shop in temporary buildings, and before long had a total of eight temporary buildings, including a St John's Ambulance building, scattered around the entrance. This was severely criticised for looking untidy. Some of the buildings were never removed, and the recent addition of Baskin Robbins has seen the return of outdoor outlets.

The restaurant was carpeted with bench-type seats and a Scandinavian-style strip-wood ceiling.

Alternatives

Previous:Next:
Michaelwood (18 miles)
Magor (M4 west, 14 miles)
Leigh Delamere (M4 east, 31 miles)
Services on the M5Sedgemoor (20 miles)
Michaelwood (18 miles)
Sarn Park (M4 west, 49 miles)
Membury (M4 east, 58 miles))
Welcome Break servicesSedgemoor (North) (M5 northbound, 20 miles)

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