Guide to Holyhead truckstop

(Parcio Lorïau Caergybi)

A short-lived example of a brand new service area, positioned on the A55 at Holyhead, which unwillingly became a symbol of the pressures facing the UK's haulage industry.

Facilities

Catering: Bar, Restaurant Shops: Shop Amenities: Free Cash Machine, Launderette, Showers, Hotel Forecourt: Fuel, Truckwash

Trivia and History

The UK's policies around truckstops were simplified in 2008, with new rules for "lorries only services" put in place. It took a few years for any new examples to come forward, as such facilities have always been rare anyway.

RoadKing at Holyhead opened in 2015, and was formally acknowledged as a 'lorries only services' in 2018, with full signage being provided. This was a major development, as since the A55 across Anglesey opened in 2001, the HGV-friendly facilities along the old road had all closed and no new, easily accessible facilities had opened.

Unfortunately, no sooner had it opened than it become embroiled in politics. With fears that Brexit could mean queues of HGVs waiting to clear customs before heading to Ireland, in 2020 the Welsh government negotiated with RoadKing to make this place a Brexit stacking point. Concerns were raised about jobs being lost and HGVs looking for facilities needing to head elsewhere.

In the event there were no queues of HGVs, as many hauliers changed their routes to remain either wholly inside, or wholly outside the EU. As a result, RoadKing reported a 50% drop in trade. In July 2021, they sold the site to HMRC, who have turned it into a customs facility. As a result, Anglesey lost its only HGV-accessible service area.

Area Map

This is an automatically generated map of the surrounding area. You can use the button on the right to switch between a map and an aerial photo. Historic maps may be available at SABRE Maps.

🗺 Grid reference: SH253808 | See GeoHack for modern layers