Sourton Cross services
A30 between Okehampton and Launceston
(also accessible to traffic on the A386)
Signposted from the road.
EX20 4LY
map and directions
Single site located at a junction.
At the Sourton Cross junction, motorists can take their pick from a regular service area, and a picnic area and transport café.
Facilities
Catering: Burger King, Greggs, The Currant Bun Catering Truck Amenities: Travelodge Outdoor Space: Grass area around hotel; Picnic Area with toilet block by catering truck Forecourt: Shell, Select, Little Waitrose & Partners, Deli by Shell, Costa Express, Free Cash Machine
Parking Prices
Short stay customer parking is available for cars at all facilities.
Overnight free parking is available for all vehicles at the Sourton Cross picnic area, limited to 24 hours maximum stay. These restrictions are strictly enforced by National Highways.
This information is provided to us by third parties. You should always check with staff on site.
Contact Details
🏢 Address:
Sourton
Okehampton
Devon
EX20 4LY
Trivia and History
The history of Sourton Cross starts with the Roebuck Hotel on the old line of the A30, which is thought to have been built in the 1940s. The building was purchased by Forte in 1986, and they turned it into the Sourton Cross branch of Little ChefHistory, as well as providing a new filling station to the west, where fuel was provided by Shell.
Forte added a Little Chef Lodge to the east of the restaurant in early 1988 - this soon became a Forte Travelodge.
The Little Chef went on to gain a Burger King franchise in the late 1990s. This busy branch lasted through to 2017, when Little Chef's buildings were acquired by Euro Garages. Their preferred brand partner, Starbucks, wouldn't have wanted to share with the Burger King, and they didn't seem to have a back-up plan, so the Little Chef continued trading.
Euro Garages' rights to the Little Chef brand expired in January 2018, so the restaurant was quickly renamed EG Diner. Both this and the Burger King then closed at the end of September 2018, with the Burger King reopening that December, alongside new Greggs and Subway stores. The Subway closed in 2023.
The Shell filling station underwent a major refurbishment from August to November 2014 and reopened with a large Deli2go counter. The filling station was then refurbished again in January 2018 and reopened with a Little Waitrose store.
Additional Facilities
A picnic area was provided opposite the main facilities with its own toilets and parking for all vehicles. It was operated by the Highways Agency, and used their branding. A facility like this is rarely provided in Britain, and it's even stranger to provide it opposite an existing facility: it must have been decided that this would be a key rest point. A sign at the entrance breaks down the different facilities available, making clear that the less visible picnic area is also the main parking facility.
The picnic area later gained its own catering facilities in the form of a portable building next to the toilets. This was known as Woody's Diner, but it closed in early 2020 with the portable building being sold off at an auction. The Currant Bun catering truck was then added in May 2021 and now sits on the space where the portable building was. This was initially operated by friends Jack and Wendy but Jack passed away after a tragic accident in 2022 and his family now support Wendy with operation of the snack bar.
This parking area is still maintained by England's national highway authority despite their various renamings.
Alternatives
| Previous: | Next: | |
| Whitehouse (5 miles) | Services on the A30 | Bodmin Moor (westbound, 21 miles) Trewint (eastbound, 23 miles) Penlan (32 miles) |
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