(Gwasanaethau Gorllewin Abertawe)
M4 at J47
(also accessible to traffic on the A48 and the A483)
Signposted from the road? Yes (as Greggs/Burger King/Costa)
SA4 9GT
map and directions
Single site located at a junction.
Like many M4 services, Swansea's low footfall is reflected in its lack of refurbishment. There is a McDonald's and Forestry Commission site which aren't part of the main services but are located down the same road.
Facilities
Catering: Burger King, Costa Coffee, Greggs, Costa Express Shops: WHSmith Amenities: Travelodge, Full Hou$e, Showers Outdoor Space: Grass area next to hotel; Access to Penllergaer Forest adjacent to services Charging Points: GRIDSERVE Electric Highway HPC 350kW CCS, HPC 100kW CHAdeMO & 22kW Type 2; Tesla Supercharger 250kW Forecourt: BP, Shop, Costa Express
Parking Prices
First 2 hours free for all vehicles, after which cars must pay £15 and HGVs, caravans and motorhomes £25. HGVs can pay £28 to include a £10 food voucher.
Prices are paid in the shop or by using JustPark. The location code is 625156.
HGVs can also pay by using SNAP. The location code is 13416.
The fees are strictly enforced by GroupNexus.
This information is provided to us by third parties. You should always check with staff on site.
Contact Details
🏢 Address:
M O T O
Swansea West Services
M4 Junction 47
Penllergaer
Swansea
West Glamorgan
SA4 9GT
- Amenity building and forecourt operated by Moto
- Hotel operated by Travelodge
- Foursquare Page
- 📞 Telephone number: 01792 896222
- 📌 what3words: ///stops.work.last
- more map options
Trivia and History
The service area opened on 9 August 1991, with an official opening for the Rank Motor Lodge held on 13 September 1991, attended by the chair of the Welsh Development Agency, Dr Gwyn Jones. It was built by BJ Group across a 15-acre site over 10 months.
At the time, the Welsh M4 was one of very few motorways where any company could plan a new service area. Rank were looking to slot in beside two of their rivals to get a bit more market share, and to be ready for the completion of the M4 at Briton Ferry in 1994.
Within four months of Swansea services opening, Rank revealed that they were in financial difficulty and sold all of their sites, including Swansea. Building Swansea may have been an effort to increase the value of the business knowing a sale was on the horizon.
Wales's first motorway electric vehicle charging hub opened here in February 2022, operated by GRIDSERVE. It was the second motorway EV hub in Britain. Six more charging points are planned for 2024.
Custom Levels
As a consequence of this history, Swansea has a small market share on what is already a quiet motorway. It hasn't seen the dramatic increase in custom that most other motorway service areas have experienced and this has caused it to miss out on some refurbishment schemes, and to still feature old fixtures and furniture.
Further harm was caused in 1999, when the McDonald's opened next door. Granada immediately complained that it had an impact on their restaurant. They considered closing their Burger King as a result, but eventually accepted their Burger King would be better than nothing.
The main building is now only open from 5:30am until 10pm. After this, customers are directed to the petrol station.
Even the car park turned out to be larger than needed, and Moto weren't sure what to do with it. They considered using the end of it as a car sales area, but eventually decided to designate this section 'long stay' for commuter traffic.
Design
The square amenity building has only one main entrance, which used to have a covered canopy pointing to the car park. This was a small reminder of Rank's love for elaborate architecture, even at what was supposed to be a low-budget site. There is then a large building with lots of facilities shoehorned tightly into it.
When it opened there was a 180-seat restaurant, 80-seat fast food unit, 40-seat Yorkie's Transport Diner. The 40-bed Top Rank Motor Lodge, which was accessed from inside the main amenity building, was soon rebranded Pavilion Lodge, then Granada Lodge, and is now Travelodge.
There was a plan for a drive thru fast food restaurant to be built here in 1995.
Signs and Name
Moto publicly refer to the service area by the name 'Swansea', but the signs on the motorway (which haven't been replaced since it opened) still call it 'Swansea West'. As this has to be joined by the Welsh translation Gwasanaethau Gorllewin Abertawe, this creates quite a lengthy sign.
The Costa logo on the eastbound sign fell down in 2015, revealing half of the Rank logo that was underneath it, as this is what was on the original sign. It wasn't covered up until early 2018.
A large "Moto this way" sign has been placed on the access road to distract attention from the 24-hour McDonald's which is accessed from the same exit. The two now both have large advertisements, both vying for drivers' attention.
Alternatives
| Previous: | Next: | |
| Sarn Park (25 miles) | Services on the M4 | Pont Abraham (6 miles) |
| Cardiff West (37 miles) | Moto services | none |
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