Guide to Wetherby services

The A1(M) remains a barren desert for rest areas, with Wetherby being this section of road's main oasis.

Facilities

Catering: Burger King, Chow, Costa Coffee, Greggs, KFC, Pret A Manger, West Cornwall Pasty Co., Costa Express, f'real Milkshakes, Krispy Kreme, M&S Coffee to Go, Tango Ice Blast, Costa Drive Thru Shops: M&S Food, Phone Tech, WHSmith Amenities: Days Inn, &Play, Changing Places, Revolution Laundry, Showers Outdoor Space: Small amount of greenery behind hotel; Public Footpath Connection Charging Points: GRIDSERVE Electric Highway HPC 350kW CCS, 100kW CHAdeMO & 22kW Type 2 Forecourt: BP, M&S Food, Greggs, Costa Express

Parking Prices

First 2 hours free for all vehicles, after which cars must pay £15 and HGVs, caravans and motorhomes £33. HGVs can pay £36 to include a £10 food voucher.

Prices are paid in the shop or by using JustPark. The location code is 625167.

HGVs can also pay by using SNAP. The location code is 13460.

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

Trivia and History

See also: A1(M) Planning Applications

Wetherby dates back to 1993, when several proposals for a new service area on the planned A1(M) were put forward. One came from Welcome Break, which was taken forward by Granada when they took over.

The "Kirk Deighton Plan", as Wetherby was known, was rejected, but Granada and Macgay Ltd appealed the decision. In 1997 a public inquiry considered Kirk Deighton and Kirby Hill, and in 1999 it concluded that Kirby Hill should be built. That decision was quashed by the High Court in 2002, and a further inquiry looked at these two plus three more service areas.

This time the Secretary of State concluded that of all the proposals, Kirk Deighton was in the most suitable location, and that it would do the least damage. This was primarily because Wetherby was broadly half way between Ferrybridge and Leeming Bar.

Outline planning permission was awarded in 2005, and the plan was developed fully in 2007. It was to be built on a field which happened to be the right size after the A1(M) was built through it. The field is skirted by a public right of way, which provided access for the early stages of construction, through a point that still exists today as a gate. There is a second, more unofficial, cut-through which allows pedestrian access to the site.

Opening

The service area was built by North Midland Building Ltd on the instruction of Moto, and it claimed to be the most environmentally-friendly service station around, with features including a large funnel to act as air conditioning and a giant 'wing' for a canopy. Wetherby has quickly become one of Moto's busiest and most profitable services, benefiting from the lack of facilities on the new A1(M).

The petrol station opened on 5 July 2008, with the rest of the service area opening on 23 August.

The site features a 126-bedroom Days Inn hotel, the first to be built at a Moto which wasn't a Travelodge. It was originally going to have three storeys, but that plan was rejected for being unsightly. The hotel was officially opened on 27 July 2009 by Councillor Edna Hilditch BEM and has a largely glass frontage rarely seen at a motorway hotel.

Overcrowding

There were 67 HGV spaces, 20 coach spaces, 395 car parking spaces and a 309-space overflow car park. Initially, the car park was accessed from a single entry and exit 'driveway', with five two-way aisles on the right. This meant cars waiting to turn into the first aisle had to wait for exiting vehicles, they also had to travel slowly or stop when an oncoming vehicle tried to exit the aisle, and the far ends of the aisles (by the entrance) were not all being used. Staff were sent out to help customers find spaces and navigate the tight spots.

While the car park was supposed to account for future traffic flows, these apparently didn't account for quite how popular Wetherby would become. Figures from Easter 2024 suggest Wetherby is the third-busiest service station in the UK, and the busiest one to be ran by a single operator. This is despite the new A1(M) still being a relatively lightly trafficked motorway, on which the site's predicted custom level would have based. This popularity is partly based on the A1(M) having so few service stations, something which will eventually change.

The car park was expanded in 2013, with a new, two-lane exit point created, spaces added around the hotel and along the entry 'driveway', and a new staff car park was built. The HGV and caravan parking was expanded over reserved land. These changes introduced new issues: the spaces at entry are the most popular, as people don't know more spaces are available. Reversing in or out of these blocks the entry for everybody else. The two-way aisles continue to create conflicts. As a result of this, plus the fact it is genuinely very busy, the queue to enter the car park often tails back onto the motorway, even when many spaces are available.

Despite it being a new service area with standard facilities, Wetherby was selected by the Highways Agency for inclusion in one of their last truckstop guides, apparently believing the original HGV park was as good as a truckstop.

Expansion

To address some of these issues, since 2023, Moto have been working on plans to expand the parking areas into new land.

Their latest proposal suggests the existing car park will be converted to mostly support electric vehicle charging points. The HGV parking area will remain (there had previously been talk about converting it to car parking), and a large, 134-bay eHGV parking area will be created to the east, with overnight and fast charging points.

The electric bays would be converted in phases, with standard vehicles using them initially. The new area would be separated from the main site by a single access point, for security. Several commentators have asked how this means the eHGV users would access any facilities. Concern has also been raised about blocking off the somewhat unofficial connection to the public right of way; currently the only safe pedestrian access to the site.

In their supporting documentation, Moto suggested the existing HGV parking area had been overused nearly every day for the previous 12 months.

To support this development, Moto have already secured planning permission to develop a solar farm on land to the north of the service area.

Recent Changes

In 2012 a KFC was planned to be added here, but it was postponed and opened in July 2019. In the intervening time a Greggs was built outside, and another was added to the filling station in February 2019.

A 2018 study calculated that Wetherby services averages a 7.7% turn-in rate. This may be lower than expected, given its high use.

A Krispy Kreme airstream was trialled here in summer 2021.

During late 2021, a major refurbishment scheme commenced here which involved a refurbishment of the toilets and showers. The Costa unit at the far end of the amenity building was also removed to make way for a Pret A Manger store which opened on 3 March 2022. The site became an electric vehicle charging hub when 12 new charging bays opened in July 2022. A new shower block was also later added, and a Changing Places facility was installed in summer 2023.

Moto had planned to place a sign by the entrance to promote their forecourt, showcasing their new logo and a large display for the fuel prices, but following the conclusion of the fuel price trial this will no longer happen.

Alternatives

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