Overview

Located on the A74(M) was one of several stops on our adventure down south. Featuring a Days Inn hotel, a McDonalds, a Costa Coffee and a Changing Places toilet it's as good a place to stop as any. There are plenty of places to sit, several EV chargers and a small number of accessible parking spaces. As for the red cord in the Changing Places toilet, I can confirm that it absolutely works. How do I know this? Well, I might just have managed to get the cord caught on my wheelchair on the way out. A least I found out how efficient the facilities staff are!

Transport & Parking

As a service station, the main and likely only real route to this location is by car. I counted 12 EV spaces though the information online seems to vary. There are Chademo chargers, CCS chargers, and AC charging options available. All of the machines have bollards at the front, but the charging cables, which are supported by wires, and the card reader can be accessed from a wheelchair. The bays aren't quite big enough to open your door fully. If you're a disabled driver, you may need to park over the grid lines to actually get out of your car when using a mobility device. They've clearly removed several accessible parking spaces to fit the EV spaces, which is really frustrating, given that EV chargers are generally not that accessible. There are four remaining accessible parking spaces next to the chargers, with a further three located close to the Days Inn - although these are likely only for the hotel. The four accessible parking spaces mentioned above are not near dropped kerbs. There are plenty of standard spaces if you're able to manage without an accessible parking space but they really should be replacing the accessible spaces they remove.

Access

The accessibility of the service station is decent inside, but not so much outside as there is only one section with a dropped kerb. Inside there is level access, but no instances of braille nor an induction loop in operation. Signage is clear for the most part, and the open plan makes the location easy to navigate. As an aside, I made a point to visit the Days Inn hotel attached to the service station. I didn't have a reservation, but I thought I'd at least check out the access. The main entrance is up a ramp and through two heavy metal and glass doors. There is a buzzer, but it's very high up and impossible to reach while seated. The doors open inwards, with a small space between the two - exceptionally awkward to manage. A slightly better route to enter is via the service station. If you continue past the toilets, there's a door at the end which is easier to open. The counter at the reception desk is high up, though I was able to see the staff from a seated position. Unlike the service station, there's also an induction loop here, which is something at least. The hotel has two accessible rooms, both of which have baths. The staff lamented that they didn't view the rooms as particularly accessible and encouraged feedback as a way to promote change.

Toilets

There is an accessible toilet and a Changing Places toilet at this location, which requires a RADAR key to enter via the outward opening door. Inside the room, you'll find a ceiling track hoist, an adjustable change bed and a large paper sheet dispenser for use with the bed. The toilet is on the rear wall and features a contrasting toilet seat and contrasting grab rails on both sides. There is space for both a left-side and right-side transfer, but there are bins on both sides, which is frustrating. The room also features an adjustable sink with a deep basin and a single grab rail on the right - where you'll also find the button to operate the mechanism. There is a Euan’s Guide red cord card installed on the emergency cord, which is on the right when seated on the toilet and hangs to the floor. I didn't see a cord at the door or a colostomy shelf. Framed awards outside advise that this toilet won Changing Places Toilet of the Year in 2024, which makes me wonder how this is assessed, and whether staff are given prior notice of a visit. The bins in the transfer space and the lack of a colostomy shelf are where I would deduct points. The standard accessible toilet is next door and does not require a key to enter. This toilet is rather small and, whilst there is a left-side transfer space, there's a bin in it - making it useless for side transfers. As with the Changing Places toilet, there are contrasting grab rails on either side of the toilet seat, and on either side of the low, small sink, which has a lever-style tap. There is a baby change table on the wall, with the change mat resting on top of a bin as I entered. Not the best place to keep something you're going to put a baby on. At least both toilets are clean.

Staff

I had limited interaction with staff, but the haste with which they attended when I pulled the emergency cord by mistake was impressive. They understood it was an accident rather than tell me off for it - which I appreciate. I've been in places with staff who are eager to set people right, and it's nice to not have that additional stress.

Photos