Combined bathroom break and aquarium visit
4
4
Date of visit: February 2026
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: a hidden impairment and moving around.
I use or have experience of: hidden impairment, powerchair, walking aid, wheelchair
Overall Rating
Good
When I pulled into the service station on my way down to England, I did not expect to find the most visually striking accessible bathroom I have seen to date – but then I entered the disabled toilet and found myself surrounded by underwater wallpaper. The one Blue Badge parking space at the services was unfortunately on the other side of the petrol pumps from the shop and the toilet block, which was further away than I would expect from accessible parking. The accessible bathroom was spacious, mostly clean and just a tiny bit smelly and I appreciated the ease of the motion sensor flush and tap. The air from the hand dryer was definitely too cold for a winter morning, though! I did not need to get petrol or use the shop, but it seems that you can get assistance when fuelling up through the Fuelservice app on your phone or by calling 0161 694 8000 and asking for station number 15605 on your phone. There are also 4 bays for electric vehicle charging, two of which have a terminal that can be reached by wheelchair users.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
There are two lowered curbs with tactile markings to get up to the level of the shop in front of the toilet block. There is either one more step with a handhold on the right or a ramp going up to the toilet block. The ramp is on the right and turns around on itself once. It has a railing in the middle and on the sides but not on the short end where it turns. All the curbs have yellow paint contrast markings. The door to the shop is a non-automatic single door opening to the outside left.
Accessible facilities: Single-level venue, Step-free entrance, Step-free access to most areas
Parking & Transport
Good
I travelled to this place by personal vehicle
There is one Blue Badge parking space opposite the petrol station next to the air/tyre pump. When wanting to go to the shop or the toilet block, there is enough space and lowered curbs to get dropped off in front of the toilet block (to the right of the shop). The EV chargers are on the other side of the pavement from the accessible parking space. There are four ionity 350kW terminals on an island that has lowered curbs on the short sides and two parking bays each on the long sides. One terminal on each side faces towards the lowered curb, while the other one faces towards the middle of the island, which is not wheelchair accessible. The screens are at a good height to reach from a seated position and the cables are included, but I am not sure how heavy they are. It did not look like there was any additional support to help lift them.
Accessible facilities: Electric Vehicle Charging, Dedicated on-site parking, Drop-off or pick up point
Accessible Toilets
Good
There is one accessible bathroom in the toilet block and it is the closest door to the ramp. It is large enough for a carer and to turn in a large wheelchair. The door opens to the outside left. No key is needed to access the bathroom. There is no door opener. The handle on the outside is a short vertical metal bar. There is a handrail on the back of the door and it locks with either a twist knob or a twist lever. There is a large foot-pedal bin, a baby change and a large mirror on the wall to your right when you come in. The sink is on the wall to your left. The toilet and a urinal are on the back wall. There is a fixed vertical and a horizontal handrail to the left of the toilet that can be lifted and moved out of the way and a fixed horizontal handrail on the wall to the right of the toilet. The flush is a motion sensor on the wall behind the toilet on the same side as the transfer space. The toilet paper holder is to the right left of the toilet. The large roll of thin toilet paper gave me a little bit of trouble when it came to finding the loose end. There is space for a right-side transfer. The urinal is in the same area as the transfer space. The red cord is in between the toilet and the urinal and reaches within a few inches of the floor. There are vertical handrails on either side of the sink. The sink is a small wall-mounted sink and there is a motion-sensor tap on the right corner of the sink. There is a wall-mounted soap dispenser above the sink on the left and a mirror above that. There is only a hand dryer to the left of the sink, no paper towels. There is a wall-mounted baby change on the wall by the door that folds down.
Facilities: Accessible toilet
Staff
I did not interact with any staff.
Comments
dystrophydad
23 Feb 2026
That is one jazzy toilet!
