Be informed

Motorway service areas are lifesavers. Long journeys need to be broken and the opportunity to use the facilities taken advantage of. Once done, a cup of coffee, or later at night, a cup of hot chocolate, wouldn’t go amiss. Beware Moto service areas, though. Last night we arrived at Toddington Services (M1 south) at 2250 looking for a hot chocolate. They were changing shift and there was nothing to be had for 10 minutes.

We decided to leave. And then realised Toddington is one of those service areas with a connecting bridge. So we decided to go to the northbound service area where, not surprisingly, it was also shift change. Never mind, at least on the northbound service area, WHSmith is still open and it has a Costa machine that dispenses hot chocolate. Dispense the drink and go to the cash desk to pay. “Could you wait ten minutes as we are cashing up?” said one of the young men at the checkout. I have in my hands two reasonably hot takeaway hot chocolate drinks that I have to wait ten minutes to pay for!

I don’t think so.