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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Rich Cross

Experience: I’ve visited every motorway service station in Britain

A smiling man with short hair and glasses and wearing a blue polo shirt inside a service station
‘I think of them as one of life’s great levellers’: Rich Cross, at Leigh Delamere service station in Wiltshire. Photograph: Gareth Iwan Jones/The Guardian

When I was 10 years old, the highlight of my summer holidays was going to work with my dad, who is a lorry driver. For a couple of years in the mid-2000s, I’d excitedly climb into the cab next to him and we’d set off on a 10-hour trip. My job was to follow the AA Road Atlas, and I’d joyfully track the services marked on the map as we thundered along.

My dad thought stopping was a waste of time, but his designated rest stops were my favourite part of the trip. Depending on the journey, we might stop for two or three meals. I always hoped at least one would be at a Little Chef. I loved their Olympic Breakfast, a massive full English, and every meal was rounded off with a lollipop – what more could a 10-year-old want?

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