‘I’ve spent £10k visiting every motorway service station in Britain and this one stands out’
Rich Cross shared his verdict on which was the best in Channel 5 programme, Britain's Best Service Station
20:38, 24 May 2026Updated 21:06, 24 May 2026
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Rich Cross has spent thousands visiting every service station in the UK(Image: Channel 5)
A man who has visited every motorway service station in the country has named one that left its mark.
On Sunday night (May 24), Channel 5 aired brand new programme Britain's Best Service Station hosted by JLS star JB Gill.[1][2][3]
The boyband member set out to uncover the "weird[4] and wonderful world[5] of UK service stations," and interviewed experts along the way.
During one of his stops, JB sat down with so-called 'Services King' Rich Cross, who has spent over GBP10,000 travelling to every motorway rest stop in the country.
When asked to name his favourite service station, Rich failed to choose. "I couldn't possibly have a favourite. They all have their own quirks and their own interesting features," he said.
However, he admitted that the recently-opened Rotherham Services is among his favourites.
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Rich said Rotherham Services stands out as one of the best service stations in the country (Image: Channel 5)
Rich explained: "This site stands out for me because it is just a completely different design to what we've seen before. The interior has depicted a typical Yorkshire High Street with mock shop-fronts."
He went on to describe his fascination with rest stops, adding: "They [service stations] certainly are an exciting experience for everybody, not just kids.
"They offer something completely unique and completely different, kind of mini shopping centre on the side of a motorway."
Rich's unique hobby started when he was a child.
As the son of a truck driver, he has fond memories of spending Inset days and school holidays driving through motorways with his dad.
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Rich has been interested in service stations since he was a child (Image: Channel 5)
While Rich couldn't pick a favourite, Channel 5 ultimately unveiled the country's top five service stations according to a Which? survey.
Before the show, though, fans had already cast their votes on social media.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter[6], one shared: "It's Tebay and that's it."
Someone else agreed: "Tebay is obviously going to win, but really it should be Markham Vale or Skelton Lake," while a third echoed: Tebay.
End of."
Article continues belowIt seems fans weren't quite correct as the survey named Tebay Services as the nation's second-favourite service station, while Gloucester Services claimed the number one spot
Britain's Best Service Station is available to stream on Channel 5