Winning tip: The Hound of the Basket Meals, Dartmoor

Heading up to Bristol from Plymouth on the A38 we broke our journey by heading into Dartmoor to Hound Tor (a short drive off the A38 from Ashburton) to explore the rocky landscape and the medieval ruins. In the car park was The Hound of the Basket Meals food stand, which serves crab sandwiches, homemade burgers and lots of tea varieties. The landscape around is gorgeous and it’s just half a mile up to the tor. We also walked down to the ruins. It was quiet and beautiful there, with lots of bracken, thorns and heather. It isn’t hard to access Hound Tor and it’s far preferable to a service stop – and cheaper too.
katie banks

Picnic in a beautiful park, near Leicester

At Bradgate Park, a few minutes from junction 22 of the M1, just north of Leicester, you can have a picnic or simply relax or stroll through 800 acres of diverse scenery with rocky outcrops, fern-clad slopes, ancient oaks, a shallow stream perfect for paddling, an adventure playground and herds of deer. Ideal for picnic goodies is the Grey Lady Kitchen and Deli in Newtown Linford, next to the park.
Margaret Rostron

Lifton Farm Shop, west Devon

On the way back from our honeymoon in Cornwall, we needed to take a break from the A30. With no service stations nearby, we came across one of the best farm shops that we have ever been to ... Lifton Farm Shop. The homemade food was delicious and plentiful. It also has a great farm-themed children’s play area, which our two-year-old absolutely loved.
• liftonfarmshop.co.uk
Jack Wassiliauskas

Cletwr Community Shop and Cafe, Powys

Cletwr Community Shop and Cafe is a wonderful community-owned venture just south of Snowdonia on the A487 near Machynlleth. It’s a perfect pit-stop: the food is simple but good – homemade cakes, all-day breakfasts (local meat and organic eggs, veggie options), child menu. The shop sells an eclectic mix – basics, upmarket chocolates, Welsh beers, wholefoods and books, plus a lot of fresh and local products. Very handy for picking up thank-you presents and souvenirs. Clean loos, good coffee, good food and wifi in the Welsh countryside.
• cletwr.com
vladAlban

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Yorkshire

The gorgeous Yorkshire Sculpture Park is just five minutes from Junction 38 of the M1, and with a constantly changing array of world-class sculpture and acres of parkland to run around in, it’s a perfect pit stop en route north or south. The ice-cream is pretty good too.
• ysp.co.uk
lauracking

Riverside Park, St Neots, Cambridgeshire

Just off the A1 we made a pit stop in lovely Riverside Park, St Neots, on our way north from Guildford to York with our one-year-old son. It has huge amounts of green space, a lovely playground and a brand-new model railway attraction. We spent two hours in the park, eating alfresco at the surprisingly high-quality Ambiance Cafe, strolling by the river and pushing junior on the swings. A perfect lunch break that was enough to tire the wee man out so he happily slept for the remainder of our journey.
• huntsdc.gov.uk
Michael Wayne

Eco motorway services, Gloucester

Gloucester Services, between junctions 11a and 12 on the M5, is the only motorway services I’ve visited that’s worth mentioning. If you’re heading down to the south-west, this is a destination in its own right. No fast-food chains, eco architecture, green space to walk the dog, locally produced food, great gift shop, fairtrade teas and coffees. You just leave wishing all motorway services could be as nice as this.
• gloucesterservices.com
LucyLeaf

Woolsthorpe Manor, Lincolnshire

I prefer the A1M to the M1. It’s a more scenic route, and this year I stopped off at Woolsthorpe Manor just south of Grantham, the birthplace and family home of Isaac Newton run by the National Trust. The lovely house complete with Newton’s death mask and garden with the famous Flower of Kent apple tree can be viewed in an hour or so (adult £7.50, child £3.75). There’s free parking, toilets and a good small cafe.
• nationaltrust.org.uk
adamlang78

Pencil Beach, North Ayrshire

Instead of stopping at overpriced, busy and boring service stations, why not pack a disposable barbecue and a cool box so you can fire up and cook for the family. We like to stop at Pencil Beach in Largs, 33 miles west of Glasgow, because it has plenty of benches on the walkway, a sandy, safe and clean beach, rocks for clambering on, and fantastic views of Cumbrae and Arran. It’s a wonderful place to stop for a while on a trip to the Highlands and western isles.
Anne Cowieson

Old Court Hotel, Wye Valley

Just off the A40 at Symonds Yat West is the Old Court Hotel, which oozes 18th-century character from every stone. There are great panini and sandwiches to take away, a decent sit-in menu, an extensive rear garden with a small park and good views of the Wye valley. Opposite is a butterfly farm and hedge maze – there’s a danger that you forgot why you were travelling in the first place.
• oldcourthotel.co.uk
I_A_McD

The Hostelrie, Goodrich, Ross-on-Wye

Close to the A40 in south Herefordshire, Goodrich village is dominated by its red sandstone Norman castle. We ate our picnic by Kerne Bridge, an ancient Wye crossing, as we watched swans gliding slowly by. The Hostelrie in the village serves excellent refreshing local cider for non-drivers. Refreshed, we continued our journey from the West Midlands to south Wales.
• thehostelrieatgoodrich.co.uk
eurohike

The Pit Stop, A96, Aberdeenshire

The Pit Stop, also known as Roy’s Bus, is in an eastbound layby on the A96, Aberdeen-Inverness road, six miles north of Inverurie. This is not some gleaming, hipster street food emporium. It is an ancient bus (run by Roy) where you eat bacon and egg rolls and drink tea at a Formica table in the way that God meant you to. Dirt-cheap and pretension-free, it’s retro heaven, popular with lorry drivers and farmers. No toilets unfortunately, but unique.
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Heidbummer