The Services King Feature
Late September saw me head ‘north of the border’ for my annual Scottish pilgrimage to visit many forecourts and service areas on the Scottish road network.
My trip began at the border town of Gretna Green for a visit to the Welcome Break service area on the A74(M). Over the following days, I made my way up the A74(M) and M74 to the ‘central belt’. Site visits then continued in the Glasgow area before heading into Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park for some sightseeing over my first of two weekends in Scotland.
Before heading towards Loch Lomond though, I visited Karan Retail’s Alexandria Service Station in Dumbarton to make use of one of over 1000 Wash.ME laundry machines located across the UK. The Esso filling station was acquired by Visnu Kumaranisanathan from the Glen family who operate a funeral directors directly opposite the site. As well as Esso fuels and the Wash.ME laundry machine, Alexandria Service Station offers a Londis store and parcel lockers from InPost and YEEP! Lockers.
My second week in Scotland saw me venture further towards the north and east of the country, with site visits in Perth & Kinross and Aberdeenshire the main focus. The end of the second week saw a visit to a Gleaner forecourt.
Located on the main A96 trunk road between Aberdeen and Inverness, Ashgrove Service Station is one of Gleaner’s smallest forecourts but caters well for the passing traffic despite its size. The own-brand forecourt offers regular unleaded and diesel fuels and a small unbranded shop, with the forecourt also being one of the last remaining sites in Aberdeenshire to offer LPG.
Whilst visiting Ashgrove, I caught up with Site Manager Audrey McLean and cashier Jane who always appreciate a visit to the site from The King whilst he is in Aberdeenshire. Ashgrove is such a different offer compared to the much grander sites in England but this is made up for by the outstanding customer service from the team at Ashgrove.
I always enjoy my annual trip to Scotland as the way forecourt businesses that operate in the country are such a vast contrast to their English counterparts and it’s always great to receive some friendly Scottish hospitality.
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Scotland’s countryside is full of breathtaking places waiting to be explored. What’s your favourite rural Scottish spot? Tell us about the places that made your road trips unforgettable in the comments!
Alexandria Service Station
Location – 34-44 Main St, Alexandria, Dumbarton G83 0DX
Opening Hours – 24/7
Shop Brand & Facilities – Londis store, Costa Express machine, two jet wash bays, Wash.ME laundry machine, InPost locker, YEEP! locker
Number of pumps & fuel grades – 10 pump islands with unleaded, diesel, premium unleaded and premium diesel available
Ashgrove Service Station
Location – A96, Cairnie, Huntly AB54 4TL
Opening Hours – 6am to 7pm, Monday to Friday
7am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday
Shop Brand & Facilities – Small unbranded shop, Tchibo machine, jet wash bay
Number of pumps & fuel grades – 6 pump islands with unleaded and diesel, LPG pump also available