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Service Station Obsessed British Bloke Had Part Of His Honeymoon In One

Service Station Obsessed British Bloke Had Part Of His Honeymoon In One

Chris Arnold, 31, finds motorway services ‘exciting’, ‘calming’ and even ‘glorious’

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

Meet the British man who is so obsessed with motorway service stations that he's not only got a favourite one, he also incorporated it into part of his wedding celebrations.

Service stations aren't exactly known as the most promising of locations, with weary travellers begrudgingly stopping by quickly to grab a strong coffee and a sausage roll before heading back out on the road.

But one Brit has become such a huge fan of them that he regularly visits them for fun - and even had part of his honeymoon in one.

Chris Arnold, 31, says he finds motorway services 'exciting', 'calming' and even 'glorious', and regularly reviews them online for his friends and fans on social media, with many videos and photos receiving hundreds of likes.

Chris' all-time favourite spot is Gloucester Services off the M5 (a firm choice, to be fair), but is also a big fan of others on the M6, M74 and A66.

When he recently tied the knot with long-term partner Francesca Scott, there was even a mention of his love of service stations in her wedding speech - before he whisked his new bride off to Tebay Services off the M6 in Cumbria after the big day.

SWNS

Chris, a DJ and radio presenter from Bristol, said: ''I've been to a lot of them - I'm a DJ and I get around a bit.

"I used to live in Sheffield so would visit Tebay Services in the Lake District - that's where the love all started for me.

''It has a lovely little duck pond and didn't have all the regular things you see at a service station.

"Service stations are just lovely little places. When you're doing a long journey you want somewhere relaxing.

''Service stations these days have been taken to the next level.

"People complain that they are too expensive but I think they are worth the extra bit of money."

Chris at Gloucester Services.
SWNS

Chris began posting about motorway services on social media, with his Instagram bio reading: "Gloucester Services' favourite customer."

One post from December 2018 showed Chris chilling outside at Gloucester Services, captioned: "Kicking back at Gloucester Services with my Gloucester Services mug whilst wearing my Gloucester Services t-shirt. The perfect way to end the year."

After a visit to Tebay, Chris said in another post: "Wow, just wow.

''What an incredible place. Glorious location, delightful interior decor, serene toilets.

"I had a Lancashire cheese and onion pie from their bistro cafe and bought a bottle of Tebay Blonde to take away. Even the local ducks are friendly.

"10/10. A+. Would definitely recommend."

While Chris loves Tebay, Happendon off the M74 and the Rheged Centre on the A66, his heart really belongs to Gloucester Services - where he's described by staff as their 'best customer'.

SWNS

The hotspot is just 40 minutes from his home in Bristol, and features a farm shop, pond and a generally tranquil atmosphere, all built into a hillside that reminds him of 'Tellytubby land'.

"My relationship with that services is the best," Chris said of Gloucester's offering.

"That's where my love of service stations reached a new high."

After posting about Gloucester Services on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, Chris started getting responses from the social media accounts of Gloucester Services.

"Then they followed me back - that was a big moment," he said.

"Then they realised that I really liked them and they and they started describing me as their favourite customer. Their words, not mine."

SWNS

Last summer Chris married his long-term love Francesca, and the two went on an official honeymoon to Thailand.

But when they got back Chris found a letter waiting from him from the team at Gloucester Services - which is run by the same company behind Tebay - who wanted to offer him a wedding present.

Chris said: "It was a lovely gesture and the gift was a free night and three meals in the Tebay Services hotel.

"They told us to let them know when we wanted to go, it was very touching. We went to the hotel last week, it was amazing.''

Chris' love of Gloucester Services has landed him in online arguments from time to time, but it doesn't bother him; he simply just tries to win them round instead.

SWNS

He added: "I get trolls online at time, they tell me that Gloucester Services is terrible.

"I try to befriend them and ask if they would like to meet up to discuss the pros and cons of service stations but they just say they want to beat me up.

"There's always going to be haters out there.

"My wife often rolls her eyes at me for going on about Gloucester Services so much, she even referenced them in our wedding vows.

''She said she still loves me despite going on about them all the time. She came with me to Tebay though so she's reaping the benefits now."

Featured Image Credit: SWNS

Topics: UK News, News