Southwaite North Services Cafe in Carlisle

This is about halfway on our journey to Glasgow, so is a necessary comfort stop A good selection of food outlets including our favourite Costa. The decor is what you’d expect from a busy service station and the standard of cleanliness throughout is acceptable.

The worst services I have ever been to. Will never stop there again and would urge others not to either. Went in to the baby changing, it was so grubby and the smell hit you like a brick wall. Think of a run down bus/train station toilet or dingy club, where everyone has peed on the floor instead of in the toilet. How that could get and be left like that is unbelievable!! I ended up changing my son in the back seat of our car (with great difficulty) Women’s toilets were terrible too, not as bad as baby changing, but you still felt like you needed a shower afterwards. Can’t comment on the food as after that experience, we had no intention of eating in such a filthy place.

It was actually on the Southbound M6. It's the dirtiest most untidy unkempt services I have ever been in. Moto should be ashamed. Tables not cleared,trays full of used crockery( some with food on) and cutlery left on the racks, food left on the floor where it had fallen, overfull waste bins, cardboard boxes flattened and left on a table near Costa,tables that were empty not wiped clean. It's filthy. Thank goodness for Greggs who at least sold some decent food. Needless to say that's the last time we'll be stopping there on our way home from Scotland.

Stopped here for food. Struggled to find a clean table, grubby chairs and all of the bins were completely full and overflowing. At least the toilets were clean.

We stopped here on our way going home, toilets are clean. However it is busy, not enough picnic tables. Had a hot chocolate from the Costa and there was no taste to it. Bit of a disappointment.

Don't know what happened here. Every Greggs I've been in from Hastings to Kinross seems to be a template of happy staff, quick service, good food. Thursday , coming south down the M6: surly staff, slow service and the bacon roll was cold and fatty.

A great spot for a quick break on the M6! The service station offers electric car charging, clean toilets, and a good range of food options including Costa Coffee, Burger King, Greggs, and M&S Simply Food. There's plenty of parking available, making it easy to find a spot even on busy days. Overall, a convenient and well-maintained stop.

So it began on the 13th of November (2023) at 11pm, and has carried into the 14th early morning and me and my friend had to pull in because my car broke down. We initially stopped to give the car a rest as at this point we just finished work and didn’t think it was broke. We went in for a hot chocolate, and my friend got a coffee and a green tea. Two hours and a half later, my friend had gone with another friend home, as I was waiting to be recovered, and I needed to use the toilet, and as I went in, I bumped into the woman working at costa who was really friendly. I told her my situation to which she offered me a coffee. She said due to my situation, and how late it was, it wasn’t needed to be paid for, despite me offering. I wanted to state how lovely this was as I had just finished a 12-10 customer facing shift myself and to receive kindness like the kindness I offer was well appreciated! Would recommend her. She is lovely. I hadn’t caught her name but she needs to be recognised! So thank you!

Visited here on a Sunday evening. Burger King food was cold, coffee machine broken, bins overfilled and toliets were filthy. Would never visit again!

Vile place. We were there at night. Masses of rats running under the hedges and jumping from the hedges onto the bins. Litter scattered all over car park. If you value your health give it a miss! Only stopped for the loo but would have been safer wearing tenas and giving this dreadful place a miss!!!

This is probably the most disgusting service centre I have ever stopped at . Prices were sky high for food and drink ,petrol 30p per litre dearer than my local garage . On entering the building there was the most disgusting smell , not sure if it was the drains or the building work or a combination of both .It was so bad I abandoned my overpriced coffee ,as I felt sick ,and headed quickly back to the car . This place should be condemned .Avoid at all costs if you value your health .

Hi would just like to highlight we stopped here on route to heysham on the 23rd july at 10pm but did not go in when ee parked near the entrance there loads of rats running from hedge to hedge needs to be sorted quickstyle

Bit of a mixed bag. The Costa Coffee was its usual great self, the West Cornish Pasty outlet did a fantastic pasty but the Grandkids had to wait ages for the so called fast food at the Burger King, but they did enjoy it when it arrived. The toilets were fine and all the staff at the various outlets were friendly and helpful.

We stopped today 17th July at about 3pm for a bite to eat on our way home from Lincolnshire and all I can say is the ladies toilets were the most disgusting toilets I have ever seen .I was so embarrassed when I noticed domestic cleaner was male ,I did approach him as he was at the next cubicle to the one I had witnessed ,I advise him not to go in to the cubicle as it was the most disgusting filthiest I had ever seen in my time I also felt this was inappropriate for any male or female to deal with .There were used tampons and soiled toilet paper and nappies lying on the floor next to an extremely overflowing bin.I asked the gentleman concerned if he could get me his manager which he kindly did .The gentleman cleaner appeared extremely embarrassed and apologised profusely for a situation which was totally out of his control .I spoke to a young gentleman and asked him to come to the ladies to show him the state that the toilets were in ,by this point the gentleman cleaner had shovelled up all the filth from the floor, every cubicle bin was full to capacity and overflowing.The manager himself was appalled at the filth that was left behind by these disgusting people,shame on them I dread to think what their houses are like .My heart went out to the poor man who was unfortunate enough to be left clean up .Surely there must be a roster that ensures that the toilets are cleaned hourly and signed by each cleaner in such a busy service station .It is totally inappropriate for a male to have to clean a ladies (If you can call them that ).There is no excuse for this whatsoever. Mrs V Brown.

Me and a few friends stopped here to use the toilet, what a mistake that was, we actually left without using the toilets as they were disgusting. Litter all over the carpark on southbound bins were over flowing, need to get more staff as the one cleaner I saw looked over worked.

As I cannot review the services itself this is the next best thing. The second time I've pulled into the petrol station to grab breakfast and use the loo when the loo is closed. It's totally not acceptable. It's all well and good saying to go back into the main building but why should we. We don't all have an hour to spare. I feel sorry for the truckers too. What makes me angry is there's no signs as you come up the slip road to say. Toilets out of order at the filling station. Please use the main building... What's even worse is there's no explanation on to why they are closed and when they are going to reopen as it's at least 6 weeks since my last visit. Next time I'll just leave my car at a pump and walk across to main building. I'm sure that'll not go down well. This is bro even isolated to this services either. It's a UK wide issue. Pathetic

This is a lovely little service area . Not as big as the usual ones . We just visited Costa , where we had lovely hot chocolate and a toasted cheese & ham sandwich .the girls serving us were friendly & helpful . Interested in our journey to Scotland. It was a relaxing break . Thank you !!!!

Dire. Miserable staff. Dirty overalls. Cold bacon food. Joyless. Never again. Food and coffee alright except being cold

the Burger King outlet on the Northbound side of Southwaite Services is so dirty even the rats won't go there. visited this outlet on the 12/02/23 around lunchtime, the was only one member of staff out front and one member in the back and both of them needed a damm good wash,the bins was overflowing and had dried on food all over, there was no serviettes. Burger King should be ashamed

I ordered 2 terry chocolate orange hot chocolates and a salted caramel frappe with coffee. Frappe couldn’t tell there was any coffee in it, the hot chocolate s were very disappointing there little to no orange syrup in them.

Visited on a over night stay in travelodge, the ladies in costa were great and very patient when I couldn’t decide what to have to drink. The male toilets were spotless including the disabled facilities that my daughter used. The only criticism I can give is the amount of leaves in the car park area made it difficult to navigate in the dark.

The staff could not have been less interested in the huge queue that was forming. One female member of staff was just throwing items in the vague direction of the bin. Work stations were untidy. I waited 18 minutes to even be served and a further 8 minutes to receive my drink.

Visited northbound Southwaite on 27/07/22 although service area was relatively clean the costa coffee seating area was a disgrace you could not sit anywhere that didn’t have a stain so much so we didn’t sit down A total disgrace which reflects on the rest of...

Southbound.shower not to bad had hot water.went for burgerking couldn't get served knowone there to serve.no one there???? Went to greggs asked what hot food they had.told none only luke warm or cold.nice meal time for a hgv driver.only 4pm.thanks for helping us hgv drivers

Stopped at the service after a long day with friends. Visited a range of shops WHSmiths, burger king, greggs. All staff were lovely. Staff at greggs especially so.

After visiting the parents for Christmas we we’re headed home on a long drive so the kids were becoming cranky, when the lovely girl in M&S gave my children free Percy pig teddy’s, made their day & they played with them all the way home....

Stopped at southbound, got to the doors, tied shut with a “closed” sign. We walked over to north as my mother needed the bathroom, walked in to some lights pop up from the corner & two women shouting at me that we weren’t allowed in...

Burger king with no burgers, tasteless soup, interruptions while on toilet. Not the best of breaks on a journey....

Visited tonight order two flat whites from the two most miserable girls. The coffee itself was bitter as the milk was burnt, could actually see the milk boiling over the milk jug as it was heated. Couldn't even drink them as they were like lava....

My Son and i called there on Sunday morning travelling to Sterling,We Both bought a coffee and a Greggs Chicken Bake both were cold Coffee and Bakes what a rip off, i think Greggs are brilliant but this place drags Greggs down,

Visited Southwaite North today. All the usual shops but not a single recycling bin or facility in sight. Plastic waste being generated everywhere you look and nowhere to put it. Unacceptable in this era!

The pizza was cold, sausage roll was cold and we didn’t even get them the first time we asked! They were very rude and disrespectful and my toastie was cold and I was saying isn’t it supposed to be toastie because it’s a toastie and...

Greggs pizza and sausage rolls were cold and they told us to stop shouting when we weren’t and were being rude and making snarky remarks about the situation.They forgot the sausage roll the first time this is highly unexpectable and especially since it was for...

I am a big costa fan however this store was disgraceful. The drinks were of a poor quality we had a large skinny latte and large hot chocolate with cream. The staff forgot the cream and when I mentioned it it was squirted on no...

This place just confirms most opinions of motorway services, the toilets were stinking and getting food was so slow we left. Pretty grotty to be honest. If your going south, if you can hang on for 30 mins call in at Westmorland at Tebay, and...

We popped in for a burger king, but the queue was dead slow with only one person cleaning between fingerscreen orders. The kitchen seemed slow and despite the disruption from social distancing we felt it could have been quicker. The staff were nice but no...

Truckers up and down the country, all day long and they get to the end of their working day to be greeted with a £24 night parking charge ... WOW... They charge £26 and you get a £10 voucher to get food. Nothing was open...

We were travelling back from Scotland and decided to stop at the services at KFC. I ordered a two piece meal with gravy. The chips were tastless and overcooked and the gravy was watery and full of grease. The young man that served us was rude. My daughters order was wrong and so was my grandsons. My daughter was so stressed that she decided not to complain and asked me not to either. I love KFC food and was looking forward to my meal but this has put me right off. The gravy is usually really nice but this was inedible.

My friend and I stopped for a snack. We saw West Cornwall Pasty stall near the entrance to the food hall. Both of us ordered a cafe latte and a cornish pasty each then took our food into the inside seating area. The pasty was moist and first class and much better tha the cornish pasties in Cornwall and devon where I live. The inside tables were clean but the litter bin was overflowing.

About half way on our regular trip from North Yorkshire today Glasgow, so usually stop for a rest break and some caffeine. Very busy but queue at Costa not took bad. As usual coffee very good, but as you’d expect a bit dearer than High Street prices. No complaints about the staff.

Stopped of here for a comfort break and a coffee....never again! £5.74 for a medium coffee and a small pack of 2 ginger biscuits. Don’t use this place again, absolute rip off! Pure greed IMO!

I have never been so disgusted in the state of somewhere people are having to eat and drink the whole services are filthy.Not one cleaner in sight. Costa coffee tables and floor also filthy light fittings over counter where food and drinks are served are full of thick dust. Would have given 0 bit no option to do that.

Well!!!!! I love costa coffee but the guy with the beard and North east accent was very abrupt to customers, with a not bothered attitude, and we counted at least 15 times where he was eating the stock for sale! He came across as if he was too good to be in Costa and had a very lazy manner and disinterested approach to customers. Really wouldn't use costa at southwaite services ever ever again shocking!

Literally stopped for 10 minutes for a loo stop and pick up food. Toilets were fine and functional. Greggs pizza and drink tasted fine, as was the price. Quite a small area, but did what we needed.

Very busy services. Choice of food ok but nothing special. Staff friendly but over stretched. Clean and pleasant surroundings

What can I say let’s start with Janet who works for West Cornwall Food Company.

After waiting longer than expected I had the worst burger I’ve possibly ever had ... not particularly hot, dry, tasteless and terrible value.

Dirty eating area. Rude staff. Worst experience ever as its possibly the worst service I ha e ever received anywhere. Staff are just flippant and couldn't give a hoot about you. Good was sat on the counter without being given it. Cold and when opened it was just slapped together. Burger King really need to look at this branch and close it or manage it properly.

Filthy tables and floors. Burger King service atrocious and staff uninterested. Ordering systems tried twice with no luck

Even though Costa was about to close, they provided excellent service. Nothing was too much trouble.

We stopped here for a quick pit stop and a bite to eat.

just your normal service, burger king ,whsmiths and petrol , there are Tesla chargers there too, run by a diesel generator though!

What an absolute disaster the burger king is, I waited 20 minutes to get served and even then I had to ask to be served, it's not the two young boys serving to blame. it's whoever's in charge, they poor boys are trying to serve plus gather orders together too, don't recommend the place at all

Stopped off at this service station on the way to Scotland. One of the Moto Group with an M&S; and Greggs etc.

We stopped here as we needed fuel on the M6. we were hungry so went for some food. it was very bad food. not very good value. however where else can you stop briefly on a motorway?

Stopped here on our way home for a quick bite made a big mistake and decided on Burger King ordered 2 Double bacon cheese burger meals took one bite and the burger was stone cold so were the chips took them straight back to the counter and asked if I could have 2 hot meals the lad behind the counter took them through into the kitchen part no apologies in fact he just wasn’t bothered don’t think he wanted to be there sat back down and waited for our replacement hot meals we did get replacement meals but they were luke warm we ate them and left vowing never to return.

This place is very dated and is in need of a complete renovation. Outlets are decent and toilets were clean but the communal areas are run down, unkept and unclean. Prices for fuel are outrageously expensive. Only stop here if you're desperate for a toilet stop.

Just what you’d expect at a busy motorway service area, some are better some are a lot worse. We’ve always found the toilets to be clean and very welcome. The Costa Coffee is what you’d expect and not surprisingly dearer than your High Street outlet, the same applies to Greggs and the other outlets. The staff were welcoming and friendly.

Everything you need from a motorway services is here with plenty of options for food, but all at an extremely over the top price, even in comparison to other service stations! Near enough £5.00 for a SMALL hot chocolate with cream? Okay.

you get all you need from a motorway service station but it so needs to move into this century, everything is OK but just.

These services are so tired and in desperate need of upgrading, stopped here and visited Greggs, food was nearly twice what you pay at any other Greggs and was lukewarm. Toilets had an unpleasant smell

This is not a review of the actual services, but of the staff.

We were heading South on New Year’s Day and stopped here for a break. The services was really busy.

We normally use Tebay services on our infrequent drives to Scotland and so have not tried this one in recent times, but were ‘forced’ to do so on our latest trip as Tebay was manically busy with post-Xmas traffic. The external appearance is rather drab and in need of some urgent TLC; inside it is a rather crowded layout but with all of the normal concessions; and the toilet facilities were OK if a little worn looking.

Clearly the operators have never heard of Tripadvisor or bother about listening to their customers feedback.

Slow service, wrong order, expensive fuel..

Gre8 customer service,clean rooms, Good room service,freindly staff. Just 1 hiccup were the bins kept at rooms.The bins are too small ,fitted with a very small plastic bag,which keeps falling off.Else everything is fine

dreadfull place, filthy, awful food, over an hour wait for breakfast just one man taking orders then cooking it then having to serve it at tables it was over cooked and cold we left it wont ever stop there again and far to expensive

We stopped here for a quick tea. The food area is filthy, not a clean table in sight. Clearly not enough staff on as the 2 counter staff at Burger King were working their socks off. Will give this service station a miss in future.

Lets face it, there are some truly awful service stations out there. Dirty toilets etc. Well, this one is fine, not perfect, but alright. Not one to avoid.

We stopped off here late last Friday evening, the 7th September 2018, on our homeward bound journey.

If you’re on a long journey and need to stop, Southwaite North Services are okay. Toilets okay, usual eateries. No surprises, standard services

Will give this place a miss Don’t bother Drab and in welcoming Tried to get a couple meals from Burger King served by the charmless Lynsey Everything was too much trouble Get another job if it’s that bad

Stopped here on a long journey into Scotland for some food. Selected Buger King as only hot food establishment open at the time (bank holiday Friday evening).

so i waited way to long to be served only seemed to be 2 people working, the service was very slow and the burger was cold, Burger King may well be worth millions but no business can afford to lose loyal customers. in general its not often you get a hot burger but yes iv had them but here was vile had I been able to spare the time id of waited another 15 minutes to give the meal back, chilli bites were roasting hot. over £10 for chilli bite cold burger and small bottle of water COME on burger king give your customer at least a warm burger.

This will be the last time we ever stop here. The place needs levelled and rebuilt as its rotten to the core. Ever time i come in here its worse, smelly toilets and rip off prices in shops but gladly we took our own food .

Visited at 2100hrs not clean toilets smelly. Tables in restaurant areas dirty floor not been cleaned.

Whilst the selection of food is good the eating area was dirty to say the least, sticky floor and full of food, don’t stop unless you need to use the garage further up or go into Gretna. The one star is for the m&s; food which is always good

We stopped at these services on 13th July around 6pm! The entrance was dirty and the inside of the services likewise. The only facility open for hot food was Burger King and the queue was, understandably, very long. The staff in BK were great and doing their best but were overwhelmed with customer demand. The food itself was fresh and we couldn't fault it! Costa Coffee was open but service there was very slow and the surrounding seating area dirty. The feeling we had was that this services was greatly understaffed and badly needs upgraded. Sadly, we won't be returning to Southwaite Services in the future.

This service station has everything needed during a break from driving. As far as food outlets go, there is a Burger King, Costa coffee, Cornwall Food Co. and an M and S food shop among others. The whole area is clean and well kept, contributing to the comfort of travellers. The staff are friendly and helpful.

It's a service station with clean toilets and all the standard food and shop outlets. Gregg on the south side is a bonus. Most of the stuff is a little expensive but no surprise as it is a captured audience. All clean and looks good however

Visited at 8.30 and bought the baguette with bacon baguette had obviously been out a few days, stale, hard and not edible. Very poor considering the foot fall that they have. Tables were dirty and it wasn’t too busy.One staff behind hot food that seemed to take forever with a que building up, one man cleaning tables that appeared once and looked in a trance and another lady behind the tills. Very friendly and the only good thing about it.

Visited this Costa and found the service to be fine and efficient. Although staff did not speak much whilst we were served apart from the corporate hellos there did not appear to be any issues with the place.

We stopped here on the way to our holiday destination and enjoyed the cakes and coffee served by friendly staff in a clean cafe. Just like any other Costa really but worth a visit.

Usual stop on way to Glasgow. Toilets perfectly adequate and usual standard of coffee at Costa. Staff ok if a bit lackadaisical.

Teas and coffee on the way north with a trip to use the comfort facilities. Drinks were fine if the usual service station excessive prices. Service was a bit tired, perhaps late in the shift or too many slow pensioners had been through in the last half hour, as patience was a in pretty short supply.

As all motorway service areas are dearer than normal, we avoid them unless we have to stop. They do have a Marks and Spencer across the motorway at this one, accessible over the bridge.

Pretty disgraceful service station, toilets stink, so many broken toilets, hand driers and taps, overpriced total rubbish and would avoid at all costs.

Small services with a great M&S; food section and super costa coffee. Clean areas and efficient, friendly service at both M&S; and Costa.

The services was not busy at all - staff standing around even though the place was a mess. No organisation demonstrated.

While standing in the queue for over 35 minute counting 32 people behind us (alot of people had left to go to greggs) we watched two young staff (a young man and a young lady)clearly far to inexperienced to be left alone slowly serving a very long queue of people.

Pulled in for a quick Stop-off on the drive up to Scotland from Manchester, we won't be doing it again. The place was absolutely freezing and the staff were horrifically rude. The prices were over the top, £8 for a regular burger king cheeseburger meal and it wasn't very good, how can a burger king be bad? KFC, Costa and Greggs were shut (@14:00 o a Friday) so we didn't have any other choice. at least the titles were fairly clean, same can't be said for the tables...

Stopped to get breakfast but found that all of the establishments at this service station stopped serving all breakfast items at 11am. At 11.20 we felt it was too early for burger king or a pasty meal from the west cornwall pasty co so it was cold sandwiches or a choice of hot items from greggs or so we thought. We bought a couple of cheese and onion bakes and some sausage rolls. All of which were luke warm at best and very greasy. Usually enjoy a good greggs but this wasnt their usual best. Next time i will carry on driving straight past

What a grotty motorway service station. We were shocked and ashamed, It’s 50+ years out of date. What on earth must foreign visitors travelling to Scotland think. In truth we walked out without troubling the caterers,

I have never been so cold in a motorway services. Had to put scarf and gloves on just to prevent...

Yuk!! Disgusting filthy place. The worse services I've been to. Dirty tables not been cleared or cleaned and the toilets....well...

What i witnessed on Thursday 21st December can only be described as ridiculous. Staff who were completely untrained, no customer...

BURGER KING..... bloody awful! Just been in for a ‘quick’ burger to takeaway so we could continue on our journey...

I stop here because it has an M&S; store on the road south and I get flowers and cookies for...

The expectations for a service station should be much higher than this, limited food choice, very expensive for what is offered and place didn't seem clean, should be a lot better