Watford Gap

[busboyglenn]

Good Evening,
At Watford Gap services i'm aware there is a service D6 & 96 serves the bus stop just at the end of the slip-road where the canal pub is. Can anyone tell me what the access is by foot and what Megabus & National Express services stop there.

Glenn

[TonyMaxwell]

I take it you mean access to the services themselves from the bus stop by the canal.  The only access I know is by the two service roads (one for northbound - the other southbound) onto the services.  These service roads are supposedly restricted to 'authorised vehicles only' but I would think that pedestrian access for staff would also be allowed.
I have used the service roads in the past to gain access to the motorway but that's another story!
I don't know what long-distance coach services use the facilities though, I thought that Rothersthorpe was used by most operators as it had easier access both north and southbound.

[Stonechat]

The  96 is the Stagecoach Warwickshire stopping service via the villages between Rugby and Northampton.

Watford Gap services used to be quite liberal with regard to turning a blind eye to vehicles sneaking on to the M1 via the slip roads, as Teemax says (yes I've done it too), but I can't give you up-to-date info. on this.  Can't see how they could stop pedestrians though.

Tony

[Mutly]

 you're alright to walk down the slip roads, although the one onto the southbound services is probably the safest (ie you don't have to walk across a lorry park full of lost foreign lorry drivers, lol).

 As said, services 96 (Northampton - Rugby) passes every two hours, on alternative hours it goes via West Haddon, however if you get off at Watford Turn, the service's are about half a mile walk away, heading toward Daventry.

 The D6 (Daventry - Long Buckby) also passes every two hours, but if you are after the Megabus'es, this conviently misses most of them by about five minutes.

 Most Megabuses stop here for a driver change with only a few passing through on the main carriageway without stopping (usually M20's from Edinburgh & a few Birmingham's) best times are 0930-1000 (1 B12 Southbound, 2 x B12 & a Van Hool Northbound) and 1130-1300 (1 B12 & another VH North and four B12's south) others appear roughly hourly until about 16;00.

 As for National Express, very few services actually stop here, ones that do however (for driver Changes) are the 426 & 561

 The best day to go is actually on a Sunday when a number of duplicates run, however there is no Public Transport on a Sunday

 Hope this helps

[northantsbusman]

Nipping out the back at Watford Gap, yes did that do, back in 2001.

At Rugby depot, we did the lunch time 455 Northampton to London Vic, returning at 1500 back to Northampton, then dead to Watford Gap services, which involved going out the back of Northbound over the bridge in into South. There it was grabbing a spot of food, some drivers did actually use their card both sides. as we had well over a hours break there (I never did this and they did get caught doing it), before heading back to London for the night with the 561.

As for now, well I know when I did National Express out of Northampton, doing the bottom end of the Yorkshire Traction services, most of the night drivers used to use Watford Gap as opposed to Welcome Break at Leicester Forest where we were timetabled to stop. Basically cause at 3.40am in the morning, for the south, and about 2.00am for the north, at Leicester Forest there is a Coffee shop if your lucky. At Watford Gap you could get food, and also not loose any passengers, as a few have problems with directions at Leicester Forest, once there on the bridge.