Lavatory facilites at Motorway Services

They have, Maw. You can no longer take a straight line through. I've been in there twice recently with my mum, and have to say that she found it a bit confusing - if I hadn't gone in with her, i'm not sure she would have found her way back to the car!

Shows how long it has been. Can you still get in from the back (coach and lorry park?)
Thinking back to how disabled Paw became in the year before he died, it brings it home to me how many things would have been impossible for us

I've been looking at the 'shewee' some of you use. I can't see how it works if you are sitting down . Please could someone explain if I would be able to use it in the driving seat of my car.

I do all the driving so I only have a small cup of decaff coffee before leaving and nothing else. That way I can manage three hours without having to stop.

I always tell any passengers that I don't mind stopping if they need the loo but I won't stop for drinks unless the journey is longer.

I can't see the point in stopping for the loo, having a very pricey drink, going to the loo again on the way out then needing to stop again because of the large drink. No wonder they want to lure you in.

You can survive for hours on a tube of fruit gums.

Not while driving Griselda (at least I don’t think so )

Sarah Millican described how when she was stuck (alone) in a traffic jam and badly needed a wee she moved over to the passenger seat and did it, then later took it to a garage to be cleaned up, explaining that the dog had done it ?.

We need Quick Pee Parking nearest the door that is nearest to the loos.

Meanwhile I carry my personal urinal (broad-necked bottle with a screw top) under the passenger seat.

MawBroom - I'm willing to pull into a lay-by.

My biggest worry is finding a long queue having done the route march from the car park.

There's been many a time I've been grateful to have DH and his Blue Badge sitting next to me. I know the badge is for his benefit and not mine but he has a cast iron bladder!

That is a relief, Griselda (see what I did there?)
Although I do believe the Tesla has a hands free driving option

I was going a long way with husband , son , daughter in law and child in car. Am the only driver and there were really bad hold ups. Had to leave main road and wee on a large piece of grass in front of a row of houses - went behind a tree and fortunately it was dark!

Putting loos at the back od any services is a ploy to get people to fill their bladders yet again!

In reading all these responses to my original post, I am wondering how influence can be brought to bear on these dastardly M/W Services? Of course it would all be waste of time as the Loos are provided FOC and they have to paid for somehow, hence the hike around the eateries et al. So it would seem precautions must be made - as per one or two posts - but I have got access to the 24hr Duty Managers phone at Exeter so that the 'back door' can be made available! I guess it would be inappropriate if I shared this?

I always carry P-Mates in my bag - the cardboard equivalent of a shewee probably but they're disposable and fold flat. I always use them in festival toilets to avoid sitting down or touching too much. My husband used to get really annoyed at me constantly looking for toilets but then he had a bladder stone and finally understood. Now we stop at regular intervals if travelling a long distance but I do have a horror of getting stuck in a traffic jam.

Tenas are the answer, for just in case moments.

Now we have retired we pop off for breaks which sometimes involve driving fair distances. Traffic jams are so common and sometimes long lasting now I live in fear of getting caught short. On internet I have found some ladies portable devices which could be used discretely under a skirt or dress. They turn the wee to gel. Thinking about getting pack to keep in car for emergencies.

A bit silly really. Because if you're in a rush to get to the toilet you're not going to stop and look at the goods, and if navigating through the shops and cafe has made it too late and you wet yourself, you're not going to want to use the shops and cafe anyway. And... the places got their licence for the few rare services points on the basis that they would allow people to just use the facilities, so they might as well acknowledge that role and make it convenient. I mean there is such a thing as customer loyalty. If you used a place and felt grateful the toilets were convenient to use, you'll be more likely to stop in the same place every time you make the journey and eventually you will buy something. And you'll recommend it to others.

I don't know which is worse, desperately needing the loo or having to wear a dress.

Griselda; I've never actually used my sheewee [even when out walking] as I tried it at home but it went everywhere . I did find the peebol packets that came with it far more reassuring, although, thankfully, I 've still never needed to use one. Those plastic bottle thingys look far more practical [I've seen them advertised in catalogues]. I was just as bad even when young; when we used to travel round Europe in an old Morris 1000 I realised that it was better to wear a long flowing skirt if I needed to stop by the side of the road. But these days leggings are far better; hold the Tena lady in place and you don't have to fiddle with buttons and zips when you finally find a loo.

If your journey includes the M6, I can thoroughly recommend Tebay Services, run by Westmorland. Their toilets are near the entrance and well signposted. In the Southbound one recently, I think it was about 10 paces from the front door to reach them, then a very short passage into the Ladies.

Actually I'd recommend them for anything. Good food, lovely place to sit eating it, overlooking a duck pond (usually inhabited by some ducks). Nice Farm shop attached too.

By pass the main services building and go straight to the fuel filling station...most of them have toilets just a few paces from the car.

We did a coach trip in Tenerife last year with our 5 year old granddaughter. The trip was supposed to be 2 hours but that did not factor in stopping at all the hotels to pick passengers up. By the time we actually got going my gd wanted to go to the toilet. My daughter told the female guide we needed to stop. She dismissed her with a wave of the hand and said they had nowhere to stop on the narrow roads. My gd was in agony trying to hold on. Eventually we reached the planned stop which was a cafe in the mountains. The toilets were rank but all the passengers had to use them. We're going to Tenerife again this year but will avoid coach trips and hire a car instead.

One thing that might help with urgency is pelvic floor exercises, lots of info on the web. Equally infections can also cause a problem so it might be worthwhile getting a GP to check things out.

Coffee is the worst thing to irritate the bladder--only ever have decafe...I had to have a solution to no loo when I worked on market-the loo was a long way to go with a bursting bladder...I saved the Lenor/Comfort bottles and found a small indoor watering can at a discount shop... I could get in back of my van place the watering can in position so could pee where you would fill it--and then empty into the empty Lenor bottle... not even any smell when it came to empty it.. I am thinking of putting a bottle and watering can in back of car in case... It would be my nightmare to be stuck on motorway...

DM had never entered a pub until she was 30 and drank only on social occasions. However if there was no public lavatory available she would confidently walk into a pub and use their ladies' loo and advised me to do the same.
The first time I did it alone felt very embarrassed going into an almost empty London pub at lunchtime. I asked a barmaid where the loo was and as I left put something into the charity box. I used to think I ought to buy a drink but that would be defeating the object of the exercise.
It's a perfectly normal thing to do. Both pubs and expensive hotels are fine, just walk in confidently. Witherspoons and MacDonalds are also convenient when needed!