Top 5 unusual places to stop off and charge your car

Top 5 unusual places to stop off and charge your car

By
Zapmap
Published

Aiming to save drivers from dull motorway service stations and encouraging more interesting ways to travel, The Extra Mile guide suggests some of the best stop-offs available across the UK for drivers.

As such, electric vehicle drivers have been considered too, with the guide highlighting locations that not only offer a pleasant place to stop, but also somewhere to charge at the same time.

We have 10 copies of The Extra Mile to give away. To enter, send your name and the answer to the question below to contact@zap-map.com, with the subject ‘Extra Mile Competition’.

Question – Of The Extra Mile locations listed below, where can drivers both charge their EV and buy puppy ice-cream?

Update: Competition now closed as of 12:00 30th November 2017

Here are The Extra Mile Guide’s top five places to charge your car while roaming. Like the cars themselves, the network of charge points is still developing. Eleven of the guide’s venues have charge points currently, but it is hoped that number will climb with every issue.

1. Lakeland Wildlife Oasis – A low-key cross between a wildlife park and a zoo, the Lakeland Wildlife Oasis is a great stop for animal lovers where you can get up-close encounters with the animals, regardless of whether you’re leaf-cutter ant or snow leopard inclined. The café’s new window onto the tamarin enclosure mean you can have a coffee face-to-face with a monkey while your recharge.

2. Hestercombe Gardens – Victorian Gardens filled with waterfalls, terraces and woodland, Hestercombe’s green commitment is understandable, and seen in the biomass boiler, solar panels and free electric car charging point. Plug in then explore the gardens and meander through the art gallery while you charge up.extremile-hestercombe-zmAbove: Gardens at Hestercombe – image courtesy of Hestercombe Gardens Trust

3. Webbs of Wychbold – Shoulders immediately unravel in Webbs’ peaceful gardens. Charge up at one of three charging points and head inside to sample the chocolate library, stroll along the river and let kids delight at the hobbit house and winter ice rink.

4. Cross Lanes Organic Farm – With its breathtaking views across the dales, it’s easy to see why the environment is so important to the team at Cross Lanes, and it’s been woven into the very fabric of the business. Car charging is a natural add-on, so park up and beeline to the café-restaurant beneath the living roof for an organic feast.

5. Tredegar House – The former, sprawling estate of the Morgan family and now a National Trust treasure, Tredegar House is a worthy spot for refuelling before heading to West Wales. The sumptuous house was once host to some riotous parties, revealed in the tour, while the 90-acres of parkland make for reviving strolls to pass the time. Four-legged friends are welcome too, and the tea room even serves puppy ice cream.

You can find each of the above charge points on Zap-Map’s desktop and apps.

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Competition terms and conditions
* Email or tweet us answer to question by 12:00pm on Thursday 30th November 2017
* Only one entry per person
* NGC will randomly draw five lucky winners from the replies received before the competition deadline from both NextGreenCar.com and Zap-Map.com users on Thursday 30th November, and notify winners on Friday 1st December 2017.
* No cash alternative available