When a new highway cut through John and Barbara Dunning’s farm in Cumbria, known for its stunning Lake District National Park, they didn’t see it as just a problem. They saw a chance to do something new. The U.K. government’s need for their land for the highway construction turned into a unique business idea for the Dunnings. By the end of the 1960s, they had set up Tebay Services, marking the U.K.’s first family-run motorway service area that focused on local goods.
Sarah Dunning, their daughter, tells the story of how Tebay began in 1972. Starting as a basic rest area on the M6 with a small cafe and a craft shop selling local items, they also teamed up with Birketts, a family-owned bakery.
Now, Tebay is much more than a rest stop. It includes facilities on both sides of the motorway, a hotel, a caravan park, and even shops offering meat from their own farm. Sarah Dunning now leads the Westmorland Family group, managing Tebay and additional service areas in Gloucestershire and Lanarkshire, and a community center in the Lake District’s Rheged.
