28th April 2026 - Are We Nearly There Yet? Brightside Urges Bank Holiday Travellers to Stop Before the Cornwall Crawl Begins. 

With around 16 million motorists expected on UK roads over the coming May Bank Holiday weekend, roadside dining brand Brightside is encouraging families heading for Devon and Cornwall to rethink their journey and build in a proper pit stop before they reach the worst of the traffic.

Traffic is expected to peak on Saturday 3rd May, when an estimated 3.3 million drivers will be on the move. Congestion on the A30 and A38 into Cornwall is forecast to begin from around 11:30am on Friday, while delays on the M5 southbound between Bristol and Taunton are predicted to run up to two hours longer than usual.  Once drivers reach these bottlenecks, there is little opportunity to pull off and recharge.

Brightside — the roadside restaurant reinventing the classic British road‑trip, and part of the Loungers family — believes a planned break can transform the start of a holiday.  The brand operates four sites nationwide, three of which are positioned directly on the key routes into the South West before the notorious bank‑holiday pinch points: Exeter on the A38 at Haldon Hill, Honiton on the A303, and Saltash on the A38 at the Trerulefoot roundabout.

Brightside brings proper hospitality back to roadside dining with a menu designed for families, road‑trippers and hungry holidaymakers -  all‑day breakfasts and sourdough pizzas to brilliant burgers, salad bowls, extra‑thick milkshakes and sunny sundaes.  Vegan and gluten‑free dishes are given the same attention as the rest of the menu, ensuring no one feels like an afterthought.  Families will find a dedicated children's menu, board games and picture books, while dog owners can expect water bowls, snacks and a warm welcome.  Even the toilets have earned a reputation among regulars for being excellent.

Charlie Jones, Operations Manager at Brightside, says: “Once you're in the queue on the A30 or A38, that's it — you're stuck.  There's no detour and nowhere decent to stop.  A planned break isn't wasting time; it's the difference between arriving frazzled and arriving ready.  Every Bank Holiday we see families push on for 'just another hour' and end up stressed, hungry and exhausted so our advice is to stop early, eat properly and take a breather.”

The interiors at Brightside are a standout feature in their own right.  Each site blends Stranger Things energy with Little Chef nostalgia, creating a cinematic look inspired by 1970s and 80s caravan design, classic road‑trip movies and memories of British roadside dining from a bygone era. Outside, guests can enjoy sunny terraces, giant outdoor games, free WiFi and plenty of space to stretch their legs before getting back on the road.

https://brightside.co.uk/

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Loungers operates through its three established complementary brands - Lounge, Cosy Club and Brightside - in the UK hospitality sector:

• With a view to injecting the excitement and fun back into travel and reinvigorating UK roadside dining in the process, Loungers has, so far, opened four Brightsides – on the A38, south of Exeter, A38 near Saltash, A303 near Honiton, and the A1 in Rutland.