Guide to Durham services

Durham is one of Roadchef's smaller services, located on what was a quiet corner of the motorway network, but is now becoming a busy development zone.

Facilities

Catering: Costa Coffee, McDonald's Drive Thru, Costa Express, f'real Milkshakes, Krispy Kreme Shops: WHSmith Amenities: Super 8 Hotel, Jackpot £500, Showers Outdoor Space: Small grass area around hotel; Picnic Tables, public footpath connections Charging Points: GRIDSERVE Electric Highway HPC 150kW CCS, 100kW CHAdeMO & 22kW Type 2 Forecourt: Shell, Select, Deli by Shell, Costa Express, Free Cash Machine

Roadchef also operates a Costa Drive Thru further down the A688 at Integra61 business park.

Parking Prices

First 2 hours free for all vehicles, after which cars must pay £13 and HGVs, caravans and motorhomes £28. HGVs can pay £31 to include a £10 food voucher.

Prices are paid in the shop or by using NexusPay. The location code is 2037.

HGVs can also pay by using SNAP. The location code is 8009.

The fees are strictly enforced by GroupNexus.

This information is provided to us by third parties. You should always check with staff on site.

Contact Details

Trivia and History

See also: A1(M) Planning Applications

The service area opened on 23 August 1994; it's believed to be the first motorway service area to be developed under the government's new planning system for England, which was introduced in 1992. The site had been put forward by Fina, who sold most of the land to Roadchef. Fina continued to run the petrol station - their first on a motorway - until they became Total. It then later changed to Shell.

Although the service area was built like most Roadchefs at the time, it was designed on a smaller scale as it was only intended to be a cheap development that filled a gap in provision on the A1(M). That gap was first highlighted in the 1960s, and various online services were proposed then and since.

It was the first service area to get a Wimpy, which was Roadchef's first High Street brand. This was placed at the far back of the small central area which the service area is built around.

Roadchef's first McDonald's Drive Thru, attached to the main building, opened in November 2019. Roadchef later opened a Costa Drive Thru in December 2020, located at Integra61, half a mile down the A688 at the next roundabout.

The Integra61 development meant that the right turn out of the main Durham services was banned, so traffic leaving the service area has to head down to the Integra61 roundabout anyway.

Northern Powergrid increased the electricity capacity at Durham in 2023, with the site gaining six new high-power GRIDSERVE chargers in Spring 2024. The site was set to gain twelve Tesla Superchargers and twelve GRIDSERVE chargers underneath a large solar canopy, a first for a motorway service area, but this has been scaled back significantly.

The hotel opened as a Travel Inn, which was rebranded to Premier Inn. This then became Days Inn. The hotel closed on 4 February 2024 for a significant refurbishment, before it opened under the brand 'Super 8 by Wyndham' on 23 May 2024. It was the UK's second Super 8, following the successful launch site at Chester.

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