Exterior of the amenity building at Maidstone, situated along the M20 at J8. My visit was made late, so it was dark and my photo wasn’t the best quality as a result. Maidstone was built by Roadchef in 1997 and for 11 years was the only motorway services on the M20. Due to the geographical location of Folkestone Stop24 and its proximity to the sea, Maidstone is widely considered the main motorway services of the M20. Planning for Maidstone was first evidenced in 1962, where plans were drawn to build a services in Deitling. In 1986, the department for transport created the “M20 policy” whereby they were to build a services in Hollingbourne, so Roadchef partnered with Esso to create Maidstone. Maidstone sports a fairly small amenity building with a McDonalds drive thru bolted on the side (the front of the site was completely transformed in 2022 due to this drive thru). Similar Roadchef buildings can be seen at Tibshelf, with a distinct, almost mock Victorian appearance specifically built in the late 90s. It hasn’t changed much since 1997 and is one of Roadchef’s more time-warped sites, likely due to lower footfall. Sitting on the channel ports and tunnel entrances, Maidstone occasionally operates under a specific traffic control once port entrances become over capacity. Maidstone is a nice, clean place and was well-presented during my visit. A Kent review of both Maidstone and Medway largely said how much better Maidstone is than Medway. Personally, I like both and love the old Rank building at Medway. Maidstone is much more modern. Maidstone is thoroughly signposted from both sides of the M20 so customers know to leave the motorway at Junction 8, with a longer journey for Westbound traffic. Maidstone was quiet during my visit as it was late, but photos were less awkward to take!

Photo taken on 09/04/2024 by Tom Moon.

Assigned to galleries: Maidstone, Roadchef, M20