Guide to Medway services

The only significant service area on the M2/A2 route, Medway has one old building built across the road. The place can be quite quiet as new routes such as the M20 and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link have meant that the M2 is no longer as important as it used to be.

Facilities

Catering: Burger King, Costa Coffee, Greggs, KFC, Costa Express, Krispy Kreme Shops: M&S Simply Food, WHSmith Amenities: Travelodge, Changing Places, &Play, Full Hou$e, Lucky Coin, Showers Outdoor Space: westbound only: Small grass area by hotel car park
and eastbound only: Grass area with fence by entrance Charging Points: GRIDSERVE Electric Highway HPC 350kW CCS, 100kW CHAdeMO & 22kW Type 2; Tesla Supercharger 250kW Forecourt: BP, Shop, Costa Express

Parking Prices

First 2 hours free for all vehicles, after which cars must pay £15 and HGVs, caravans and motorhomes £35. HGVs can pay £38 to include a £10 food voucher.

Prices are paid in the shop or by using JustPark. The location code is 625144 (westbound) and 624143 (eastbound).

HGVs can also pay by using SNAP. The location code is 13418.

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 Design

See also: History:Medway

Medway opened as Farthing Corner services. It has a unique layout where the building straddles the motorway with an elegant stride, avoiding the clunky and unpopular two-storey arrangement that other service areas of this era had.

Medway has a works depot located on the westbound slip road back on to the motorway. The poor road markings mean that it is easy to go wrong here and, instead of rejoining the M2, end up passing through the secret exit (which in this case isn't gated) and end up in Rainham. This was first raised as an issue in 1964 and has persisted ever since.

Less of an innocent mistake is the coach parks, which are always full of HGVs - more so than at other service areas. This shows how the balance of traffic has changed on this road to the coast.

A former garage building next to the hotel is now used by North Kent Counselling. This is certainly an unusual feature for a motorway service area.

Recent Changes

The restaurant and sun terrace became a Burger King unit, positioned directly above the road.

The toilet facilities received a significant refurbishment in January 2019, later undergoing another major refurbishment in Winter 2021. The shower facilities were then relocated from the westbound side of the building to the eastbound in 2023 replacing the former truckers lounge, with a new Changing Places facility also being added.

UK Power Networks also upgraded the electricity connection at Medway in 2023, allowing for the addition of 44 high-powered chargers to be provided across the site. This includes 10 new GRIDSERVE chargers and 12 new Tesla Superchargers on each side, making Medway the first motorway EV hub in Kent.

A new KFC restaurant was then added in late 2023, opening on 21 December 2023 in space formerly vacant next to the WHSmith store. There are also plans to add a Pret A Manger store here in late 2024.

Alternatives

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