Washington services
A1(M) between J64 and J65
Signposted from the road? Yes (as Greggs/Costa/Burger King)
DH3 2SJ
map and directions
Two sites located between junctions, connected by an internal bridge.
Sharing its name with a world-famous capital city, Washington has an old building squished into a deeply urban area. The southbound site is actually located off the J64 exit slip road, and traffic leaving the services has to cross this to re-join the motorway.
The two sides are connected by an internal footbridge; an area which is only accessible by steps.
Facilities
Catering: on both sides: Costa Coffee, Greggs, Costa Express
plus northbound only: Burger King
Shops: WHSmith
Amenities: on both sides: Travelodge, Full Hou$e, Showers
plus northbound only: Changing Places
Outdoor Space: Picnic Tables; southbound has small grass area at back of car park
Charging Points: GRIDSERVE Electric Highway HPC 350kW CCS, 100kW CHAdeMO & 22kW Type 2
Forecourt: BP, Shop, Costa Express, Rollover
Parking Prices
First 2 hours free for all vehicles, after which cars must pay £15 and HGVs, caravans and motorhomes £25. HGVs can pay £28 to include a £10 food voucher.
Prices are paid using PayByPhone or in the shop. The location code is 2474 (northbound) and 2475 (southbound).
The fees are strictly enforced by CP Plus.
This information is provided to us by third parties. You should always check with staff on site.
Contact Details
🏢 Address:
Moto
Washington Motorway Services Area
A1 M
Birtley
Chester-le-Street
Tyne and Wear
DH3 2SJ
Trivia and History
See also: History:Washington
The boundary between Gateshead town and Sunderland city runs along the A1(M), with a distinct kink as it moves around the service area. This could seen either as Gateshead embracing the service area, or Sunderland emphatically rejecting it. Washington town is part of Sunderland and therefore across the boundary from the service area that's named after it.
Until 2015 Moto were still manually updating the signs on the motorway with the current price of fuel, using patches. All other service areas in Britain stopped doing this at least 10 years earlier, but on several occasions Washington had been trying to compete with local garages.
Several unusual signs on the southbound carriageway tell people looking for the northbound service area to stop and use the footbridge. No other service area has this pointed out. Meanwhile, when re-joining the southbound carriageway, there is no sign to mark the start of motorway regulations, and it appears to have been missing for 15 years, if not much longer.
The Highways Agency had listed Washington as an "approved truckstop", something which surprisingly few service areas were. Previously the Highways Agency's approved truckstop was the Nightowl Truckstops site at the rear of the services which was accessed from the local road network.
Six ultra-rapid GRIDSERVE chargers were added to both sides in early 2023. Northern Powergrid had been looking at improving the site's charging capacity.
Alternatives
| Previous: | Next: | |
| Durham (11 miles) | Services on the A1(M) | Seaton Burn (A1, 16 miles) |
| Scotch Corner (34 miles) Barton Park Truckstop (32 miles) | Moto services | none nearby |
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