Europe : British and Irish Isles : United Kingdom : England : South East : Kent : Gillingham
Gillingham (Kent)
Gillingham [1] is a town on the River Medway in the north of the English county of Kent. Together with its neighbouring towns of Rochester and Chatham it forms a large urban area known as the Medway Towns.
There is also a town of Gillingham in Dorset.
Get in
By car
- From London, take the A2 arterial road (32 miles / 51 km).
- From Canterbury, take the A2 and the M2 to Junction 3 for the Rochester exit (32 miles / 51 km, about 40 mins).
By train
Trains are operated by SouthEastern From London Charing Cross (via Dartford) (typical journey time 60 - 65 minutes) and Victoria (typical journey time 45 - 60 minutes). Trains from Ramsgate and Dover also serve Chatham. When buying a rail ticket, make clear that it is Gillingham in Kent that you want (not the one in Dorset).
Get around
Local buses are operated by Arriva [2].
See
- Royal Engineers Museum, Prince Arthur Road, Gillingham, ME4 4UG, +44 (0)1634 822839. [3] Tues - Fri 9.00am to 5.00pm, Sat - Sun 11.30am - 5.00pm Adult - £6.35 for a ticket that allows you to come back for further visits within a year. Museum on military engineering. A quite extensive collection that takes about half a day to see. Of most interest to fans of British Military history or civil engineering. The outside collection of tank mounted bridges etc can be see for free.
Do
- Cruise on the Kingswear Castle Paddle Steamer [4]
- Watch Gillingham FC play football [5].
- Chatham Dry Ski Slope, Alpine Park, Capstone Road, Gillingham. ME7 3JH 01634 827979 [6].
- The Ice Bowl Gillingham, Ambley Road, Gillingham Business Park, Gillingham, ME8 0PU 01634 388477 [7]
Buy
Eat
Gillingham has a range of places to eat. Hollywood Bowl A newly extended lively restaurant located in the high street, an American Hollywood style restaurant beautifully decorated with old photos and a great menu including burgers and ribs. Visit http://www.thehollywoodbowl.co.uk for more details.
Thai Won Mien Really popular oriental restaurant with a mixture foods including noodles, duck and other oriental staples.
- Spice Court, 56-58 Balmoral Road, ☎ 01634850150, [8]. Indian restaurant opposite the railway station. Good value and quality of food. An award winning up market restaurant. Sunday Buffet for only £8.50 and you can eat as much as you like. Very popular with the locals and beyond.
- Beijing Inn. Chinese restaurant just off the High Street.
- Ossie's Fish and Chips. On Richmond Road (continuation of James Street) about 1/2 mile north of the High Street. best fish and chips in the area.
Drink
Sleep
The Medway Council list accommodation on their website [9].
- Medway Youth Hostel, Capstone Road, Gillingham, ME7 3JE 0870 770 5964 [10]. 40 bed summer hostel about 3 miles from Gillingham, housed in a districtive converted Oast House in a semi-rural setting.
- The King Charles Hotel, Brompton Road, Gillingham, ME7 5QT +44 (0) 1634 830 303 [11] Single room £44 per night.
- Premier Travel Inn, Will Adams Way, Gillingham, ME8 6BY 08701 977 105 [12] Rooms from £56 per night. Chain hotel in a location that may not be convenient if you don't have a car.
Get out
This page was last edited at 18:51, on 20 January 2009 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Wikitravel user(s) Morph and AlasdairW and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel.