Gillingham (Kent)



Gillingham (with a soft G, as in "gel") 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.

By car

 * From London, take the A2 arterial road (32 mi, 51 km).
 * From Canterbury, take the A2 and the M2 to Junction 3 for the Rochester exit (32 mi, 51 km, about 40 min).

By train
Trains are operated to by SouthEastern from London Charing Cross (via Dartford) (typical journey time 60 - 65 minutes) and London Victoria (typical journey time 45 - 60 minutes). Trains from Ramsgate and Dover also serve Chatham. The Javelin high speed service operates every 30 minutes from London St Pancras with a journey time of 45 minutes. There is a supplement for using this service unless travelling from outside of the London region.

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 Medway Towns and Nu-Venture

Do

 * Football:

Buy
The main shopping area is the pedestrianised part of the High Street between the railway station and the library. This has a mixture of independent and lower end chain shops. There is an Aldi supermarket on Duncan Road, near the station.

On Saturdays and Mondays an open air market is held on the High Street. This has various food, clothes and hardware stalls.

Eat
Gillingham has a range of places to eat.



Connect
As of May 2022, Gillingham has 5G from EE, O2 and Three, and 4G from Vodafone.

Go next

 * Chatham
 * Rochester
 * Strood