Walks and activities on St Mary’s Island, Kent
A great location in Gillingham if you need to charge up and want a choice of things to do nearby.
A great location if you need to charge up and want a choice of things to do nearby. Very convenient if you're visiting Gillingham, Chatham, or Rochester.
📍 Location
Allego chargers: 13 Maritime Way, Gillingham, St Mary's Island, Chatham, Kent, ME4 3ED
🔌 Charging info
- Four Allego chargers: CCS up to 300 kW
- Price: £0.70/kWh
- Contactless available
- Zap-Pay available
- Octopus Electroverse available
There are also Osprey chargers in the Ship & Trades car park (with CCS and CHAdeMo), but they are a little more expensive and only up to 75kW.
⚡ Why it’s great
Gillingham is surprisingly well served with chargers. I used to stop at Thurrock services on the way down to Kent from Norfolk, but soon found that there are so many other great options. The Allego charges are convenient for walks around St Mary’s Island. Just head across the bridge past Chatham Marina.
Once you’re on the island, there are plenty of local landmarks to see, including the Blue Crane, the PS John H Amos ship, and The Mariners sculpture.
If you’re with the kids, there are also several playgrounds on the island itself. For something a little more adventurous, the Ninja Warrior Adventure Park is just around the corner. (With a single 11kW charger in the car park, by the looks of things.)
For food and drink, I recommend The Ship & Trades, but there’s also a Starbucks and Taco Bell within easy walking distance.
✨ Experience
Last year, I was doing this journey to Kent about once a month to visit SIM Motorsport, which used to be based just around the corner on Victory Pier. I often had the morning to myself and would enjoy walks around St Mary’s Island and the Marina.
This was a nice alternative to charging at Thurrock services.
If you want to try your hand at sim racing on professional motorsport simulators, SIM Motorsport is now based at Brands Hatch (about a 30-minute drive from the Allego chargers).
We want to hear your stories of great chargers and the things you’ve found nearby.
You can submit your Charge Happy experience here.
Quick travel tip
Stop focusing on the destination; the journey is just as important.
“When we travel, we often assume we need to get from A to B as quick as possible. But a lot of the time, you’re missing out on a whole bunch of adventure.”
