Image 1. Upon arrival to Rochester
In its region, Medway has 5 towns and Rochester felt like it had two main strips that were funny as they are quite wide apart. It is quite easy to get around using public transport or uber. So make sure to travel and check out both sides.
Image 2. There were these orange and red flowers across the town which gave the town a very pretty and vibrant atmosphere.
One nice thing was that Rochester has multiple free public toilets in a few places throughout the city.
Image 3. River Medway
I went along the river to my surprise has a lot of dock spaces there were a few boats which I love to see.
Was a nice experience to visit the site and read about the history (available in French and English) of the creation of the castle and its walls. There are a few free informational posts or you can pay to get inside the castle and have a look yourself. This place has a free public toilet too near the entrance of the castle entrance.
You can get a great view of Rochester Cathedral from a window set up in the castle entrance which is where this picture was taken.
Image 4. Rochester Castle
Image 5. View of Rochester Catedral from the Castle.
There is a restaurant called the Boat House where I went for my lunch. They offer lunch deals, happy hour and on the weekends they have performances as well. It has a great spot for sitting outside that overlooks River Medway. The Boat House has great outdoor seating. It is a bit further away; the walk is next to a riverside so it is a cosy stroll.
A few different children’s playgrounds are located around the city making it fun for children. One notable for families is a place called Diggerland which is a family-friendly theme park. If you are bringing small children, be mindful that there are some height restrictions on some rides (around 90 cm). But there is a highway in between each so can be a bit dangerous to cross without a car and there is no direct path there so walking with a child would be dangerous. The entrance is very much a drive-inn and walking there is possible, but it is defiantly preferred to take a car if you are planning on taking a trip in. It might be considered their neighbouring towns – maybe. However, this will take you into Strood which is across the Medway river from Rochester.
Image 7. Entrance to Diggerland
The ME1 sauna was a great and cheap place to unwind in the middle of the day and spend a few hours just relaxing in the sauna. They also offered a student discount, which took my total (without discount £13) to £10 which was great – it is possible to buy a weekend pass for around £25 or so. There was availability to get free coffee or tea there which was nice. This is a male-only 18+ sauna so do remember to bring your ID. But you do not need to bring towels as they will provide one for you.
Next, I decided to take my time and visit a local LGBT+ bar which was so lovely, and they do sell food here as well (stops around 8/9 pm). The prices here are very reasonable.
Image 8. The Ship Inn with its prideful outdoor lightning.
There are a few nightclubs here but I decided to go to one called Coyote which was very vibrant and had lots of things going on. They do shows here, and you can relax and play some pool with friends as well. It has a very nice and elegant theme to it. Just FYI, if it is your first time here you will have to pay a membership fee once (around £2) and an entrance fee that cost about £8.
Image 9. Coyotes
Medway does organise Pride events and has a really good LGBT+ community and has had that over the years. I know they have an LGBT+ related radio channel, bars, saunas and organise Pride events. Keep your eye out for Medway Pride 2022.
