Durham Services, A1(M) Junction 61

Durham services is a Roadchef site and the last stop before Tyneside for drivers heading north. What should you know?

Where it is

The services are at Junction 61 of the A1(M) in County Durham. The junction connects with the A688 for Spennymoor and Bishop Auckland and the A177 for Peterlee, and is signed for the services in both directions. Because the site is off the junction, it serves both sides of the road. For Durham itself, the A690 at Junction 62 is signed for the city.

Who runs it

Durham is operated by Roadchef, which runs 21 motorway service areas in the UK.

What is there

Roadchef states that all its sites provide two hours’ free parking, toilets, and food 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We have not confirmed the particular brands or fuel at Durham, so we do not list them.

Traffic around Junction 61

The Department for Transport counted 64,569 vehicles a day between Junctions 60 and 61 in 2025, and 74,602 between Junctions 61 and 62. Lorries are under one vehicle in ten here, 9.8% and 9.5%, well below the shares further south in Yorkshire. The A1(M) around Durham opened in 1969.

The next stop

• Heading north: Washington, between Junctions 64 and 65, the last services on the A1(M).
• Heading south: Scotch Corner at Junction 53.

Reports for the County Durham miles are on the latest A1(M) traffic news. For this stretch, see A1(M) Junctions 57 to 65. For every stop, see A1(M) services.

Traffic count figures on this page are from the Department for Transport road traffic statistics, 2025.