Heading to Brands to spectate or compete in one of the many race events held there? Read this article to find your way to the correct Brands Hatch main entrance.
Racers, team members, spectators and trackday drivers can often enter in different places, so make sure you get it right before you go!
Contents
is Brands Hatch in kent?
Brands Hatch is located in Kent, but only about 20 miles south east of the centre of London and 12 miles north west of Maidstone.
It is located in the parish of West Kingsdown and is easily accessed from the M25, M26 and M20 motorways.
You can also get the train to Brands Hatch, but there is no station at the circuit so it involves taking a taxi or a bus from the nearby station.
what junction is Brands Hatch?
Brands Hatch entrances are most easily accessed from Junction 3 of the M25, or Junction 2a of the M26.
Brands Hatch sits in the middle of a triangle of motorways; the M25, M26 and M20. Where you are coming from will determine which junction you will take to get to the circuit. There is no exit on the stretch of the M20 that goes between the M25 and M26.
Brands Hatch entrance directions
There are three entrances at Brands Hatch. The Main entrance, and the Paddock entrance and the Scratcher’s Lane spectator entrance
Main entrance
The main entrance for Brands Hatch is located on the A20, about 4 miles south of Junction 3 on the M25 and 6 miles north of Junction 2a on the M26. It can be accessed easily from either direction on the A20. Watch out for speed cameras on this stretch of road!
Click here for a link to a Google Maps pin dropped at the Main entrance
For the headline Brands Hatch events it’s likely there will be signposts on the A20 leading up to the entrance. Follow all signs to the main entrance, unless you have already been instructed to head to a different car park or entrance location.
The turning for the Main entrance off the A20 is pretty hard to miss. The Mercure Dartford hotel is right on the corner, and there is a large black and silver Brands Hatch sign right in the middle of the junction. It is officially on Colin Chapman Way, and once you’ve turned down here off the A20 the entrance gates will be a couple of hundred yards ahead of you.
Paddock entrance
The second entrance is the Paddock entrance. This is not often used for members of the public (see next section for who should / shouldn’t use this entrance). It is located on Scratchers Lane but is actually the entrance to an industrial estate. This is an active industrial estate and the entrance gate is usually open on the weekend.
Click here for a link to a Google Maps pin dropped at the Paddock entrance
To get to the entrance to the paddock, you have to take the first left once inside the industrial estate and follow the road around. There will be another gate which will have a marshal on it, and here you will need to show a valid paddock vehicle pass and your general admission ticket to get in.
Then it will be a short drive and you will be in the lower paddock area. Follow these instructions on going through the tunnels to get to the inner pitlane parking area (usually reserved for race cars and support trucks) if you need to.
It can be tempting to park in the industrial estate and walk through this entrance to get easy access to and from the circuit if you’re a spectator. However, even on the weekends the industrial estate will be in use and there have also been reports of vehicles being damaged by delivery lorries manoeuvring in the estate. Use one of the official Brands Hatch car parks instead.
Scratcher's Lane spectator entrance
The third entrance is also on Scratcher’s Lane, but this one is a couple of hundred metres down the lane back towards to A20. This is only used for the large race meetings where the additional car parks on the outfield of the circuit are in use.
Click here for a Google Maps pin dropped at the Scratcher’s Lane spectator entrance.
which entrance should i use?
The three different entrances at Brands Hatch are there for different purposes.
Main entrance
The main entrance can be used by any of the following people:
- Spectators in car or on foot during any kind of race meeting or event
- Track day participants (drivers, passengers, support crew etc)
- Competitors, team members, support crew during a race weekend
- Car show attendees
- Anyone camping at Brands Hatch’s campsite
- Everyone else
Paddock entrance
The Paddock entrance should only be used by the following:
- Competitors, race team members and support crew during a race weekend who already have a paddock vehicle pass on display and a general admission ticket
- Spectators entering the circuit by foot who already have a general admission ticket (but you are not always able to get in here)
- Circuit staff
Scratcher's Lane entrance
The Scratcher’s lane entrance should only be used by the following:
- Spectators on big race weekends (BTCC, BSB etc) who have already been allocated parking in one of the outfield carparks accessible through this entrance
- Media personnel on big race weekends
what time do the gates open at Brands Hatch?
During the 2022 BTCC events at Brands hatch the public admission gates opened at 8am on Saturday and 7am on Sunday.
At the British GT events the gates opened at 8am on both Saturday and Sunday.
The public admission opening times vary slightly from event to event so check the spectator information on the MSV website prior to the weekend.
If you have tickets to sit in one of the grandstands at Brands Hatch, use either of the entrances above that are for spectators.
