Motorcycle camping — routes, sites & kit
A loaded bike, a small tent and a country built for it. Here's how to plan a UK motorcycle camping tour that you'll want to repeat.
There's a particular kind of freedom in motorcycle camping: everything you need strapped to the back, a route in your head, and the ability to stop wherever the light is good. The UK is almost unfairly well suited to it — you're never more than a day's ride from a mountain, a coast or a quiet glen.
The trade-off is space. Pannier room is precious, so the whole game is choosing kit that earns its place and sites that don't ask much of you when you roll in tired and damp.
What to look for in a moto-friendly site
Filter for secure parking and flat, firm pitches — a side-stand puck helps, but soft grass and a fully loaded adventure bike is a recipe for an undignified morning. Owners who ride themselves tend to get it: drying rooms, a covered area for wet gear, and no fuss about arriving late or leaving at dawn.
Routes worth the panniers
Scotland's North Coast 500 is the headline, but it gets busy. For quieter riding, the back roads of the Yorkshire Dales and the passes of the Lake District deliver more corners per mile. Wales — the Elan Valley, the Brecon Beacons, the Llŷn — is the connoisseur's choice, and the red kites overhead are a bonus.
The kit that earns its place
A free-standing inner tent (you won't always get pegs into rocky ground), a compact stove you can light in wind, a roll mat that survives being lashed to a rack, and dry bags for everything that matters. Pack as if it will rain, because at some point it will — and then enjoy it when it doesn't.