With the price of a night in a B&B ever-increasing, camping has become a popular alternative when all we want is a place to spend an evening, talk about the day’s riding, and decide where we will go tomorrow.
The only issue is that prices have been slowly rising as demand has increased. What was once a simple case of arriving unannounced at a Scottish campsite and paying £10 a night for a patch of grass now often requires prebooking and coughing up £30 a night.
The campsites are excellent. The facilities are wonderful, but when it’s just me, a couple of friends, and a night or two getting away from it all, £60 to sleep in a field felt wrong.
Wild camping is an option, but I’m not ready to abandon those moments of porcelain-based privacy and a hot shower, just yet.
Kielder Campsite
And this is the point where I tell you about the superb Kielder Campsite, a mile North of Kielder Water, and a few miles south of the border with Scotland. Here, they are still living in the £10-a-night-for-a-bike-and-rider world, and given that it is flanked on one side by Kielder Forest and surrounded by excellent B-roads. That was an offer we couldn’t refuse.
The facilities are fine, and the location is peaceful. There is a pub 10 minutes’ walk away and a petrol station in the village. Yes, there are campsites with more luxurious facilities, but camping – within reason – is about forgetting the trappings of life and going back to basics.
Top Tip: Shower around 4 pm. The water heating comes on at 6am and goes off at 10pm, making 4pm the perfect time. It is after the showers have been cleaned and before the evening rush.
Kielder Campsite is very proud of their showers – No push buttons, just gallons of hot water cascading from oversized shower heads.
Midges
Being this close to Scotland [not sure why that matters ~ Ed.], in a forest, and close to water, not talking about the midges would be an oversight.
They are most active between late May and October and prefer warm rather than hot weather. They like moist conditions and love the nearby water.
If the evening is warm and the air is still, you will get to enjoy their company. And if the temperatures stay up through the night, the little “darlings” will hang about through the night, like party guests who don’t know when to go home.
Make sure you have a good supply of a decent midge repellent with you, as you can’t spend all night in the pub! [You did try ~ Ed.]
Kielder Campsite – The Route
The start of the route depends on how you get to Skipton. Choose from the two routes below depending on how you approach Skipton on the A59.
The routes soon converge, so there is no point in overshooting excellent roads to reach a start point. As soon as you turn north from the A59, you trade dual carriageways for flowing B-roads and open moorland scenery.
The B6160 and surrounding back roads warm you up nicely after mile munching, by offering fast sweepers, changing elevations and plenty of visibility through the bends.
The route then pushes deeper into the Yorkshire Dales, where the riding becomes more technical and rewarding. Roads such as the B6270 deliver classic Pennine riding: tight corners, stone walls, exposed hillsides and long stretches where a rider can settle into a rhythm.
Around Reeth and the northern Dales, there are countless viewpoints worth a quick stop, especially on a clear day when the landscape opens out across the valleys.
Further north-west, the route joins the legendary A686, widely regarded as one of the best motorcycling roads in England. The climb over Hartside is a highlight, with smooth tarmac, rapid elevation changes and panoramic views across Cumbria. Even after the café closure, Hartside remains a landmark riding road and a genuine bucket-list section for UK bikers.
Beyond Alston – Fuel Stop – the scenery changes again as the ride skirts the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The A689 and connecting roads become quieter and more remote, with long empty sections cutting through forests, reservoirs and open moorland. Traffic thins dramatically here, making the approach toward Kielder especially enjoyable.
The final run into Kielder feels properly adventurous. Dense woodland, sweeping bends and the vast expanse of Kielder Water create a superb finish to the day.
For me, this route combines everything that makes northern England special: technical roads, huge scenery and mile after mile of uninterrupted riding.
The Loops
Both of the loop routes venture into Scotland, and both take a short detour to the very bike-friendly and most excellent Glen Cafe at St Mary’s Loch, which is located on the A708 beside St Mary’s Loch, one of the classic Borders biking roads. The approach is excellent with flowing bends, open sightlines and superb scenery through the Yarrow Valley.
Parking is directly outside the café, and the A708 itself is a standout motorcycling road: smooth, fast-flowing and lightly trafficked compared with many Highland routes.
The Megget Reservoir loop takes in one of the lesser-known roads near Moffat, and the views are stunning. The last time I was there, the turn-off was marked by an old-style AA box.
The sign says that the road is unsuitable for coaches and caravans (honestly, I’m gutted – not), but the warning is to stop people in inappropriate vehicles trying to reach the views across the Glens and Megget Reservoir. The road is narrow in places, but tarmac end to end and an easy ride.
The joy of either route is equal, whether you ride with serious intent or laid-back laziness.
When importing GPX files, your GPS or Phone navigation app will recalulate the route based on your navigation preferences. We add waypoints to hopefully minimise any differences, but it is always worth double-checking.
If you have a route that you would like to share, get in touch and with the Editor, and we will do our best to include it. Download, ride and enjoy. What could possibly go wrong? All the motorcycle touring routes are GPX 1.1 version files.
All of the motorcycle touring routes are provided “as is” without guarantee, liability or any assurances. The lawyers said we had to include that sentence. All we can tell you is that we had an excellent time planning and riding them.
A59 from the West
A59 from the East
St Mary's Loch
Megget Reservoir
