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Travel StoriesSkye AKA Bogger's Curse
No Rain, Hip Pain, A Train, Rice Grain, Heavy Rain
Ride Date - 1 Sep 2026
By Ren Withnell
I'm already at Sharon's place and my camping kit has been here a week. I've mentally and physically checked and rechecked I have everything yet I still can't help but feel as though I've forgotten something. No, shut your brain up Ren it's sorted. Relax, watch some telly. You see there's no rush. Tonight we're going to Bruce's Cave campsite which is only a few of miles north of Carlisle, and I've ridden to Carlisle and back in a day quite a few times for work. Mind you that was back in 2000, back when I had 2 legs the same length, back when I was 29 years old, back before arthritis. Holy cow I'm old. Look it's only 140 miles give or take, I'll be fine.
Motorway, or A roads? Definitely motorway past Lancaster, there's no sensible route I've not ridden countless times before. After that it's the A6... which again I've ridden many times before. We shall see, if the weather is good then maybe.
By 1115 we are both loaded up and ready to ride. I follow Sharon onto the motorway to ensure everything is secured and functioning, then I pass her and lead. It's dry but overcast, the roads are busy, and it feels as though it may rain sooner or later. I try to settle into the groove, adjust to the extra weight on the bike, calm my mind, and see if I can enjoy this.
Yes, there it is the aching hip and the slightly numb bum. There's a very firm wind too that is keeping me alert on the exposed sections of motorway. And yet I am calm, and even though I'm a little bored I'm in the groove, we're making good progress without troubling the speed limits, I think we're going to be good. It's definitely easier being on a journey than sitting at home (over)thinking about the journey.
Lancaster comes and goes and looking at the leaden skies and strong wind, plus the fact I'm in the groove, I keep us on the motorway. In fact we've covered 100 miles by the time my hip is grumbling enough to pull off at Tebay services. Tebay, a Yorkshireman's website for selling stuff (think about it...). We grab a brew and take a moment in the surprisingly smart surroundings with impressive scenery outside the windows.
The scenery from Tebay is better than most motorway services.
Sharon needed a brew break it seems.
The next leg is easy - 35 miles to a Tesco just off the M6 at Carlisle. We fill up here, then park up and meander around the superstore, grabbing supplies for tonight's meal, plus a few snacks. After this it's only 15 miles to the campsite. Well it would have been except I take the wrong junction and sat-nav leads us a merry loop back onto the M74. Plonker! Bogger's fault, obviously.
Bruce's Cave is accessed from a short lane across railway tracks. The first time we came to Bruce's Cave sat-nav sent us off-roading, I'm not entirely convinced it's not trying to do the same this time. As such I say to Sharon "wait here, I'll go and check this is the right way". I cross the tracks - ah yeah - this is correct.
Sharon is about a quarter mile behind but I can see her. Just as I gesture her to come along - the railway crossing beacons start flashing and the barriers drop. No worries. We wait. And wait. And wait. This is taking a long time. We wait. In reality we probably wait 3 minutes but it feels more like 10. WHOOSH!!! I can see why they drop the barriers nice and early, that was a VERY high speed train.
"Have you been with us before?" Oh yes. We're booked in and instructed to pitch near the monkey puzzle tree where we've pitched before. We're still struggling to fix our pitching routine with this new tent but we get there, and we're clipping together the camping chairs by 1600.
Pitched and settling in.
Rice as a food substance is great for camping - almost. It's dirt cheap, it packs small, it doesn't object to being jiggled about in boxes or bags, and it has a very long shelf life. However it takes ages to cook. Tonight Sharon is showing me how to cook Tesco's packet rice. It's still cheap although nowhere near as cheap as regular rice, but all you do is add a splash of water to the rice and heat it, it's already "soft".
That done I heat and stir the tin of chicken tikka masala in another pan, then mix in the rice, stir and heat. No this will not receive awards from chefs and critics but it will fill our bellies and there's sufficient flavour to make the whole experience acceptable. In fact I rather enjoy it, especially as it cost less than £3 to feed two people. So there. Anyway we have crisps and biscuits too.
Camping grub, quick-n-easy.
After I cook tea and consume it - guess who's washing up too? Poor Cinder-Ren-a. Hey - guess what else? It's starting to rain - heavily - yay... If I'm honest at least the timing is not too bad - we've had a dry ride and we got the tent up dry.
Bruce's Cave campsite does have a problem though. There is nothing - absolutely nothing nearby. Well yes there's a railway crossing and a collection of properties, but no bar on site, no pub nearby, no kind of entertainment. I mean there's a laundry, we could watch one of the machines go through a cycle? Well OK there is a pub 2/3rds of a mile away but hey - guess what? It's closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and it's Tuesday ain't it. Bogger's fault.
We don our waterproofs and head out for a stroll anyway. Bruce's Cave campsite is actually mostly filled with sited touring caravans, statics, and the odd pod. There's a handful of campervans and motorhomes, we look enviously within at their TVs and cushioned chairs. You'd think they'd invite us in for a brew, we are the only tent campers here. We trudge around the site as the rain comes and goes.
Sharon still gets artistic even with the rain.
Always happy to see the rain.
Kirkpatrick Fleming has a most eclectic mix of housing. From what I can work out there's a terrace of back-to-backs only yards from a new gated cluster of modern almost mansions. There's drab grey rendered ex-council stock just up the road from rather agreeable bungalows. There's a farm, no shops, and a persistent drone from the motorway just behind the small village.
By the time we're back from our meanderings it's starting to go dark. I'm concerned. Sharon's bike is propped on her puck (a piece of plastic under the side stand to spread the weight preventing it from sinking in the grass). I however have forgotten my puck. Bogger's fault, obviously. I stamp the masala tin flat, there, sorted, that's my new puck.
We make our ablutions and we're getting into the sleeping bags by 2200 as the rain rattles and a firm breeze flaps the tent. We've been to Bruce's Cave before, we knew there's not a lot here and that is fine. I'm sure there are better serviced and more luxurious sites but we know this one, we trust this one, it's convenient, clean, and it works for us. Tain't perfect, but it's right enough for tonight thank you.
Our approximate route.
Get in touch via ren@bikesandtravels.com
Prologue - Skye AKA Bogger's Curse
Excuses and complaining... that is all Ren has to offer. A truncated trip, the risk of bad weather, and bad timing. Awww poor poor Ren.
No Rain, Hip Pain, A Train, Rice Grain, Heavy Rain
The Batties are off to Skye! Today though they barely make it to Scotland. Ren expands his culinary expertise, forgets something, and looks happy as always.
Reader's Comments
Bogger said :-
Unsurprisingly it's always my fault at home. Hmm, you know what? I'm over it.
Bogger
25/09/2026 09:59:19 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
It's a good job Bogger - because you're going to be blamed for an awful lot more things as this trip continues.
25/09/2026 10:57:08 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Penrith in the rain, in a tent, with a grumpy man.
I feel for that poor girl.
But yes, it's most obviously Bogger's fault.
I'll be interested to see what you found on Skye, in May, we found rain, cold, wind, motorhomes, clogged roads, rain, motorhomes, cold and rain. And deer. Oh and an Eagle.
Upt.
25/09/2026 11:02:50 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
That was Bogger's fault too, strangely.
25/09/2026 11:03:31 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
While Tebay services is a pretty place, their prices are horrendous - I'm surprised you bought anything there. I'm sure there are plenty of enterprising sarnie vans clustered round each motorway exit as there are down here. But maybe with slightly less attractive views.
Peering back through the mists of time I remember eating Vesta curries when as a youth I would go on what are now called backpacking trips. Just after doing O levels a small group of us walked most of the Pennine Way. Unlike these days we were totally out of touch with our families for a couple of weeks. Now there would be search parties out.
25/09/2026 12:01:17 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Ian, I don't know what isn't blummin expensive.
As an example.
Our first tour abroad worked out to cost around £200 per day to cover reasonable hotel accommodation, food, drinks and fuel for two persons. This was 2010 on the CBF1000.
This last trip will work out at around £300 per day and no expenses have really changed, just gone up.
Is 50% inflation over 15 years reasonable? I spose it seems it probably is, but it's still blummin expensive to travel.
In our experience hotels under €100 a night are either not available or you simply wouldnt want to stay there, food can be very expensive and just like the UK main course are now in the €20 to €30 region, fuel was up to €3 a litre with two fills a day occasionally. Wine in hotels seems to start at €25 now and spirits abroad are very difficult to judge with wild variations in pricing. Add it all up and I think we're at around £300 a day.
I might need a job.
Upt.
25/09/2026 13:18:14 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Yes - being on the road is now EXPENSIVE.
When I first started I worked on a simple daily formula - £10 for fuel, £10 for food (one day eating out, one day cooking in the tent), and £10 for camping. Now for 2 people I'd estimate £25-35 for fuel, £20 for food (one day eating out, one day cooking in the tent), and £25 for camping. So that's more than doubling over say 15-20 years.
As you will see with both France and Skye you're looking at £3 each for a brew alone. What I have noticed is that food has gone up a good chunk, but drinks have gone up big time. You can still get a pub lunch for say £12-15 but then it's £3.80 for a glass of pop. I think places are making the money on the drinks to keep the advertised food price seemingly affordable.
Of course all this is happening when I finally get the chance to travel.
25/09/2026 13:57:47 UTC
nab301 said :-
That's a very posh campsite , even the timber fence is pao.
What is the gubbins on the bench at the monkey puzzle? power supply or water ?
Nigel
25/09/2026 14:30:52 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
You can still get a menu du jout for around €15 in France and it's often excellent. Then there are the Relais Routiers which as the name implies are essentially truckstops. But being French have very reasonably priced food. Link to a typical example below.
https://www.relais-routiers.com/ficherelais.asp?nrelais=MAI30834...
25/09/2026 15:53:23 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
It is a while since I used French hotels but Logis de France still have rooms at the €70 - €80 mark:
https://www.logishotels.com/hotel/bourgogne...
25/09/2026 15:53:34 UTC
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