Glamping as a Motorbike Traveller – My Unexpected Road Trip

Glamping – When An Adventure Rider Takes the Car

The Breakdown: Survival vs Luxury

But this time, I decided to break the cycle. I needed a pitstop. A real one. Which brings us back to that terrifying word: Glamping.

Look, we all know what camping is. Real camping. It’s what adventure riders do. You pitch a tiny, mud splattered tent in the pouring rain, inflate a mattress that deflates by midnight, and boil water over a fickle little gas stove. It’s raw, it’s exhausting, and it’s about survival. You love it, but you pay for it with a stiff back.

Glamping, on the other hand, is “glamorous camping.”

Purists call it a cheat code. It takes the best part of the outdoors—the fresh air, the remote locations, the starry skies—and replaces the misery with a proper, king sized bed, a solid roof over your head, and sometimes even a hot shower or a wood fired hot tub. You are still in nature, but you aren’t suffering for it.

So, did this hardened road warrior trade a sleeping bag for high thread count sheets just to survive a family emergency run?

You bet your life I did. And here is what happened next.

Would you like to write the next section where you arrive at the glamping site, or should we tweak the formatting of these definitions?

Questioning the Madness

Before this trip, I finally stopped to think:

Why am I doing this to myself?

The obvious alternative? Fly.

But flying comes with its own headaches:

Driving to the airport.
Expensive long-term parking.
No direct flights—meaning endless airport waiting.
Needing someone to pick me up at the other end.

I’ve done this dance far too many times. The joy of travel? Long gone.

Frankly, I wasn’t feeling it.

The Lightbulb Moment

While packing for this trip, I wandered into the motorbike shed.

There it was. Sitting right on the floor. My camping bag. Fully packed, ready to roll at a moment’s notice.

Like a smack in the neck.

I camp all the time on my motorbike trips. Why not do it now?

The idea of glamping — my version of glamping — was born.

The New Plan

This time, I left two days earlier. With no pressure, no deadlines, no grinding mileage for the sake of a schedule.

150km detour to visit friends? No problem.
Leisurely drive north? Perfect.
Camping gear in the boot? Absolutely.

I simply applied the same approach I take on the bike: make the journey part of the trip.

Camping, My Style

What a pleasure it was.

Sleeping in the tent. Sometimes even in the car.
Cooking real food on my camp stove.
Brewing fresh coffee whenever and wherever I wanted.
Buying local ingredients along the way, eating like a king, and saving a small fortune.

It felt good. Simple. Natural. And far more enjoyable than the usual grind.

Why Didn’t I Do This Before?

Honestly, I don’t know why it took me so long to figure this out.

If you’ve got the time, this is how travel should be. The road becomes an adventure again.

And on the way back? Well, a little adventure is always waiting around the next corner.

Let’s see how I feel when the trip is over.
I’m sitting here in Liverpool, typing away and enjoying my memories from the last few days.
Cooking, and sleeping in the tent. The face when stopping on the motorway service as I got my stove out, the smell of hot, fresh coffee.
It made me feel alive.