Detour Pit Stop #121: The Filling Station, Keswick, UK
Photo The Filling Station
Looking for somewhere to go for sustenance in the Lakes? The Filling Station will refuel your appetite for the road ahead.
Ride or drive, “we don’t care how you get here, just get here if you can,” says Hayley, the easygoing owner of this hallowed biker hangout in the Lake District. Located in Keswick, just off the A591 – declared Britain’s best driving road by a quantum physicist – this family-run roadside cafe and diner is famed for dishing up a thrombotic all-day-breakfast that comes with a Cumberland sausage, black pudding, two rashers of bacon and two fried eggs. Vegetarian elements to this otherwise meaty concoction include baked beans, mushrooms and hash brown, plus toast, but for the fully-committed there’s a slap-up veggie fry up with halloumi. Or eggs Florentine if you fancy something more posh.
In the kitchen, Hayley’s sister helps deliver what’s on the menu, and everything gets a good review. Carb-loaded favourites include a stack of US-style pancakes with a choice of sweet and savoury accompaniments, hearty jacket potatoes, hot dogs and fully-loaded toasted sarnies. With two beef patties, crispy bacon, oozy cheese and choice of relish, the ‘Filling Station’ burger is a beast that comes with a mountain range of chips, as well as onion rings and slaw. Good luck squeezing back into your leathers if you order that.
For those with more will power, lighter options include bagels, salad and soup, but Hayley’s brother supplies a glutton of homemade cakes and bakes so resistance to indulgence is probably futile. A slab of millionaire’s shortbread goes down particularly well with a hot chocolate, but there are seasonally-inspired ice cream milkshakes if you fancy something chilled.
Established to satisfy the appetites of motorcyclists and motorists in 2011, The Filling Station was a petrol station in its former life. What was the forecourt is now a designated area for al fresco dining and parking motorbikes, and if you’re lucky, one of them will belong to ‘Pops’ – the octogenarian and humble legend who built the original garage in the 1950s. He's an affable man with tales to tell.
As an establishment that prides itself on taking care of its own, loyal locals often stop here to refuel and a warm welcome awaits road trippers as well as regulars who pilgrimage from across the country. Fortuitously, it's not on the radar of the coach loads of tourists that swarm Keswick during the summer.
Come rain or shine, The Filling Station stays open all year but gets particularly rammed on Bike Night. Arrive with a four-legged friend riding shotgun, tongue flapping happily in the breeze, and you’ll get more attention than anything shiny or noisy with two wheels – the team are 100 per cent dog-obsessed. So of course, they'll cater for Fido’s taste buds too.
Words Charlotte Vowden Instagram