We used to collect & deliver loads to/from deployments around all the major bases in the UK - few of the airfields in the UK are a challenge to a C130, even if we want to carry fuel for, say, Akrotiri. My understanding is that it is simply policy that the load comes to Lyn/ Bzn, presumeably because it is cheaper to move by road that it is by air. One of the last times I 'picked up' was from Warton, taking Typhoons away - we were on the ground for 2 1/2 days to allow time for loading, not exactly a good use of an AT asset.
It used to be the norm to leave Lyn very early to get to Wittering or wherever at opening time, to then sit around for hours while they squeezed in the load (how long does it take to get a helicopter on board?) & then if we were lucky we had enough crew duty left to reach our destination. From an AT point of view it makes more sense to get the loading done at home base, while the crew are still asleep.
As for doing strips with no firecover, it's usually there, certainly in the UK even when we're doing landings on beaches, & whenever possible on operations too. Chances of being allowed to land at an airfield in the UK without it? Zero.