This guide is tailored for dirt bike enthusiasts in the UK, designed to navigate the complexities of locating legal riding spots. This resource provides insights into safe and compliant riding experiences, empowering riders to pursue their passion while remaining in accordance with local regulations & the law.
The four most commonly asked questions:
Can I go green laning on my motocross bike on byways?
This is one of the most asked questions in the dirt bike community and the fast and clear answer is no.
Riding green lanes and byways is NOT riding off-road
Riding off-road means you’re on private land with the owner’s permission, for instance a motocross track; this is the only time you don’t always need to have a road-legal machine.
My bike is road legal but I haven’t passed my test, can I go green laning?
Another very common question that’s fast and clear to answer – no you cannot.
Trail riding in the UK is riding green lanes and byways open to all traffic – as such, you need to be on a road-legal, registered, insured, taxed vehicle with a valid MOT, and you need to abide by the law.
I think the council own this land so i can’t get direct permission is it ok to still ride?
Motorbikes can only be ridden legally on private land with the explicit permission of the landowner. It’s essential to note that land owned by the local council is not considered private land, and riding off-road bikes on council land is illegal. Councils in England banked £1.95 billion from parking fees, permits, fines and car park rent in 2022-23, of all the land you could ride on, riding on the councils land is definitely a bad idea.
Riding your bike along challenging trails, up through the hills and across rivers and woods is one of the best parts of dirt biking but Trail riding in the UK hasn’t got any easier in recent years, with many lanes closed and legal routes to ride are becoming difficult to find.
In the UK it’s not quite as straightforward as it could or should be, what with a decreasing number of legal lanes along which to ride, as well as the difficulty the lone rider might have in knowing how to begin trail riding.
Riding green lanes and byways is NOT riding off-road. Riding off-road means you’re on private land with the owner’s permission, for instance a motocross track – this is the only time you don’t need to have a road legal bike.
Can i ride the byways on my motocross bike or on my road registered enduro bike but with no bike license?
I know many people ride down the lanes anyway, on motocross bikes or enduro bikes with no license and with no issues, many will say its fine – you wont get caught ”I know a place to ride where the police don’t care, we ride there all the time and they don’t give us hassle” they will say, However, they CAN and at some point WILL hassle you and they do have the power to seize your bike! Can you imagine your £10k KTM being loaded onto a flatbed by an officer that is having a bad day!
You may not get caught, you will probably have great fun with your mates and have an awesome day…. if the police don’t spot you or have better things to do. But the reality is if you get a stiff & bored police officer spot you they will be having a great day also playing cat and mouse chasing you down on their ugly trail bikes that by the way are great on fuel, if they catch you the truth is they can seize your bike and they definitely would after a chase!
An Ordnance Survey map is well worth buying as it features the detail you need to identify the legal trails you can ride, and you can highlight all the ones you want to ride before you go out ensuring you won’t accidentally go off course onto land you shouldn’t be on.
You need to look for lanes marked as Byways Open To All Traffic (BOATs), Unclassified Country Roads (UCRs) and Unsealed, Unclassified County Roads (UUCRs).
A BOAT is marked as a line of green crosses on the OS maps – A UCR or UUCR is a road without an A, B, or C road classification.
Other than roads without a classification, you must only ride on a byway open to all traffic.
Some good locations include Salisbury Plain and Thetford Forest. For the novice rider, riding the old Fosse Way south of Cirencester, or along the Ridgeway in Wiltshire are great places to start. Again these are legal routes for traffic and therefore not technically – off-road, the road just doesn’t happen to be paved or of normal width to take regular traffic.
Often these are old roman roads or cattle tracks. This confusion can lead to confrontations with ramblers and other non-motorists & users who assume that you don’t have a legal right to be there, but as long as the trail is marked as a BOAT or a UCR, and doesn’t have a TRO imposed upon it (Traffic Regulation Order) then you have as much right to be there as they do. But it’s gentle negotiation with such people that generally works better, as opposed to outright confrontation. Always be polite, and pulling over and stopping with your engine off if you do come across anyone being respectful to others that are enjoying the route in a different way to you.
Respect the other people on the trails, and know that they might not realise it’s a road
Keep your speed below 25 mph for the safety of yourself, others and wildlife
Check the map regularly, to ensure you’re on a legal trail
Do not leave the route – you’ll be straying onto potentially private property
Respect lane closures as they are there to preserve the trail and wildlife
Always close gates behind you
Always ride a legal bike
Never go green laning alone
We recommend that you join the TRF. Besides the great social side and help on the best routes, you’ll get the latest advice on where you can ride and can quickly get answers to all your questions.
Local Facebook groups can also be very handy to find local ride-out groups so you can go out as a pack with people that have already been laning for a long time and know the trails inside out.
If you have an off road bike please click the link below to read our guides on Enduro Clubs you could join, and a directory of Motocross Practice Tracks all over the UK.
Disclaimer:The legal assessments, mapping advice, and trail recommendations provided in this guide reflect my personal knowledge, trail riding history, and opinions as an enthusiast. Byways Open to All Traffic (BOATs), Unclassified County Roads (UCRs), and local access laws change frequently, and Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) can restrict vehicle use overnight without warning. This content is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute formal legal advice. It is the sole responsibility of the individual rider to verify current route legality via the local highway authority’s Definitive Map before riding. Rebuild Racing accepts absolutely no liability for any legal prosecution, police vehicle seizures, fines, trespassing incidents, or accidents resulting from the use or interpretation of the information contained within this guide.