If you've got an adventure bike, dual-sport or trail bike and want to try green laning, one of the first things you'll need to work out is where you can actually ride.
The quickest way to find green lanes near you is to use a dedicated green-lane map such as Holloway, then check the route's current legal status before riding it. You can also use council rights-of-way maps, OS Maps, the Trail Riders Fellowship, local riders and other mapping tools.
You don't need to choose one of these options. In fact, I think the best approach is to combine them.
I created Holloway because I found the traditional process of finding green lanes far more complicated than it needed to be. You could spend an evening jumping between council websites, maps, forums and GPX files just to find a handful of lanes near home, then have another job working out how to get to them.
Holloway brings much of that process together. You can browse thousands of green lanes and byways across England and Wales, see their classifications, check their legal status and, with Premium, build routes and navigate to the start of a lane.
But Holloway isn't the only useful resource, and I don't think it should replace everything else.
Here's how I'd approach finding green lanes in 2026.
How I'd find a green lane in five minutes
If you've never done this before, you don't need to understand every mapping system available.
I'd do this:
- Open Holloway. Start with the free map and look at the area around you.
- Find a few potential lanes. Look at the route type, length, surface, difficulty and any listed hazards.
- Check the legal status. Use Holloway's Legal Status Search, then check the relevant council information if you need to investigate the route further.
- Check the entrance. Look at where the lane starts and make sure the route you're planning to use actually connects to the public road.
- Navigate there. Use Google Maps to get to the entrance, or Holloway Premium if you're building a complete route.
- Ride it responsibly. If the lane is extremely wet, damaged or busy with other users, consider leaving it for another day.
That's the basic process.
Once you've done it a few times, finding local lanes becomes much easier.
What actually counts as a green lane?
One thing that causes a lot of confusion is the term green lane itself.
"Green lane" isn't a single legal classification. It's a general term riders use for unsurfaced or partly surfaced routes, but the legal status of an individual route can be very different.
For a motorcycle rider, you'll come across terms including:
- BOAT: Byway Open to All Traffic
- UCR: Unclassified County Road
- Restricted byway
- Footpath
- Bridleway
- Other public highways and routes
The distinction matters because the public rights associated with each classification are different. Every classification is explained in full here if any of this is new to you.
For example, GOV.UK confirms that a BOAT can be used by motor vehicles, while a restricted byway does not give a general right to use one.
So don't look at a track on a map and think:
"That looks like a green lane, therefore I can ride it."
That's not how it works.
A physical track, an old GPX file or a line on Google Maps isn't proof that motorcycles have a legal right to use it.
1. Use Holloway to find green lanes near you
This is the method I created Holloway for.
Open Holloway, move the map to your area and you can immediately see the green lanes and byways around you.
Holloway currently maps 29,662 lanes and byways across England and Wales, using OpenStreetMap and council rights-of-way data from 149 authorities. Routes are colour-coded by type so you can see the difference between things such as BOATs, UCRs and restricted byways rather than treating every line on a map as something you can ride.
You can browse the map for free without an account.
Select a lane and you can see information about it, including its classification, length, difficulty, surface and hazards. Each lane also has a Legal Status Search that takes you towards the relevant information for checking the route yourself.
That's an important part of how I've designed Holloway.
I don't want to tell you that a coloured line on my map is automatically a guarantee that you're legally allowed to ride it. The underlying data comes from real mapping and council information, but not every lane has been individually checked. That's why I want riders to be able to check the legal position themselves rather than blindly trusting an app.
What Holloway Premium adds
If you want to go beyond finding individual lanes, Premium is £20 a year.
You can:
- Build routes using multiple lanes
- Add road sections between lanes
- Export the completed route as a GPX
- Navigate to lane entrances
- Use live navigation
- Save and share routes
- Use the additional route-planning features
The idea is to take you from:
"What's near me?"
to:
"I've planned my ride and I'm on my way to the first lane."
Holloway: pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Designed specifically around green-lane riding | Premium is £20/year for route planning and navigation |
| 29,662 lanes and byways currently mapped | It isn't a legal authority and shouldn't be treated as one |
| Free to browse | Coverage is currently England and Wales |
| Lane classifications are visible | You should still check current legal restrictions |
| One-tap Legal Status Search | |
| Route planning | |
| GPX export | |
| Navigation to lane entrances | |
| Hazards and difficulty information |
If you want to see this for yourself, open Holloway's map and look at what's mapped around you.
2. Use the Trail Riders Fellowship
The Trail Riders Fellowship (TRF) is another major resource for finding and riding green roads.
And I don't see Holloway as a replacement for the TRF.
The TRF has been representing trail riders for more than 50 years. It has local groups across England and Wales, member-led rides, the Green Road Map, campaigning work and legal defence around trail-riding access.
Its Green Road Map is specifically intended to help riders identify roads where motorcycling is permitted, while also helping protect routes and reduce accidental use of restricted routes. The TRF describes it as a conservation tool rather than a sat-nav or route planner.
That's a different job from Holloway.
If you're new to green laning, I think there's a lot of value in joining your local TRF group and riding with people who know the area.
You'll learn things from experienced riders that no map can tell you.
TRF: pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Established trail-riding organisation | Membership costs money |
| Local groups and member-led rides | You may prefer riding independently |
| Green Road Map | It isn't designed as a sat-nav or route planner |
| Legal and campaigning work | Another mapping system to learn |
| Legal defence of trail-riding access | |
| Local knowledge | |
| Supports the wider trail-riding community |
The TRF also explicitly says its Green Road Map isn't intended to replace navigation devices or route-planning apps.
That's another reason I don't think there's any need to treat Holloway and the TRF as competing options.
You can use both.
If you want to go beyond a map and actively help keep lanes legally open, Holloway's Keep Lanes Open hub has etiquette guidance and letter templates alongside pointers to the TRF and GLASS.
3. Check your local council's rights-of-way map
If you want to check the official rights-of-way information for a route, your local council is one of the most important places to look.
Search for:
"[your county] definitive map public rights of way"
Local authorities normally maintain the Definitive Map for their area, which records public rights of way including footpaths, bridleways, restricted byways and BOATs.
Some councils also provide interactive online maps showing these routes and separate information about temporary closures or other restrictions.
This is where I'd go if something on a mapping app didn't look right.
Council maps: pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Official local authority source | Every council has a different website |
| Useful for checking a particular route | Some mapping systems are awkward |
| Often free | TRO information may be elsewhere |
| Useful when investigating a questionable lane | Not designed around motorcycle route planning |
| Important source for legal research | Can involve some digging |
For me, this is a verification tool rather than the easiest way to discover and plan a whole day's ride. Holloway's own trail-riding guides summarise what's mapped county by county if you want a written overview before diving into the live map.
4. Learn to use the Definitive Map
If you're going to get seriously into green laning, it's worth understanding the Definitive Map rather than relying entirely on somebody else's interpretation.
The Definitive Map is the legal record of public rights of way maintained by the relevant highway authority. GOV.UK identifies four categories: footpaths, bridleways, restricted byways and BOATs. I've covered the Definitive Map in more depth here if you want the fuller picture.
For a motorcyclist, the important distinction is that not every public right of way carries a right for motor vehicles.
A BOAT does. A restricted byway does not. Footpaths and bridleways don't give you a general right to ride a motorcycle either.
There are also other types of public highway that don't fit neatly into those four public-rights-of-way categories, which is one reason green-lane legality can become complicated.
Definitive Map: pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Legal rights-of-way record | Not particularly beginner-friendly |
| Useful for investigating a route | Can require interpretation |
| Good for checking questionable routes | Doesn't necessarily show every current restriction in one place |
| Important source when researching access | Poor for quickly building a day's ride |
You don't need to become a rights-of-way lawyer to go green laning.
But understanding the basics will save you a lot of confusion.
5. Use OS Maps
OS Maps are still a very good way to understand an area.
I particularly like them for looking at the wider geography rather than concentrating on individual lanes.
You can see how roads, tracks, villages, contours and rights of way fit together, which can make planning a longer ride much easier.
They're also useful when you're trying to work out whether a route you've found actually makes sense as part of a larger loop.
The downside is that you have to do much more of the research yourself.
And, like any map, an OS map isn't your final legal check. If you find a potential route, verify its current status before riding it.
OS Maps: pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent geographical detail | Requires more manual research |
| Great for understanding the wider area | Doesn't replace checking current restrictions |
| Useful for planning longer rides | Less convenient for quickly finding suitable lanes |
| Paper maps work without batteries or signal | You'll need another navigation solution for many rides |
I'd still recommend learning basic map reading even if you do 95% of your riding with an app.
6. Ask local riders
This is still one of the best ways to learn an area.
Your local TRF group, motorcycle club or riding friends might know things that aren't obvious from any map.
Someone might know that a lane is easy in summer but turns into a horrible mud bath after prolonged rain.
Someone else might know that the entrance shown on one map is awkward and that there's a much easier approach from the other end.
That information is useful.
The problem is that local knowledge can become outdated.
Someone saying:
"I've ridden that for years."
doesn't necessarily mean:
"You can legally ride that today."
Use local riders to learn about an area, then verify the legal position yourself.
Local riders: pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent local knowledge | Information can become outdated |
| Great for beginners | People can misunderstand the legal position |
| Useful for current conditions | Old GPX files can remain online |
| Good way to find riding partners | Still worth checking the route yourself |
7. Use forums, Facebook groups and GPX files
There are loads of UK motorcycle communities where riders share routes and local knowledge.
They're particularly useful when you ask a specific question.
For example:
"I'm based near Bedford, have a road-legal CRF300L and I'm new to green laning. Where are some beginner-friendly legal lanes within an hour of me?"
That will probably get you much more useful information than searching for "green lanes Bedford" and clicking through random results.
But treat the answer as a lead, not proof.
The same applies to GPX files.
A GPX file tells you where somebody created a route or rode previously. It doesn't prove that every section is still legal.
In fact, the TRF specifically warns against treating GPX as a permanent record because green-road access can change.
Forums and GPX files: pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free | Information can be wrong |
| Excellent source of local knowledge | Old information can remain online |
| Useful for discovering routes | GPX files can become outdated |
| Good way to find other riders | You still need to check the current legal position |
8. Use Google Maps to get there, not to establish legality
Google Maps is brilliant for one particular part of green laning:
Getting you to the entrance.
What I wouldn't do is zoom around Google Maps looking for dirt tracks and assume that because one exists, you can ride it.
A visible track isn't evidence of a public right of way for motorcycles.
That's actually why I built Holloway the way I did, rather than treating this as three separate jobs for three separate apps.
In Holloway, you find the lane, see its legal status, or a one-tap Legal Status Search if it hasn't been individually checked yet, and tap Navigate, all on that lane's own page. Holloway works out the nearest end and hands off straight to Google Maps to actually get you there. You never switch apps yourself, and you never have to re-find the same lane in a second one.
So the jobs are:
- Holloway: Find the lane, check its status, and get moving, all in one place.
- Google Maps: Does the one thing it's genuinely good at, the actual driving directions to the entrance, opened automatically once you tap Navigate.
One app for the parts that matter, with Google Maps doing the one job it's actually built for underneath it.
Don't make these mistakes when finding green lanes
Assuming a track on Google Maps is legal
It isn't.
A physical track can be private, a footpath, a bridleway, a restricted byway or another route that doesn't give you a right to ride a motorcycle.
Assuming "green lane" means BOAT
It doesn't.
Green lane is a general term, not a legal classification. Every classification is different, and it matters which one you're actually on.
Following an old GPX file without checking it
Someone else riding a route in 2021 doesn't prove that the same route is available to you today.
Assuming every BOAT is permanently open
A route that normally has motor-vehicle rights can still be subject to restrictions. Check for current closures and TROs.
Treating an app as the legal authority
That includes Holloway.
I've deliberately built the Legal Status Search into Holloway because I don't want riders blindly trusting a coloured line on a screen. The map is there to make finding routes easier, not to replace the underlying legal information.
Which way of finding green lanes should you use?
You don't have to pick one.
| Method | Find lanes | Check legal status | Plan routes | Navigate | Local knowledge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holloway | Excellent | Good, with legal-status links | Excellent with Premium | Yes | Limited |
| TRF | Excellent | Excellent resource | Limited | No | Excellent |
| Council maps | Good | Excellent | Limited | No | Limited |
| OS Maps | Good | Useful reference | Excellent | Yes, depending on setup | Limited |
| Local riders | Excellent | Useful, but verify | Good | Depends | Excellent |
| Forums / GPX | Good | Verify separately | Good | Depends | Good |
I think this is where the whole thing becomes much simpler.
Each resource does a different job.
Holloway is built around discovering lanes and turning them into rides.
The TRF provides community, local groups, the Green Road Map, campaigning and legal defence.
Council information is where you go when you need to investigate the legal position.
OS Maps are excellent for understanding the landscape.
Local riders provide knowledge that maps can't.
There is no reason you can't use all of them.
Holloway and the TRF can work together
I want to make this particularly clear because I created Holloway for riders who might already use the TRF.
I don't see Holloway as a replacement for the TRF.
They solve different problems.
I created Holloway because I wanted an easier way to find green lanes, understand what was around me, build routes and navigate to them.
The TRF has a much wider role in supporting trail riders, running local groups, campaigning with government and authorities, defending legal access and helping maintain the wider green-road network.
So if you want to use Holloway for its easy interface and navigation while also having a TRF membership for local rides and to support its legal and campaigning work, I think that makes perfect sense.
You don't have to choose.
I'd actually encourage riders to use more than one source.
My recommended setup for green laning in 2026
If I were starting again today, this is the setup I'd use.
Find
Holloway
Open the map and see what's around you.
Check
Holloway's Legal Status Search + your local council
Use the available information to establish what the route is and check for current restrictions.
Understand the area
OS Maps
Look at the wider landscape and work out how your lanes connect.
Get local knowledge
TRF or other local riders
Ask about conditions, difficulty and anything you might not see on a map.
Plan
Holloway Premium
Select multiple lanes, connect them with road sections and build your ride.
Navigate
Google Maps or Holloway
Get to the first lane entrance, then follow your planned route.
Ride
Use common sense
Slow down for walkers, cyclists and horses, give other users plenty of room and don't treat a legal right to use a lane as a licence to damage it.
That's the system I'd recommend because every part has a job.
Is Holloway free?
Yes.
You can browse the Holloway map, look at lanes, check their information, see hazards and difficulty, and use the Legal Status Search without paying for a subscription.
Premium is £20 per year and adds route planning, GPX export and live navigation.
I also put £1 from every membership towards keeping lanes open and maintained and supporting the people doing that work.
If that sounds like what you need, try Holloway for free.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find green lanes near me?
The quickest way is to use a dedicated green-lane map such as Holloway. You can also use your local council's rights-of-way map, OS Maps, the TRF Green Road Map and local riding groups. Once you've found a potential route, check its legal status before riding it.
Are all green lanes legal to ride on a motorcycle?
No. "Green lane" isn't a legal classification. You need to establish the route's actual legal status. BOATs are public rights of way that can be used by motor vehicles, while restricted byways, footpaths and bridleways do not give a general right to ride a motorcycle.
Can I use Google Maps to find green lanes?
Google Maps is useful for navigating to the entrance of a lane you've already identified. I wouldn't use it as your primary source for deciding whether an unsealed track is legal to ride.
Do I need a TRF membership to use Holloway?
No. Holloway is a separate service. You can browse its map and check lane information for free. The TRF and Holloway provide different things, so there is nothing stopping you using both.
Does Holloway cover Scotland?
Not currently. Holloway currently covers England and Wales.
Is Holloway a replacement for the TRF?
No. I built Holloway as a mapping, route-planning and navigation tool. The TRF's role includes representing trail riders, local groups, campaigning, legal defence and conservation work.
New to green laning?
If you've found this page because you're thinking about trying green laning for the first time, I'd start here:
- What is green laning?
- Your first green lane
- How to check if a green lane is legal
- What is a BOAT?
- Green laning etiquette
- How to load and use a GPX file
Once you've got the basics sorted, open Holloway and see what's around you.