Trail riding and green laning in Bedfordshire

What's mapped in Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire's byway network is small but genuine, dominated by BOATs (Byways Open to All Traffic), the strongest legal designation for motor vehicles, with a handful of Unclassified County Roads and a few restricted byways kept on the map for reference even though they're not open to motorcycles.

Of the 46 lanes with a recorded surface, 74% are unsurfaced, grass, gravel, ground or dirt tracks rather than tarmac. The longest named legal lane we've mapped here is Sandye Lane, running 1.8 km.

Some named byways currently open in the county include:

Shown as currently open at time of writing, not a permanent guarantee, legal status changes. Always check signage and current Traffic Regulation Orders before riding, this page is reference material, not a substitute for checking on the day.

Closures and current legal status

The Holloway app itself tracks this properly: where we know about a closure, it's shown directly on that lane's own detail card. And every lane also has its own one-tap Legal Status Search, a direct, pre-filled search for that specific lane's current legal status, so you're never stuck relying only on what we happen to already know. Always check a lane's current status yourself before riding.

Grading and route difficulty

Difficulty in Bedfordshire is mostly still provisional. We've fully graded 2 of the county's 136 lanes ourselves so far, riding them and rating them by hand; most of the rest carry an estimated difficulty pulled from OS trail-condition tags rather than a real assessment, and we've flagged those clearly on the map rather than pretend they're checked. We're working through the county ourselves, lane by lane, so if you spot a bike wearing a Holloway sticker out grading, give us a wave. If you've ridden a Bedfordshire byway yourself, suggesting a grade from the lane's own detail card is the single most useful thing you can do for the next rider.

Historic sites along the way

Bedfordshire's lanes pass close to a genuine spread of history, from Bedford Castle's Norman motte to the Shuttleworth Collection's historic aircraft, Someries Castle's ruined brick gatehouse, and Whipsnade Zoo. We've mapped 27 of these across the county ourselves, each with a short write-up and a link to the source.

• Bedford Castle
• Shuttleworth Collection
• Someries Castle
• Willington Dovecote
• Houghton House
• Whipsnade Zoo
• Woburn Safari Park
• Waulud's Bank

How Holloway helps in Bedfordshire

• See what's actually legal. Every lane is colour-coded by type and difficulty, with non-legal routes shown separately and clearly, never implied as ridable.
• Check before you go. Legal Status Search and live closure tracking mean you're checking the lane's current status, not just its designation on a map from a few years ago.
• Plan a full day outHolloway Premium Link several Bedfordshire lanes into one route, with real road-following connectors between them and a combined GPX download.
• Ride it offline. Lane data works with no signal once you've opened the app once, useful across a county with patchy rural coverage.
• Match it to your bike. Filter by difficulty and set whether you're on a loaded adventure bike or a lighter trail bike, and the map adjusts what it shows you.

Frequently asked questions

Follow along

We're building out more ride content, lane walkthroughs, and county guides like this one. Follow along on social for the latest as we post it.