Full ACT UK – Guided Adventure Country Tracks Motorcycle Tour

This 915km cross-country odyssey dismantles every preconception about riding in the UK.

While the UK might not be at the top of most adventure motorcyclists' wish lists, this carefully curated route reveals a network of technical byways, farm tracks, and moorland trails that reach surprisingly wild terrain. The journey weaves through three national parks and the Isle of Man over five days of riding, beginning among atmospheric monastic ruins dating to the 1100s and concluding at a North Sea port town steeped in maritime and literary history.

What sets this apart is the discovery factor—riding terrain that genuinely engages, through landscapes that feel remote, in a country most assume has been entirely tamed by civilisation.

This journey pairs hand-picked luxury and boutique accommodation with exceptional British cuisine at carefully selected restaurants showcasing creative menus, award-winning dining, and coastal freshness.

This is the UK as you've never imagined it, and a tour that offers world-class riding through epic landscapes combined with luxury hospitality and an opportunity to delve into the UK’s rich cultural history.

This is a fully supported tour specifically designed to be suitable for all types of off-road motorcycles up to and including larger capacity adventure bikes.

Expect expansive epic landscapes that transform dramatically with each day's riding.

Steep off-road ascents invite precise clutch control and momentum, while water crossings provide both excitement and entertainment. Tracks worn into remote landscapes by centuries of travellers suddenly transition to rocky technical sections or exposed bedrock, keeping you alert and utterly engaged.

Wales sets the tone with technical climbs through ancient hill farming valleys, where choosing the right line matters as much as throttle control.

The Isle of Man transforms the experience entirely—legendary TT circuit sections where racing history lives beneath your wheels, then forest trails that wind through terrain shaped through the ages.

Yorkshire's uplands deliver something else again: vast moorland crossings where sand and gravel tracks flow for kilometres across landscapes so open they feel limitless, the riding rhythm utterly different from what came before.

Throughout, single-track roads thread through glacier-carved valleys and over mountain passes, each revealing new moments worth capturing. Five days, three national parks, an island steeped in motorsport legend—this is an intimate journey where the variety of terrain and riding styles adds up to something genuinely rewarding and memorable for all the right reasons.

This journey celebrates the very best of British hospitality and cuisine—the kind that has quietly earned international respect.

Each evening brings an evening to refresh and re-vitalise staying at carefully selected luxury accommodation in boutique hotels 

Between riding, you'll discover why British food culture has evolved so beautifully This is about savouring exceptional quality local ingredients that are then thoughtfully prepared and presented to give you a truly world class tasting experience 

History enriches every mile. You'll encounter remnants of Roman occupation, medieval religious architecture, protective castles from turbulent centuries, and Victorian industrialisation. Market towns maintain their weekly rhythms, traditional pubs anchor village life, and the mid-journey ferry passage to the Isle of Man creates a natural pause for reflection.

• Lord Hereford's Knob - Ascending this delightfully named peak with sweeping panoramic views over Welsh countryside

• Welsh High Country - Steep technical climbs through ancient farmland with rocks, ruts, and gate placements testing hill-start capabilities

• Glacier-Carved Valley Roads - Sweeping descents through Elan Valley gorge and alongside Tal-y-llyn Lake with cliff-top coastal views

• Snowdonia and the Cadair Idris Ridge - Epic mountain ridge trail with spectacular views revealing ancient hill farming heritage

• Isle of Man TT Course - Riding portions of the world-famous Tourist Trophy circuit, including iconic sections like Creg-ny-Baa, Ballaugh Bridge, and Cronk-y-Voddy

• Salter Fell Road - Historic high country crossing through the Forest of Bowland

• Yorkshire Fells Traverses - Multiple technical sections over high moorland with sustained climbs requiring momentum and technique, including an epic section on Darnbrook Fell

• Cam High Road - a fantastic long and fun rocky descent on a Roman Road from Weather Fell down to the site of an old Roman fort at Bainbridge

• Rudland Rigg - The crown jewel of adventure riding in the UK: 19km of remote moorland riding on compacted sand through the heart of North Yorkshire Moors

• Llanthony Priory - Starting point at this atmospheric 12th-century monastery ruins in the Brecon Beacons

• Traditional Market Towns - Rhayader, Bala, Hawes, Helmsley—each offering authentic British village character and hospitality

• Elan Valley - Victorian engineering marvel with its sublime dammed valleys and gorges

• Isle of Man Heritage - Viking-built Peel Castle, the Great Laxey Wheel (huge Victorian waterwheel), and Victorian electric mountain railway

• Roman Fort at Bainbridge - Ancient military outpost that you arrive at from a long, rocky high-altitude trail

• Aysgarth Falls - Attractive cascading waterfalls in the Yorkshire Dales

• Bolton Castle - 14th-century fortress that imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots (featured in Game of Thrones)

• Rievaulx Abbey - Impressive Cistercian monastery ruins near Helmsley

• Whitby - Gothic seaside finale with its whalebone arch, associations with Captain Cook and Dracula, abbey ruins, and fresh catch from the harbour fleet

• Intimate tasting session and celebration at the Whitby Brewery

• Hand-selected refreshment stops at hidden local gems

• Carefully timed arrivals to capture golden hour photography

• Evening gatherings that feel more like gathering with like-minded friends than formal dinners

One of Moto Collective's core values is that journeys are beautifully shared—our guides excel at keeping groups connected while allowing everyone to ride their own ride with complete freedom.

We begin with a comprehensive rider briefing on the Sunday evening, then our guides offer thoughtful morning briefings over breakfast so everyone understands what to anticipate and look forward to in terms of riding experiences. We provide GPS files for those who prefer their own navigation, and mesh communication units for those who enjoy staying connected during the day (though we equally understand if you'd prefer to be alone with your thoughts).

Our support vehicle carries the majority of your luggage and meets riders at regular intervals, giving you the opportunity to adjust your riding kit as needed—no need to carry everything off-road.

For off-road sections, more comfortable riders are free to ride at their own pace while those seeking support are encouraged and guided as needed on the more technical sections. Natural breaks in the trails—gates, junctions, road crossings—allow us to regroup and stay together.

For road sections, we use the drop-off system, which allows a group to follow the same route without remaining in constant view of each other, enabling each rider to find their own rhythm.

Another of our core values is creating unforgettable experiences, so we design our journeys to allow plenty of time to capture moments and take refreshment breaks as desired. The only exception is Day 2, when we're mindful of our ferry crossing to the Isle of Man.

While this journey is designed to follow the ACT UK route, your wellbeing is always our priority, so we reserve the flexibility to adjust as needed. As we're constantly discovering new sections—particularly off-road gems—we'll thoughtfully incorporate ACT-suitable sections to enhance the off-road experience.

Our people-first philosophy means if at any point you'd like more or less of something, simply mention it to the guides and we'll accommodate you beautifully. Likewise all of our guides are passionate about helping people to maximise their fun whilst riding so are very happy to share riding tips and coaching advice to help you to feel more comfortable with your riding.

• 07.30-08.15: Breakfast and morning briefing

• 08.30: Wheels rolling departure - we’ve got a lot of fun riding to be done!

• 10.30-11.00: Morning Refreshments at hand-picked cafes

• 13.00-13.45: Lunch at carefully curated spots

• 15.15-15.45: Afternoon Refreshments

• 17:30: Arrive at your luxury hotel (depending on route and pace)

• 19.30: Dinner

Day 1 - Staging/Arrival - Meet at the hotel in Usk, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK

Day 2 - ACT Day 1 - Llanthony Priory to Machynlleth (Wales South to Central) - 160 km - Medium to High difficulty*

Day 3 - ACT Day 2 - Machynlleth to  Douglas, IoM - 220 km - Medium difficulty*

Day 4 - ACT Day 3 - Douglas Loop (TT Course & Greenways) - 175 km - Medium to High difficulty*

Day 5 - ACT Day 4 - Douglas to Hawes - 140 km - Medium difficulty*

Day 6 - ACT Day 5 - Hawes to Whitby - 220 km - Medium difficulty*

Day 7 - Departure - Whitby Exploration and Departure

* Difficulty is described below

Day 1 - Glen-Yr-Afon Hotel and Clarkes Restaurant, Usk

Day 2 - The Trefeddian Hotel, Aberdovey

Day 3 and 4 - COMIS Hotel & Golf Resort, Douglas

Dinner on day 3 at Glasfryn, Mold

Dinner on day 4 at either Refuge or The Abbey

Day 5 - Simonstone Hall Hotel, Hawes

and/or

Stone House Hotel, Hawes

Day 6 - Sneaton Castle, Whitby

Dinner on day 6 at The Magpie Cafe, Whitby

We believe that you'll have the most enjoyable experience on a bike you know (i.e. your own), so we do not provide rental bikes for our tours.

However, there are a number of UK motorcycle rental companies that may be able to help out if using your own machine is not practical.

Please make sure that you let them know that the usage will include riding off-road on BOATs -byways open to all traffic - which are technically roads (and therefore require a road-legal, insured, bike) but which some rental firms may exclude in their terms - please double and triple check with the rental company if you are going down this route.

• Paved Roads: 65% - the route prioritises tight, twisty mountain passes, Narrow unclassified roads, steep gradients, hairpin bends and spectacular but there are a few necessary connecting sections on faster main roads (particularly getting from North Wales to the Ferry Terminal in Liverpool and then the 1st 30 minutes after driving back at the ferry terminal in Heysham.

• Off-Road/Trail: 35% - all the off-road sections are specifically selected to be ‘big bike’ suitable but incorporate a variety of surfaces and terrain - mud, grass, rock, sand - that vary as the landscapes change

• Suitable for: ☑️ Adventure Bikes (off-road biased tyres that are at least 50:50 are strongly recommended) ☑️ Trail/Enduro Bikes ☐ Road Bikes

• License required: Full UK Recognised Road Licence

The route is deliberately designed to be suitable for large capacity (above 600cc) adventure bikes, and the off-road sections, whilst eminently doable on these machines, are not without challenge, particularly when wet!  The off-road sections are great fun but can be physically challenging if you are not used to riding bigger bikes off-road.

The official ACT website classes this as medium-high difficulty level route but we think our rating is more realistic.

The road sections are often on small lanes used by farmers, so they can be slippery.

Recommended Minimum Experience: a ‘Level 1’ course at any of the Adventure Motorcycle Training Schools in the UK - please contact us for recommendations.

You Should Be Comfortable With:

• Riding 6-8+ hours per day

• Riding off-road on a variety of terrain - mud, grass, rock, sand - and comfortable on steep ascents and descents

• Navigating tight hairpin bends

• Riding in various weather conditions

If you're unsure whether this tour is suitable for you, please contact us to discuss.

We run this tour between May and September, i.e. the summer, but as it’s the UK, there’s no guarantee about what the weather will be like!

That said, because the route is specifically designed for adventure bikes, it rides well in all conditions. So, as long as you have the right riding kit, you are going to have a great time.  

• Day: 14°C - 20°C

• Night: 8°C - 13°C

Absolutely - one of our key company values is friendship and community, so welcome solo riders who very often end our tours with new riding friends.

The guides are all experienced in dealing with common issues and will assist you as much as possible. Our support vehicle is fully equipped with tools and spares for most problems. For more serious issues, we may be able to transport your bike to a dealer/ mechanic, but we also insist that you have breakdown insurance just in case.

No! The off-road sections are not suitable for riding with a pillion passenger

Our focus on People-first Excellence means we try to keep group sizes small with a guide-to-rider ratio of between 1:6 and 1:8.

If you have a larger group, please contact us to discuss options.

For the off-road sections, faster riders are free to ride at their own pace, whilst those less comfortable are supported, encouraged and helped by the guides as needed on the tougher sections. Natural breaks in the trails, i.e. gates, junctions and road crossings, allow us to re-group and keep everyone together.

For the road sections, we use the drop-off system, which allows a group of riders to follow the same route without having to remain in constant view of each other, thereby allowing each rider to ride at a pace that suits them.

It’s the UK, there’s a good chance even in summer that the weather will be ‘bad’, i.e. wet and possibly cold! However, the route is specifically designed for adventure bikes, so it rides well in all conditions. As long as you have the right riding kit, you are going to have a great time. 

We assess the expected weather conditions at the start of each day and, in the event of extreme weather, reserve the right to amend the route as needed to ensure that everyone remains as safe as possible.

Our cafe and restaurant partners can all accommodate different dietary requirements, but to be sure, please let us know at the time of booking.

Some basic familiarity with riding bigger adventure bikes off-road is going to enhance your experience on the tour.

To this end, if you are less experienced, we strongly recommend attending at least a  ‘Level 1’course at any of the Adventure Motorcycle Training Schools in the UK - please contact us for recommendations.

Feel free, and we’d be happy to make suggestions about places to visit and things to do, but we are unable to book any of these for you.