Great Malle Rally 2026
United Kingdom & Ireland
Princetown is a small village of 1400 people nestled in the middle of Dartmoor National Park, Devon, England. The National Park is in fact a large treeless, rock strewn moor. Narrow winding roads traverse it, and you share the roads with free roaming sheep, cattle and ponies as there are no fences. It is often shrouded in low mist and fog, even at this time of year. People can be seen trekking across the open moors to investigate prehistoric sites, old rock houses and ceremonial stone circles.
Princetown is best known for the infamous Dartmoor Prison, just outside of the village, and also being the place where Arthur Conan Doyle stayed when he wrote his Sherlock Holmes classic “The Hounds of the Baskervilles”. The centre of Princetown has a small number of shops, a post office, a charity shop, 2 pubs and a fish and chip café.
Imagine the surprise, as we were sitting on a park bench enjoying some fish and chips, when suddenly 100 motorcycles and 5 Morgans (3 x three wheelers and 2 x four wheelers) came roaring into town and parked up for a coffee and lunch break. There were many different accents and languages in the conversations taking place.
Being a nosey bugger, I wandered over to take some photo’s and ask about their rally. They are taking part in the Great Malle Rally 2026, the tenth time it has been run. For this tenth anniversary edition, they are staging the longest ever rally held in Britain. It is running over 9 days, starting at Lands End at the very bottom of Cornwall, traversing through Wales, then over to Ireland to tackle the Great Atlantic Way, then back over to Scotland for some more hills and finishing at Castle Mey in the far north of Scotland. 2,500 miles all up (4025km).
A back up team transport all their luggage and camping equipment between bases where the accommodation is set up for the participants and meals are cooked up for them as well.
The young man I spoke to was driving a 3 wheel Morgan, and he is from Boston in the U.S.A. He has a Morgan at home, but hired this one for the rally. He is getting used to driving on the left hand side of the road, hairy when on a single lane road (of which there are many here) and he has to suddenly pull into the left and not the right to allow the oncoming traffic to pass. He has already clipped a few hedges with his front wheel. Hope he took out extra excess cover!
The age and range of the motorcycles and riders was varied. The riders were young and old, male and female, English, European, Asian and American, 25 different countries in all. Not too many old bikes, but I spotted a Royal Enfield and a Triumph amongst the modern machines.
Looking into the rally via their website, it is organised by the Malle London company, who specialise in luggage and adventure accessories for motorcycles, and the Morgan company. They promote various events throughout the year and around the world, calling them ‘Inappropriate rallies’. Other similar rallies are organised in the USA, Africa and Europe. Information from the website regarding this rally is reproduced below.
Daryl McMahon
AOMC Foreign Correspondent
Celebrating its tenth anniversary, The Great Malle Rally remains the longest and most prestigious motorcycle and automotive road rally ever hosted in Great Britain. To mark a decade of this iconic pilgrimage, which traditionally traverses the island from the very southern tip of England to the northernmost reaches of Scotland, we have curated a special, one-off edition for 2026. This year, we are crossing the Irish Sea to take on the breathtaking Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland, adding a new chapter to our storied history. Participation remains highly exclusive, with only 100 places available for motorcycles and 10 places for cars.
The 2026 Expedition: A Four-Nation Odyssey
The 2026 event will be contested over nine arduous yet awe-inspiring rally stages. This new 2,500-mile route has been designed to carve a unique path across the most spectacular landscapes the British Isles have to offer. From the rugged mountains of Wales and the rolling valleys of England to the dramatic coastal cliffs of Ireland and the mist-shrouded highlands of Scotland, this is a journey of unmatched beauty and mechanical challenge.
Each morning, rally teams are provided with five specific checkpoints. These waypoints serve to guide participants along our meticulously curated route, ensuring you experience the finest driving roads in existence. You will never be alone on the road; our professional rally marshals provide timing and logistical support, while a dedicated following of rally engineers, medics, photographers, and support crew ensures that every rider and driver is looked after from start to finish.
2026 Rally Details
Dates: June 19th – 29th, 2026.
Route & Distance: 2,500 miles spanning England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland.
Participants: 100 motorcyclists and 5 drivers from across the globe.
The Route & Itinerary
Celebrating a decade of the event, this special edition departs from the norm by crossing into Ireland for 1,000 miles of the Wild Atlantic Way. The stages are designed to test both rider and machine: [1, 2]
Stage 0: Rally registration and pre-party at the very southern tip of England.
Stages 1-2: Starting lines into the wilderness, progressing through Wales toward the Irish Sea crossings.
Stages 3-5: Cruising the rugged west coast of Ireland along the Wild Atlantic Way.
Stages 6-8: Returning to the UK and heading north through dramatic Scottish Highlands.
Stage 9: The final stretch arriving at the Castle of Mey.
