Where is this walk?

A walk in Dalby Forest

April 23, 2018

Near Scarborough is Dalby Forest, a large area of well managed forestry. However it can become very popular. A walk in Dalby Forest takes you along wide forest tracks, well signposted to the the village of Thornton.

The Walk

Dalby Forest is a large area of dense forestry rapidly becoming the adventure playground of the North York Moors. Go Ape provide some of the excitement. However it is the numerous biking and walking trails which are the main attraction. In this case they have been planned and organized efficiently by the Forestry Commission. Dalby Forest is set on a hillside. To the north the forest is highest and has few paths for the walker. However further south as the land drops the forest is divided in to a series of wide paths. These have been given names which usually end vale or rigg.

The walking is very easy and interesting (at least for a while, any walk in forestry can become tedious). However the wide variety of paths do make it great for a mixed walking group, the options are endless. Anything from one to fifteen miles is easily possible. I have chosen a seven and a half mile walk which includes some excellent tracks through the forest. One of these is called the Shoulder of Mutton (no pub sadly despite hunting in the undergrowth). In addition the walk includes an exploration of the lovely Thornton Dale complete with pretty village and old country estates.

Recommend

The walk in Dalby Forest is excellent for cycling and mountain biking. As a result this is a great place to try it out.

Navigation Tips on the Dalby Forest walk

In the forest the wide paths all follow a north east/south west direction. Whichever you choose tends to lead back to the activity centre. This is not usually the case with forest tracks. Often they are nightmare to navigate through, never returning you to where you would like to get to.

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