Dalby Forest Mountain Bike Trails

Dalby Forest is a Forestry England trail centre in the North York Moors with trails for every grade: a red network split across three named sections (21 miles/34.3km all told), a black World Cup-style descent, a blue all-rounder, two green family routes and an orange-graded skills area. The forest's fire roads also carry a genuine gravel riding scene, home to the annual Dalby Devil gravel sportive. The modern visitor centre has a cafe and car park, and there's a second cafe down at Low Dalby.

The Trails

• Red Trail Network (21 miles/34.3km): Interlinking singletrack sections with drops, berms, rock gardens and shore, starting from Dixon's Hollow car park and Low Dalby. Made up of three named sections: Newclose Rigg (6 miles/9.6km, fast singletrack through woodland with rock features and steep drop-offs), Jerry Noddle (7 miles/11.1km, from Dixon's Hollow via Moorcock Meadow campsite) and Riggs and Dales (8.5 miles/13.8km, technical climbs and descents, signed from Low Dalby).
• UCI World Cup Trail (Black, 4 miles/6.4km): Short but with steep, technical climbs and descents, built to World Cup course standard. Starts at Adderstone Field, around 5 miles along Dalby Forest Drive from the visitor centre.
• Jubilee Blue Route (6 miles/11km): A longer but easier ride, mostly on forest road, starting and finishing at the Courtyard in Low Dalby. Includes a couple of easier red-graded sections for rider progression.
• Adderstone Cycle Trail (Green): Family-friendly, starting from Dixon's Hollow car park. Short loop of 8 miles (12.9km) or long loop of 12 miles (19.3km).
• Ellerburn Trail (Green, 1.7 miles + optional 1.1-mile extension): The gentlest trail at Dalby, starting from the main cycling hub.
• Cycle Skills Area (Orange): A bike park at Dixon's Hollow with 4X, shore and a pump track, built in partnership between Forestry England and volunteer group SingletrAction, plus a 100-metre line of tabletops.
• Off-Piste: As at most UK trail centres, there's a scattering of unsanctioned natural-style tracks in the wider forest. These aren't waymarked or maintained by Forestry England.

Gravel Riding

Dalby Forest Drive and the wider forest's fire-road network support proper gravel riding, not just links between singletrack. The route hosts the annual Dalby Devil gravel sportive (50/80/130/160km options), and the forest drive itself, a maintained track running the length of the forest, is free to cyclists even though it's a toll road for vehicles.

Beyond the Trails

Dalby Forest is a full Forestry England day out beyond the bike: Go Ape's high ropes course, a Gruffalo-themed orienteering trail for younger visitors, waymarked walking routes and a Dark Sky Discovery site for stargazing. Dalby Forest Drive is free for cyclists but carries a vehicle toll.

Local Organisation

• SingletrAction, the volunteer trail-building group behind much of Dalby's technical trail and the Cycle Skills Area, holds regular dig days at Dalby (currently the third Sunday of the month). singletraction.co.uk

Getting Here

Dalby Forest can be reached via the A169 Pickering to Whitby road, following the brown tourist signs. The main hub and Red/Blue/Green trailheads are at Low Dalby (The Courtyard, YO18 7LT); the Black UCI World Cup Trail starts around 5 miles further along Dalby Forest Drive at Adderstone Field, which has its own car park.

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