Dalby Forest

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A stand of Scots Pine in Dalby Forest

Dalby forest, maintained by the UK Forestry Commission, is a forest located on the southern slopes of the North York Moors National Park in Yorkshire, England.

1 Botany
2 History
3 Recreation
4 Links
5 References

[edit] Botany

Dalby Forest is home to many species of wildlife such as badgers, roe deer and nightjars. There are also many species of trees, including, oak, beech, ash, alder, and hazel.

[edit] History

There are many people living within the forest and there is evidence of people living there from the Bronze Age. There are also burial mounds, linear earthworks of unknown purpose and the remains of a flourishing rabbit warrening industry found throughout the woods.

During the 1930s, unemployed men were set to work in Dalby Forest, breaking ground, building tracks, and undertaking other heavy labour. The men lived in a work camp at Low Dalby, which was one of a number of so-called Instructional Centres run by the Ministry of Labour in order to 'harden' young men who had been out of work for some time. By 1938, the Ministry was operating 35 Instructional Centres across Britain, with a total capacity of over 6,000 places.

By 1939, unemployment was declining in the face of impending war, and the Ministry closed down its work camps. However, much of Dalby village seems to be based partly on the layout of the old Instructional Centre.

[edit] Recreation

Today Dalby Forest is used for recreation as well as timber production. There are several car parks, a 'forest drive' throughout the forest, several hiking trails and mountain bike trails, and a Go Ape centre. A toll is charged to enter the forest by car; parking is free. The main visitor centre has a cafe and shop, and is adjacent to a selection of other businesses including a bike shop and various craft workshops.

Mountain bike trails correspond to the standard IMBA and Forestry Commission grading scheme. Some start from the main visitor centre; others from Dixons Hollow, an area a little further along the forest drive. They include:

Two green trails, one starting from the visitor centre and one from Dixons Hollow
A blue trail starting from the visitor centre
A red trail starting from Dixons Hollow. This is the longest trail and explores much of the forest. (It passes nearby the visitor centre and can be accessed from it).
A black trail starting from Dixons Hollow.
A "slopestyle" area at Dixons Hollow, including jumps, a corkscrew, northshore and skinnies. This has been sponsored by Pace Cycles and constructed in association with SingletrAction[1]

The trickier trails deliberately start from Dixons Hollow, a little remote from the main visitor centre, to discourage inexperienced mountain bikers [2].