Family Fun at Dalby Forest

Dalby Forest is situated on the southern slopes of the North York Moors National Park. It is an ideal destination for families, walkers, cyclists and outdoor adventure with:

• 13 walking trails (including easy access)
• 6 cycling trails
• 4 running trails
• 2 play areas
• Go Ape for Treetop Challenge, Treetop Adventure and Forest Segway
• Cafés
• Multiple BBQ and picnic sites
• Staindale Lake
• Keep going through Low Dalby to Adderstone. This is a lovely area. There’s plentiful parking, a play area, Gruffalo trail, Enchanted Wood, walking trails and a green cycle route up there for starters. Great place for a bbq or picnic!
• Dalby Forest Cycle Hub for hire of bikes, bike trailers etc. Helpful staff and good equipment.
• Hidden Horizons are the fixed onsite partner in the courtyard offering family and children’s activities throughout the summer holidays and year-round.
• Dalby Activity Centre for outdoor activities, paintballing and airsoft centre. Great fun for 7 years plus.
• Dogs welcome

It is a great place for grandparents to take the grandchildren to burn off some energy this summer holiday or just for a family day out. There are some wonderful things for children including the Zog Trail which can be done with or without the activity pack – great route for little legs getting going on their bikes too. The James & the Giant Peach Activity Pack is great for 6 years plus in my opinion, and can be used over a number of trips. It is really informative and has some great activities. You can also hire the Ranger in a Bag specific activity packs from the Visitor Centre. These resource backpacks provide all you need to run your own successful educational visit in the forest.

Recently a Mumbler sent us this review…

We went for a day out at Dalby Forest and had a great time. We parked near the main visitor centre and went to the large play park to begin our day. There is a range of equipment for different ages and abilities, it is all really well maintained. We spent an hour or so in the park before heading for a paddle! There are various points, near the main play area, with easy access to the shallow, gentle beck. There were children riding their bikes across the beck which looked great fun!

There is a cafe in the visitor centre serving a selection of small meals, drinks and sweet treats however we took a picnic. There are plenty of picnic benches to sit at, a lot of the benches have separate stands for BBQs.

There is a Zog trail through a part of the woods, we have done it previously, it is great fun. The trail is 1 mile long and is suitable for prams, bikes etc. You can buy an activity pack from the centre to add to the fun of the trail.

There are many different activities to access, for additional costs, including a large zip wire (my children loved watching them zoom along!) orienteering and Go Ape.

It costs £9 to park at Dalby (£5 after 4pm) and you could easily spend a day there enjoying the great outdoors!

Low Dalby , Thornton-Le-Dale, Pickering. Sat Nav Postcode: YO18 7LT. For more info please visit their website here.