We are staying near to Dalby over Christmas and I was thinking of going to Dalby on Christmas morning (not ridden Dalby for about 15 years) but checking the parking costs it says £9.00 for up to 3 hours - is this correct as it seems a lot?
Forest of Dean is £4.00 for a day
It's what their website says so presumably right, we were there last weekend and there are a number of trees across some of the trails, you can get around/under them but a bit of care is needed.
All day at FoD is £9 as well. £3/he doesn't feel too bad. Seems pretty good going for hours of free trails TBF.
but checking the parking costs it says £9.00 for up to 3 hours
this topic came up here a few months ago!
a few years ago when we were at Dalby I hired bikes for me and the kids from the bike shop in Thornton le Dale and rode in from there along a track, so we parked in the village, no probs.
there is a large car park, located here:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/1Gc7iYPj7fXerrYW8
rates are reasonable, cheaper than parking in the forest itself though the cash generated presumably helps with maintaining the facilities provided there.
https://www.forestryengland.uk/national-membership
Its gone up a bit since the first few years but its still less then 1 visit per month at Dalby/Cannock/FOD/Sherwood/Whinlatter/etc etc etc....
They sometimes suspend parking charges over Christmas, it's worth checking. Otherwise it's better value to pay £15 for all day, means there's no pressure to finish the ride and get back to the car.
Thanks everyone. I am a Forestry member at FOD so may look and see if there is a national membership as I occasionally ride at Cannock and others.
They are all done by ANPR paid at time of leaving now, so you dont need to 'choose' how much time you put on your ticket.
Yeh they hiked the prices about a year back. You can get a national FC parking pass but not usually a discount or anything for forests you don't have a pass for unfortunately.
That said, if the trails on xmas day are anything like they were running last weekend then it'll be money well spent. The trail centre stuff is pretty tame with a few highlights and the off piste is excellent.
We started on the red last weekend and theres a diversion for tree felling after section 5: The Full Red Trail — Dalby Forest | mountain bike ride | Komoot
The diversion takes you right and up past High Rigg Farm and then I assume, left and left again back down the next fire-road. Sack that off. After High Rigg Farm, you drop down slightly past a field on your left and get to a gate. Once through the gate take an immediate left off the fire-road (there is a track you can see) and keep left until it enters the trees - follow that for a couple of hundred metres (nice "proper" singletrack) before it doubles back to your right and drops down (theres a tree down on here so watch out). When you pop out at the bottom you'll be at the bottom of the climb for section 8. Theres also a superb (one of my favourite) bits off off-piste between sections 10/11 before you get to Dixons Hollow called Bummer Wolf (its on Strava). If you're on the red you can do the bottom section of that down to the fire-road and swing a right at the bottom to re-join the red.
Good luck - I imagine having a pedal around there on a deserted xmas day morning would be ace!
Conditions update from Saturday PM - still absolutely prime which is mad considering the rain we've had.
The track to Low Dalby from Thornton up the other side of the river from the road is very pretty and less hilly than the road. It's rideable on a touring bike or tandem and a good low traffic option into the forest (mainly downhill on the return). It does, however, add a few km each way if you're planning a time limited ride round one of the trails.
Directions: from the crossroads / Pace shop in Thornton take the road North towards Levisham. On the edge of town fork right on a lane and follow that. It becomes a track at the fish farm and then just follow the track (several gates) until you get to Low Dalby.
Conditions update from Saturday PM - still absolutely prime which is mad considering the rain we've had.
Wow, thanks for the heads-up! It really does hold up ridiculously well. I'm hopefully heading up on boxing day so fingers crossed it stays dryish until then...
Conditions update from Saturday PM - still absolutely prime which is mad considering the rain we've had.
Wow, thanks for the heads-up! It really does hold up ridiculously well. I'm hopefully heading up on boxing day so fingers crossed it stays dryish until then...
Forecast looks ace all week - I'll be heading up on Saturday/Sunday (maybe both if the kids fancy a ride out). The trail centre stuff was generally worse (puddles on a few bits) than the off piste (which drains pretty well).
I really ought to get up there and explore the off piste some time. Used to ride there quite a bit but got bored of the trailcentre stuff...
I really ought to get up there and explore the off piste some time. Used to ride there quite a bit but got bored of the trailcentre stuff...
Using the trail centre stuff to piece together a bigger loop on the off piste is the best way of doing it as there are pockets of OP around the forest so its sometimes nice/easy to pop onto some of the red and do some mindless following of the signs to the next "good" area. Or there are generally (especially over toward the Dales & Riggs part of the red route) OP options which mean you miss the generally crap descents/spins up fire-roads on that part of the ride...
That sounds good to me. I've always thought the climbs at Dalby are (on the whole) pretty decent, but the descents somewhat lacklustre.
I’ve struggled to find the off piste there and it doesn’t seem mapped on Trailforks, is there somewhere this is shown that I can use as a guide?
Hopefully there with Niece 1 on the 27th, fingers crossed for mostly dry weather until then!
I’m there 25th, 28th & 29th
i will on a Yeti (orange forks) so p look rare xx say hello if any singletrackers are there
Might be there on the 29th
I’ve struggled to find the off piste there and it doesn’t seem mapped on Trailforks, is there somewhere this is shown that I can use as a guide?
Drop me a DM and I'll send you some pointers.
I tend to go to the South of the forest (Riggs and dales) as it's much more convenient to get to in the car from my in-laws. It's a bit of a mind**** to navigate without doing a lot of fire road up dale/down rigg - you need to know where the sneaky climbs and cut throughs are, really, to get an elevation gain efficient ride.
I imagine the Strava heat maps would help with off piste?
I imagine the Strava heat maps would help with off piste?
Up to a point. But, as a lot of it (well, the stuff I know/have ridden) is off the southern end of the official red loop, and also takes in a lot of the fire roads/gravel tracks in the area, it's a bit tricky distinguishing what's the good O-P stuff from the other MTB 'heat' in the area!
But yeah - get a link from @el_boufador up there as he's worked out some good routes / link-ups.
Rode there today (just the Blue, one lap with Eldest Niece then a lap by myself). I'm hoping, family stuff permitting, that I can get an early ride around the Red tomorrow.
Trails are riding well, it's nice and dry. The Blue is fully open now after a long term closure of some singletrack climbing through the woods due to fallen trees.
I’ve struggled to find the off piste there and it doesn’t seem mapped on Trailforks
Strange, I've never been personally but a mate did a half days riding (he'd never been before and had no idea where he was going) when staying in the area with his Mrs n kids at the end of August. He said he found loads of really good off piste stuff using trailforks and strava and was adamant we need to head down for a proper day exploring the bits he didn't have time for
Once through the gate take an immediate left off the fire-road (there is a track you can see) and keep left until it enters the trees - follow that for a couple of hundred metres (nice "proper" singletrack) before it doubles back to your right and drops down (theres a tree down on here so watch out). When you pop out at the bottom you'll be at the bottom of the climb for section 8.
Or the old red as some would know it. 😉
Or the old red as some would know it. 😉
The current Red has a long diversion to avoid section 7 at the moment. Interminably dull fireroad drag past a farm then you double back and drop down more fireroad to the start of section 8.
I was too time-limited today for any exploring but I really need a day there just working out where everything is in relation to everything else, the bits of trail that I like (most of the mid-20's Red sections are brilliant) and the bits I don't like and want to avoid (a lot of the really steep stuff around Dixon's Hollow, long fireroad sections)
Once through the gate take an immediate left off the fire-road (there is a track you can see) and keep left until it enters the trees - follow that for a couple of hundred metres (nice "proper" singletrack) before it doubles back to your right and drops down (theres a tree down on here so watch out). When you pop out at the bottom you'll be at the bottom of the climb for section 8.
Or the old red as some would know it. 😉
Yep - totally unknown to 99% of people who ride there. I rode the old red section which runs alongside section 8 the other week too. Bit of a deer track in places but still there, still flowy and still more interesting that the part of section 8 it by passes 😀 Theres still some bits over toward section 17 (good, short black bit which is better than the red it crosses) and further out near the old cafe.
Been a few times over Christmas - still incredibly dry and running brilliantly. Not necessarily the off piste but the three valleys at the top of the valley where the Adders Back climb goes up have suffered from tree fall. Think the one that follows Grain Beck looked pretty impassible from the bottom but I got up the one that I think is officially a footpath to the fire-road at the top. Might go back again tomorrow 😀
Anyone fancy a meet up at some point? Been riding Dalby years, I know *some* of the off piste stuff but generally end up riding on my own, and do some really good sections followed by miles of fire road and to link bits together. Cannot find any of the 'steep side' stuff which I understand is at the far end of the forest. Be great to get some minds together on the ground for once rather than online!?
Whether its this Satuday, or at a later date to be planned....
I'd be up for it probably. Not this weekend though - maybe plan it in for when the weather might be a bit more favourable!
I could be tempted but my riding times are very sporadic (deffo couldn't make this weekend). Also you'd all have to promise not to laugh at me sliding down the steep stuff on my arse.
Oh okay, you can laugh a little bit.
"Steep Side"...Ride up to the Cross Cliffe view point, then follow that ridge in the Scarboro' direction, past the Red route turn to the right and then start looking for trails dropping off to the left. If you get to the flying sheep at the end you have gone too far ~ Super wet at the moment 🙁