Having a camping weekend right next to dalby. Me and Mrs JTL are taking the bikes. She’s a blue biker and I like my blacks. Got a few days to take our time. Is there anything we should seek out? Also any pub/restaurant advice would be welcome too. Cheers.

I’ve only visited for two days this Easter.

It’s long.
It goes blue, blue, blue, blue, sudden black climb, blue, blue, blue, blue. (And repeat).
There are a few red bits around, but all can be ridden around or do a ‘meet you at the next junction’.
Don’t let you teenage son leave his phone at the visitors centre.

Dalby always gets a bit of a slating but it has it’s good points, the Red rewards pedalling and a bit of effort. The blue has had plenty of work done to it recently and added plenty of fun berms in the middle, bit of a climb to start but a good fun blue that can be harder the faster you ride it, or not.
Black sections are spread about,not that black, and more like little sections added in to the red. They are mainly nr and part of the old world xc course up at the top car car park, adderstone field. I enjoy the place. The two local bike shops are worth a look and chat with. Enjoy.

Ride the xc world cup track .that’s black and brilliant

Big fan of Dalby as I started on an MTB proper there, I’m not much cop on the bike but I rate it and as a York resident and having worked in Pickering it’s one of my locals.

There’s been some work done on all parts of the trails, red and blues are both in decent nick currently, the Red has some blown out parts just before you get back to the blue but all doable from my perspective as a VERY intermediate rider. However for a full weekend The Blue won’t do you much in the way of length though, you’ll get round it in under a few hours easily and it isn’t *that* thrilling, red is a good bit longer and more rewarding in my opinion.

Plenty of other local spots to visit though with the likes of Sutton Bank and Yorkshire Cycle Hub not too far from you. There’s Kilburn and Yearsley, but they’re not for the feint hearted, Yearsley is particularly gnarly, short and not really marked as such, on Trailforks though if you take a look.

Love the Fox & Rabbit on the way back towards Pickering from Dalby, food is decent and it’s all of a five minute drive from the visitors centre, I always stop for a beer shandy and some chips before heading home (they do have a proper menu to choose from btw).

When’s your weekend there by the way? I’m there tomorrow night and visit at least once-twice a month.

EDIT: If you need any kit or bits at a push, the Dalby shop has a few bits at pretty hefty prices, their sister shop is Big Bear Cycles in Pickering I think, but don’t quote me on it, that is also accessible in 10-15 mins from Dalby. Also a Cycle shop in Thornton-Le-Dale.

Great advice. Is there a blue loop of about ten miles? Thinking me and the mrs’ will do that and I’ll go back out and do some blacks.
The WC XC track sounds intriguing!

Ride the xc world cup track .that’s black and brilliant

I thought that a few bits were properly crap. The climb out of end of Worry Gill feels unloved, waay too steep and not great at all.

The off-piste red and black was more fun.

I agree there were some fun sections, even some nice climbs. But too much flat singletrack between. Nice pedal through beautiful woods though.

Lived in York for a few years and went round Dalby a lot. Its ok as one big xc loop but a lot tamer than most other trail centres. Personally i think you’d be better exploring the moors that surround Dalby rather than just the trail centre.

This book is quite good…

https://www.amazon.co.uk/North-York-Moors-Mountain-Biking/dp/1906148082

As big a fan of Dalby as I am, I do think you’ll get tired of riding it very quickly so I’m with Blackflag on this one.

There’s a lot more to do in the surrounding areas. By all means have a day there at Dalby but I’d spend another day elsewhere.

The blue is really nice now. Not stunningly challenging but nicely chilled and straightforward.

Red I haven’t done for as I normally have an 8 year old with me. He also rides green and blue in Les Gets but doesn’t have the legs for longer cross country stuff.

Useful thread as I’m heading up to glamorous Hartlepool for a job in a few weeks. Would it be worth stopping at Dalby, or would Hamsterley be more entertaining? Or anywhere else that I should think of? (I live in south Wales surrounded by great natural trails and every trail centre, and find Swinley and Sherwood Pines rather boring, if that gives any clues!)

find Swinley and Sherwood Pines rather boring, if that gives any clues!

You’re best off at Hamsterley unless you can find the dalby off-piste stuff.

Dalby requires a bit of effort to get the best out of it, but there are some fun flow sections that are great if you play “don’t touch the brakes”

I like Dalby… The red is fine there’s only a few bits on it that I’d class as black.

There are some tough climbs on the red though! Still classed as red as not technically difficult, but hard work.

I’ve not been for a few years but when I went, the black sections were occasional diversions off the red route as opposed to a seperate circuit.

Apart from a rocky large stepped bit with an immediate switchback on the red, which I would deffinatly say was more black, I walked down that bit but you can see it Comming so it doesn’t take you by supprise.

Another Dalby local here and agree with the comments above, but it’s worth popping in especially if you’re right next to it. There are definitely some bits that feel like they’ve been put in to make it longer (like Bickley Gate, I tend to go down the road there). Sutton Bank is also good but if you do the full trail you have to remember what goes down, must climb back up Sutton Bank…

The blue is about an hour long if you don’t stop but is fun after the initial climb, you can use it to short cut to the back end of the red as well (Post 26 I think, Riggs and Dales) which is challenging but only really has one really steep bit you’d call black (Vera Lynns, which I think might be the bit Mattyfez is talking about), where it meets back up with a blue it’s a long straight slog that is actually good fun if you pedal down it like a child 🙂 just need to keep your eyes open for others!

The Trailforks app has all the routes marked on it (and some of the off piste bits like the old red, might not be great for MrsJTL though if she prefers blues).

Pub wise, as mentioned above the Fox and Rabbit is great and I recommend the chilli beef wrap. If you’re out towards Rillington the Coach and Horses is nice and haven’t minded when two muddy bike riders have trooped in in the past.

Also, if you find yourself in Scarborough Eat Me Cafe (Asian inspired and burgers) and the Cowshed (Burgers) are worth a visit if you don’t fancy Fish & Chips

On a not unrelated note, i once singlespeeded the whole of Dalby on a cotic simple. Managed it but also managed to give myself a hiatus hernia in the process. I sold the bike soon after that and went back to gears.

Singlespeed used to be my bike of choice on the red route.

Yeah, it worked really well until my weak stomach walls gave way…

Blackflag I genuinely just chortled at that!
We’re at a campsite that is designed for MTB riders and on fhe website it says you can roll down to the trail centre so I think I’ll just have some fun with and without Mrs JTL. We’ve got non biking freinds camping with us so it should be ace. The pubs are an added bonus info. We intend to drink a lot this weekend. Don’t see each other at all and first time since we got engaged so can’t wait!

They held the singlespeed nationals there so many many people will have singlspeeded around the place over the years 🙂

Think the course was basically the world cup with an extra loop out the back somewhere. Plus a beer stop. And two young ladies in Edwardian dress offering cucumber sandwiches……

I keep meaning to work out where the old longer XC course went – was still Adderstone and Worry Gill but went a bit further into the forest. Vague map in this video (and my Mrs gets a mention at 3:50!). Mmmm – narrow bars, rubber forks, rim brakes and crappy tyres..

Also worth venturing out onto the moors and bridleways.

First use of the World Cup course was for SSUK in 2009 (I think it was 2009).

I was the joint last finisher along with a young lady (who might have been SheldonA/Tollah’s wife – but might not).

Dalby isn’t as bad as it’s often painted, I’d agree- but it is what it is. It’s pedally and will punish people on big bike shred sleds very hard, which is probably where a lot of the reputation comes from.

Hamsterley (Hammers, Hamsters) is much more challenging and might as well have its own air ambulance pad on a busy day when people get it wrong, but it’s Forestry Commission and a shared, public venue. As such it has all the usual problems as the riders think it’s a bike park but it’s not impossible to find pushchairs or dog walkers just around a berm especially on a bank holiday. There’s off-piste that solves the issue and then there’s a proper DH bike park next door.

There’s a lot of good illegitimate stuff in Guisborough Forest, but you really need a local or a lot of time to find the good stuff (which can also be pretty testing). Tbph, if I was going to be holed up at Hartlepool I’d get to know Guissey. Hamsterley is good for a quick hit of turn up and thrills though. Don’t park in Bedlington unless you have a T5. 😜 Errington Woods (just outside Saltburn) has some pretty nice stuff too, but do watch out for horses. There’s a bunch of stuff in other woods around the Tyneside end of things but I’ve never really explored.

There’s some cracking riding around the moors, although do watch out for managed grousemoors as you’ll get chased by the keepers.

The guide book is a good start!

Cheers for all the advice. Got out on all four days and Mrs JTL did her first red this morning and is pretty chuffed with herself. I had a day to myself and went off piste and found some cracking stuff, the blue is a bit to climby for the rewards but a few nice bits towards the end with the berms. Enjoyed the reds.

Riding bikes is great.

It certainly is.

Glad it was worth the trip anyway, did you get some decent food locally too?