Parking
Start at the Dalby Forest Visitor Centre car park in Low Dalby (YO18 7LT). Use the signed forest entrance and Visitor Centre access; overflow parking is available at Seivedale when busy.
Overview
About Dalby Beck Trail at Dalby Forest
A circular loop of about 4.2 miles (6.7 km) that starts and finishes at the Dalby Forest Visitor Centre in Low Dalby. Allow around 2 hours at an ordinary walking pace; the steep and bumpy sections make it slower than the distance alone suggests. Because it is a closed loop, you return to the same car park, toilets and cafe you set out from.
Why go
- Yellow-waymarked loop with valley views
- Starts beside Visitor Centre facilities
Heads up
- Steep gradients and bumpy gravel paths
- Full loop is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the North York Moors map
Full mapElevation73–163 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
8 active North York Moors alerts
- ClosureHawnby Bridleway 110 closurePublic Bridleway 25.122/110/1 in Hawnby is closed to pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians because its bridge is unsafe. - The closure is between grid references SE 5309 9073 and SE 5335 9097.Official details
- ClosureWest Ayton Footpath 1 closurePublic Footpath 1 in West Ayton (Forge Valley) is temporarily closed because its boardwalk is unsafe. - The closure is between SE 9860 8494 and SE 9839 8712.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
North York Moors Tour Guide
Your drive to Dalby Beck Trail at Dalby Forest, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for North York Moors National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Dalby Forest Visitor Centre0:00 / 0:29
“Dalby Forest Visitor Centre is coming up, a useful first stop if you haven't decided how much walking or cycling you want. Staff can help you choose a route, and the café serves meals, coffee and cake.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf North York Moors Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Dalby's Rabbit Trap
- Three Ditches in the Trees
- Haygate and the Pexton Moor Trail
- Two Ages of Dalby Forest
- 298 audio storiesacross North York Moors’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Eurasian Otter, Red Deer, Grey Seal, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 126 trails, 65 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Dalby Beck Trail at Dalby Forest
The walk in sequenceThe payoff is a straightforward forested valley walk: two contrasting valley sides, plenty of…
The payoff is a straightforward forested valley walk: two contrasting valley sides, plenty of tree cover, and open views where the path sits high above the beck.
- Leave the Visitor Centre and climb a steep gradient onto a bumpy forest path above the Dalby valley.
- Follow the valley through the forest, with woodland and valley views opening up between the trees.
- Cross at the old tennis courts, then continue into the forest above the Ellerburn valley.
- Curve back through the trees to close the loop at the visitor hub.
Difficulty and footingRated moderate (5/10).
Rated moderate (5/10). The route uses gravelled forest paths and tracks, with some road and shared-use sections near the visitor hub. Expect steep gradients in places, uneven and bumpy surfaces, and repeated climbing and descending rather than one long ascent. Boots or trail shoes with grip are worth wearing, and other walkers, cyclists and forest vehicles share parts of the route.
Access and parkingStart point: Dalby Forest Visitor Centre, Low Dalby
- Start point: Dalby Forest Visitor Centre, Low Dalby
- Postcode YO18 7LT, OS grid reference SE 855878
- Coordinates 54.278556, -0.688308
- On site: accessible parking, toilets, a Changing Places facility, a cafe, and all-terrain mobility scooters that can be booked in advance
WayfindingFollow the yellow disc markers with a black arrow for the full circuit.
Follow the yellow disc markers with a black arrow for the full circuit. Trail maps are available from the Visitor Centre and are worth picking up, since several waymarked routes share the same forest tracks in places.
AccessibilityThis trail is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
This trail is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. The steep gradients and bumpy gravel paths rule out wheeled access along the full loop, even though the visitor hub itself has accessible facilities.
DogsDogs are welcome at Dalby Forest.
Dogs are welcome at Dalby Forest. Keep yours under close, responsible control on the narrow and shared sections, give way to other users and wildlife, and take any waste away with you.
Wildlife
Wildlife in North York Moors
15 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
10 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
79 sightingsGrey SealMost seen around noonSighting map
26 sightingsWestern Barn OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
33 sightingsEuropean BadgerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
10 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around noonSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across North York Moors. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
