Parking
Use Nissen Hut car park on the forest drive, signed near Adderstone. It is the nearest access and has three accessible bays; cross the drive and follow the waymarkers.
Overview
About Nissen Hut Trail
Why go
- Easy-access loop to a distinctive sculpture
- Very short, low-gradient woodland walk
Heads up
- Limited length if you want a substantial hike
- Path surface can be weather-affected
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the North York Moors map
Full mapElevation183–201 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 Nissen Hut Trail, 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
Nissen Hut and Adderstone0:00 / 0:33
“You're approaching the Nissen Hut trail in Dalby Forest, a short woodland loop with a surprising sculpture at its centre.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf North York Moors Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Bridestones
- Staindale Lake
- The Cone Thief Overhead
- The Forest Eye
- 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 Nissen Hut Trail
The routeA circular loop of about 0.
A circular loop of about 0.6 miles (1 km) that starts and finishes at the same roadside access point deep in Dalby Forest. From the parking area you cross the forest drive to pick up the named path, follow it around through the trees to the sculpture, and continue on the same loop back to where you began. Allow half an hour or so if you want time to stop.
The sculpture at the heart of itThe payoff is Nissen Hut by Rachel Whiteread, a concrete cast of the interior space of a Nissen…
The payoff is Nissen Hut by Rachel Whiteread, a concrete cast of the interior space of a Nissen hut and her first permanent public sculpture in the UK. It sits in a forest clearing that once held a Dalby work camp, and it was made in connection with the Forestry Commission centenary. Seen up close, it reads as the solid shape of a room that is no longer there, so it is worth walking around rather than viewing from a distance.
Surface and effortThis is an easy-access, low-gradient walk on a gravel path, with roughly 42 ft of total ascent…
This is an easy-access, low-gradient walk on a gravel path, with roughly 42 ft of total ascent across the loop. It is one of the gentler routes in the forest and suits walkers who want a short outing without steep ground. As with any countryside path, surfaces can be affected by weather, so conditions underfoot may be softer or looser after rain and the route is not guaranteed suitable for every wheelchair or buggy on every day.
Access and parkingThe trail sits at Adderstone, roughly five miles into the forest from the visitor centre along…
The trail sits at Adderstone, roughly five miles into the forest from the visitor centre along the forest drive. There is a small disabled car park signposted Adderstone, and the nearest parking to the trail start is Nissen Hut car park, which has three accessible bays. From the parking area, cross the road to join the circular route.
DogsDogs are welcome in Dalby Forest.
Dogs are welcome in Dalby Forest. Keep yours under close control around other visitors, near the forest drive and traffic, and beside the sculpture itself, and clear up after them.
A useful comparisonIf you want a second short loop on the same visit, the Lakeside Trail runs 0.4 miles (0.
If you want a second short loop on the same visit, the Lakeside Trail runs 0.4 miles (0.6 km) around Staindale Lake on boardwalks and well-surfaced paths, with views across the water and resident wildlife. It is flatter and shorter, while the Nissen Hut Trail trades the lake views for a forest setting and the sculpture.
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.
