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Planning a first time visit to Dalby next week but not sure what to expect as regards to trails. Are they comparable to other centres like Whinlatter for example or more rugged than that. Happy on some red/black trails but aware that not all are equal. Any recommendations for a trail to start on? Not into big jumps or elevated boardwalks but happy with moderate drop offs and technical climbs.
Assuming it hasn't changed much since the couple of years since I used to go there you'll be fine doing the red route with the little black diversions. Main thing is it is quite long, and the car park is expensive so if with friends cram into one car.
In my prime I used to improve the value by doing two laps, I'll see how I feel about that next time I go!
I was there yesterday for the first time in ages. £9 parking/visiting fee. Trails have a couple of minor puddles here and there, red route takes around 2 hours (20ish miles) plenty of escape routes, quite a few drops and rocky bits, couple of short low boardwalks, but if I can do it on my 3x9 26er at 49 then so can you. I bust a spoke and buckled a back wheel thats my rad credentials renewed for another decade.
That sounds ok then, 65 and just bought my first 29er with modern geometry after years on 26 😏 so should be a good try-out. £9 for parking sounds like a bit of a mickey take to put it mildly but there you go.
Hmmm. I was on the wrong bike. I feel on an xc bike it'd be good, on my foxy it was a bit meh.
120 either end trail bike, apologies for the weeds but I'm not responsible for this garden, the poor pedal angle I take full responsibility for, and for gods sake dont zoom in on my shonky dropper leaver
Not been for afew years but its a good XC ride. Rewards effort in my experience, get pedaling and there's flow to be found! If you know a local there's some great off piste steep stuff too
I really liked it, did it on my #enduro 29er but it'd be good on any bike I think. Nothing massively difficult on the main trails and everything very visible, it's well done.
The black is good too, it does have a couple of pretty full on features but they're all avoidable if you choose. I guess the only thing is that there's quite a lot of different lines in the gully and it'd be easy to get on the wrong one, but, just keep your wits about you and it's fine. Could catch people out if they're used to single line trailcentres without much choice.
I was absolutely thrown by the waymarking though- I rode from the visitor's centre out to dixon's hollow, did the top loop and the black, and then just couldn't find my way back onto the red return to the visitor's centre, every time I tried i got stuck in a vortex and ended up back at the same car park near dixon's hollow. I never worked out quite what I was doing wrong
IPark In Thornton-le-Dale if £9 is too much and ride in via Ellerburn.
As for the red, my 10 year old has ridden most but not all of it now. He did Glentress, mix of red and blue last weekend, and on balance the features are harder at Glentress, but the surface is smoother / more groomed.
At least one 9 year old at his cycling club has ridden the lot on Dalby red.
No pressure.
PS - some of the blue as you come down is really fun.
PPS - by the lake (toilets and ice cream van) is a decent place to start the red.
Dalby's definitely worth a visit but make a full day of it and do the red as well as all the black World Cup XC bits. There's also some reasonable off piste stuff if you know where to look. Definitely take a short travel bike if that is an option as it is quite pedally.
@white101 - I used to own the same bike as you (Speccy Camber Elite, 2011/12 right?). First full sus I ever owned and my mate took me round Dalby for the first time the weekend I bought it.
@devash thats the bike, cant recall the year I got it, replaced a stolen Stumpy. Good idea to make a day of it, plenty riding to make it easy enough to fill a day.
@northwind I've been 3 times and missed marker posts every time! Probably bits I've never ridden as yet. Went from 5 to 18 I think yesterday, did some big old long drag uphill the green route. Still, I need the exercise so wasn't too bothered.
Good luck! Regarding parking I don’t think anyone can ever complain about that really, they had times when they were closed so will be recouping and each time you pay you pay to help the upkeep of the forest and trails.
Everything costs money and after buying a bike, it’s a cheap sport regarding destinations. Anything like go ape or karting or anything comparable you’ll probably be spending more on.
Anyway yes, Red’s a good slog if you do the whole thing but some great fun bits of trail
Unless dalby has changed massively, or I've missed amazing offpiste I would ignore the A4 estates with big enduro bikes in the car park and not bother on anything big. It's a lot of quite smooth pedally trails with the occasional "look it's a trail feature' composite with three big warning signs for a little rock garden. Great fun on the xc race bike tho.
The reds a decent loop, some good descending but nothing extreme and can be done on any bike. Quite peddly in places and I'd allow upto 3 hours to do the full loop.
There's a great network of off piste and more than enough for a full days riding if you know where to look.
If you don't fancy the whole loop, turn right on the forest drive at Dixons Hollow, then straight on the dirt road as the forest drive turns sharp left. Once you reach the T junction turn right to find the red route again on your right.
There is lots of flow at Dalby but only if you are fit as a lot of it comes later on and requires strong pedalling.
And yes, plenty of short, fun off piste too.
Red and the black combined make a nice day out.
I've done it on a trail bike (140/130 Bird 120LT) and a hardtail, it was definitely a better experience on the full suss. The climbs apart from that bastard on the black, are quite pleasant and not too steep.
I think I would have enjoyed it equally on a decent enduro bike, although it would take a fraction more physical effort to get the same enjoyment. There are some flattish pedally bits that need speed to enjoy, heavy duty tyres would sap the fun there, not an extra 2 pounds or inch of travel.
I find Dalby very disappointing, but then maybe I shouldn't have gone in with any expectations. It's very much an XC route with very few proper downhill sections, it would suit an XC or short travel trail bike best. If you go with a plan to have an XC ride with a few slightly technical sections then you might be less disappointed than I was(twice).
If you find Dalby disappointing on that basis, may I recommend a trip to Sherwood Pines. 😉
Should I add to it to the list alongside Thetford?
You speak some sense there too, we did Sherwood pines a few years ago and thought it was very tame, nothing worth travelling the distance for.
Recently we’ve moved and it’s now closer so went back and what a difference!
Rollers and jumps and drops chucked in and berms to keep the speed and all in all a great loop out. A good one for building fitness, like a more challenging XC loop in regards of skill I’d say. Definitely not hard at all, but a good variation 👍
It's a lot of climbing for the time spent descending. Red plus black was 19.9miles and not much descending till the last third. Apart from black, nothing really challenging. I felt it was a bit bitty, there was a diversion when I did it which was a wee single track of small limestone gravel but flowed well.
PS signage is poor near Adderston field for finding the red.