Dalby Forest Red.

XC red.  As much about pedalling as anyone hing else. Slowly being destroyed by e-bikes sadly.

I thought it seemed in reasonable nick to me. Main problem is the middle third which was a bit fire-roady and boring.

Indeed.

Don’t do that bit.

On Sunday we went up the blue and picked up the second half of the red - oblivion, Vera Lynn, keep it real

Yeah, that was definitely the high point. Possible to make progress done those bits, even on a long travel trail/enduro bike.

The rest I was definitely over biked for.

Yep, middle but felt like a lot of pedalling for not a lot of fun.
It also has a few properly nadgery drops and climbs in a couple of sections that felt 'odd' compared to the rest of the trail.

It’s a miserable rewardless trudge.  A M.C.Escher-penned cyclocross track dropped into a forest with a £10 parking fee. Where does this trail go? It goes up!

I really liked it, well, a mix of the red and world cup and whatever else I could find. It's pedally, sure, but it's such low effort pedalling. I did get lost as **** though. Apparently you're not supposed to do it as a loop from Low Dalby, or something, once I got past DIxon's Hollow absolutely every trail seemed to take you back there.

We've used Dalby lots over the last few years as a place to take the kids and really fallen for its charms.
Once you work out how to break it down into chunks, it can be used to progress riders abilities (young or old). My lad is now 12 and last weekend, the 3 of us used sections of the Red to enjoy the steeper off piste trails that litter the route. I've been feeding them these trails in the right order and their riding has just been getting better and better, happy days indeed.

If you do ride the Red, I think its better if you cut a big chunk. When you get to the singletrack road that leads to Stoneclose Campsite, High Rigg Farm, turn up this road, go up past the farm, all the way to the T junction at the top, turn left and follow the fireroads round to Dixons Hollow. Here you turn right up the forest Drive till you reach the sharp left bend. Go straight ahead on the fireroad instead, right at the T junction and jump back on the Red.
You've just cut out a big chunk of snoozeville. And are back onto the swoopier fun bits.

I can't argue that the whole Red route isn't a slog and hardly ever do it.

I'm really not a fan of Dalby, it feels like the trail designers never really knew if they wanted to go up or down so they didn't really commit to either. It just feels like a long slog with very little joy and nothing that feels like a proper descent. I could only imagine enjoying it if I was on an XC bike and was looking to go fast.

I actually rode up to it from Snainton, so I joined it two thirds round, the rode it round before riding back. Unfortunately that meant that the middle third with “Bomb holes” was the end section for me. The bit after that back to the visitor centre was fun, even on a big bike. The rest I felt I’d have had more fun on a lightweight short travel bike or a hardtail.

It didn’t help that I was having to ration my drink towards the end, so was a little thirsty.

I think it’s the third time I’ve done it, and every time it’s always felt like quite hard work.

I drove hours to get there once and left feeling utterly disappointed. Was such an unrewarding slog. I left feeling I must have missed something significant cos I struggled to find anything fun there.

I also got lost. Some really fun bits in the middle, but yep, very peddly. Tempted to take a gravel bikes next time I'm passing through that way.

I remember it being genuinely fun for the most part on an 80mm travel 26" bike with 1.8" tyres.
Even with all the fire road it made for a cracking day out type ride.

It hasn't changed at all since then*

*amazed to see its only been open since '07 pretty sure I remember going there when I was still at school 🤷🏻‍♀️

@saxabar

Tempted to take a gravel bikes next time I’m passing through that way.

That’s the thing though, there’s small parts of it what were spicy on a 160/150 travel bike, not sure they’d be rideable on a gravel bike?

As others have said, once you know it better and know when and how to cut out the bad/boring bits and add in off-piste bits to supplment the red, its actually really good. It does keep you wondering why the original trail was built in a certain way in places. The bits after the bombhole section for example where you're in and out of the valleys as you head back to the visitor centres... it'd mean big climbs back up (but they're gentle spins up fire-roads) but you could quit feasibly take those descents from the top where many of them start, right down to the fire-road which runs down the bottom of the valleys - thats a distance of about 2.5 miles! Fast, flowing descents that are 2.5 miles long would be a MASSIVE selling point for Dalby but instead they go about 400m down and then loop back over the top and into the next valley.

Might go tomorrow on my own first thing for a quick leg stretcher...

See also Kiroughtree black.

A massive pedal up, just to fart around stretching out the descent for as long wax possible by going down and then back up an indeterminable number of times, all the while looking over to your left to see excellent terrain that’s not being used.

That’s the thing though, there’s small parts of it what were spicy on a 160/150 travel bike, not sure they’d be rideable on a gravel bike?

^ This.

IIRC there were a couple of awkward drops.
I also remember a horridly steep climb out of a 'dell' in the middle - felt like someone said 'stuff it' and took a straight line back up to the forest road....

A timely thread. We rode it yesterday having hired ebikes, absolute hoot but a large part of that is probably the novelty of flying up everything with barely no effort!

However, I then rode post 20 to 28 again on my gravel bike looking for my wife's phone! (The boring bit to just before it joins the blue).

If anyone is out there and sees it, please let me know 🤦‍♂️

I'm only 25 miles from Dalby but have never ridden it purely because everyone's always told me it's not worth the effort, if I fancy trail centre I always go to hamsterley instead

Ridden it 3 times:

Twice, very unfit and I really didn't like it.

Third time, quite fit (for me, late 40's, excess baggage charge applied) and I thought it was pretty good.

Very pedally.

It does keep you wondering why the original trail was built in a certain way in places

In many of the cases at Dalby I think it's because it wasn't really. (again I'm sure much of it predates 2007)

The boardwalk sections and fair chunks of the original layout are long gone, some when the worldcup route was dismantled some because no one rode the black sections for huge chunks of the year - eg the boardwalk wasn't wired so was a death trap if it had rained within the last week - and they fell into disrepair and got swallowed by bracken in short order.

A lot of what's left being long fire road slogs and things is the long easy line round much of the old route.

The up down up down is back to its roots as an old school xc course where lots of sharp climbs with disappointing quick descents made for better racing.

If it's a choice of Dalby or Hamsterley then Hamsterley wins hands down. Hamsterley is one of the best UK trail centres imo and Dalby is one of the worst

If you know where to look, parts of the old stuff that was built before the current red is still there and very much rideable (there's a lovely bit near Stoneclose Camp Site with some flowy "proper" singletrack before a fast chute down to the fire-road/red). The boardwalk bits too at the top of the forest near the top of the V / view over to Fylingdales was ace but just left to rot and is basically all on the floor now.

Hamsterley is one of the best UK trail centres imo

There's some fairly big sections of the red at hamsterley that no one in their right mind rides twice - I give you the grove to polty's on the official route.
Like Dalby, plenty of good stuff but you want to know how to put it together

The "original" Dalby Red definitely predates 2007, but it was a totally different route, with lots more fireroad than the current route. I've got a picture I took of the old boardwalk section at the far end from about 2008 after it had been abandoned. That bit was always really slippy and basically unrideable if wet !

That bit was always really slippy and basically unrideable if wet

But that was only 362 days of the year, it was great fun for the other three.

there’s a lovely bit near Stoneclose Camp Site with some flowy “proper” singletrack before a fast chute down to the fire-road/red).

Was that bit called Elephant Graveyard? The first time I went (2006-7?) i recall a mudfest approach but great downhill thru a dark tunnel of trees. Next time we were there it had been bypassed on the main route.

The Red route is great if you love XC but I agree, there's some sloggy bits in the last 1/3. Plenty of cheeky off-piste though if you know where to look.....

Some of the old black route is great on a gravel bike too.

Not all of course.

Its always interesting to read all the opinions about Dalby, which of course, everyone is allowed to have.

Particularly the oft trotted 'theres more uphill than down' yet somehow I've never failed to end up back at my car! However...

Twice, very unfit and I really didn’t like it.
Third time, quite fit (for me, late 40’s, excess baggage charge applied) and I thought it was pretty good.
Very pedally.

I'm certainly no Nino Schurter, but certainly from speaking to people in person, there is a correlation between people who dont like it and people who are a)massively overbiked for the majority of the riding they do and b) not that fit or fast.

Its hard, its supposed to be hard! Hamsterley does indeed have more of the modern trail centre (Welsh/Scottish style) stuff, but its still got a massive old slog through the moors halfway round the red, just like Dalby!

ETA - should have a STW day out and DaveyBoyWonder can show us all the secret bits which I still struggle to find despite having been going there for 20 years and still looking...!

Was that bit called Elephant Graveyard?

Not sure of a name. Just checked Strava and it seems nobody on there is either as it looks like its got about 4 segments logged, all with different names! It does end with a really fast DH through a tunnel so maybe its that... Basically climb up past the camp site, through/round a gate near the site and keep going until you reach the trees on the left/another gate and theres a trail on the left after the fence. Follow that to the tree line, veer left and follow it until it takes a sharp right and down. Lovely little bit of trail vs the bit you miss out on the "real" red.

The Red route is great if you love XC but I agree, there’s some sloggy bits in the last 1/3.

The last 1/3 is the best bit 😀 First third to Adderstone if sticking to the red is kinda ok. See above for a nice diversion and you can take a right at the bottom of there and pickup some fire-road to take a great off-piste bit which crosses the red at one point. Middle third if you take out the fun DH at the top of the lake (that was an old DH track - was telling the kids the other week there used to be a drop off there, over the track where it comes out now and the landing was in the scout field! Saw someone snap the cranks on a Super8 back in the day doing that) is a bit of a slog in places albeit with some lovely views. The single track followed by fire-road from Bickley Gate (?) to the bomb hole section is the worst... what a soul destroying slog that can be in the wrong weather! From there back to the visitor centre is good... even better if you pickup the off-piste bits again to miss out some of the more average DH sections of red.

I have done a weekend up there with my kids the last 2 summers and both times we have had a nice time.  Yes, it's pedally and yes, it's a little dull in the middle but as a Spring trip it's great.

Kids were on 29er 140mm forked hardtails and I was on a 135r 160f heavy trail bike.  I would have rather been on hardtail or lighter/shorter travel full bouncer.

dangeourbrain
Full Member
I remember it being genuinely fun for the most part on an 80mm travel 26″ bike with 1.8″ tyres.
Even with all the fire road it made for a cracking day out type ride.

It hasn’t changed at all since then*

*amazed to see its only been open since ’07 pretty sure I remember going there when I was still at school 🤷🏻‍♀️

This really, it used to be fun on less capable bikes but newer stuff just crushes the route imo and that last section is a right slog. Pretty sure the original route back to the visitor centre was more direct (maybe down the left side of the road?) but faster and more fun? I also remember the tunnel decent, which was ace!

Certainly older than 2007 as I worked in Scarborough 199-2001 and the original trails were in the press back then. Maybe 2007 was when they opened Dixon's etc?

@snotrag I was definitely overbiked for most of it.

What’s interesting is looking at the amount of calories I used (roughly) according to my Apple Watch. It feels like a big day out, and according to my watch it is one too. About two and a half times the energy used for 1.6 times the elevation of a partially uplifted big mountain day in the Alps?

Plus I’m feeling it today. I think it’s because the uphills are so short and sharp, they encouraged me to sprint up (some of) them?

Plus I’m feeling it today. I think it’s because the uphills are so short and sharp, they encouraged me to sprint up (some of) them?

It's also draggy as when even slightly damp.

Oh and check your brake pads, the sand eats them.

@dangeourbrain - thanks, I will do, they were on the way out anyway.

Used to love it when I lived in York from about 2006-2011. Pedally, but you could get round pretty quick and it flowed well enough if you kept speed up. Didn’t mind the climbs, they were short enough. Used to do two laps  as training for 10 under the Ben, puffer, etc. I think fitness is a big factor as you had to keep pace up on the flatter bits. And a hardtail or xc bike would be more fun. I’m a bit nostalgic about it. Not sure if it’s still the same route as everyone’s talking about. Cafe was decent too.

Yeah once you discover the off piste you never ride the red... get yourself on a heat map and look at the area between Allerston and Low Dalby.

@el_boufadour I did notice some tasty lines coming back onto the fire roads.

@Oblongbob I can confirm the cafe is still nice.

As others have said, once you know it better and know when and how to cut out the bad/boring bits and add in off-piste bits to supplment the red, its actually really good.

So basically not Dalby Red Route then...

Very pedally and pretty rough but not generally difficult with a few quite technical bits that caught be out a bit. I did it in an evening at a decent pace on my burly hardtail, would have been so much better on a modern xc bike.

So much more fun natural trails around the North Yorkshire moors so would only ride it if local and the weather was bad. Pretty much how I treat all trail centres.

Jingleby Tea Room 😢

would have been so much better on a modern xc e-bike.

ftfy.

I’ve done it a couple of times on the whyte now. It makes so much more sense.

Aye Jingleby tea rooms were great. Think the lady who ran it was called Audrey . She  told me once that she actually closed full time until some mtbers called one day during a snowstorm for a sandwich and cuppa and she invited them into her house and fed them and decided then to reopen as she wasn’t going to get any peace from us! Lovely lady.