Exploring the natural beauty of Yorkshire: why spend the day in Dalby Forest

If you’re searching for some of the best accessible walks in Yorkshire, Dalby Forest should be top of your list.

Dalby Forest has served the inhabitants of Yorkshire for millennia, providing timber, meat and space to graze livestock to our ancestors going back into the mists of time. Today, it offers a resource of a different kind – access to stunning scenery, peace and quiet, and the best of nature’s bounty.

It’s a draw for those who like to hit the trails hard, and a haven for those who simply want to get their steps in, surrounded by spirit-raising beauty, rather than the grey pavements of home.

Great British Life: During autumn, the trees' aromas and the forest's peace leave you feeling calm and relaxed. During autumn, the trees' aromas and the forest's peace leave you feeling calm and relaxed. (Image: Michael Hill)

‘When Forestry England bought Dalby Forest, in 1921, the intention was wholly commercial,’ Jody Craddock, marketing manager at Forestry England, explains.

‘We linked the existing woodland to create a huge plantation of farmed trees, to help reduce the UK’s reliance on foreign timber, help private forests look after their estate and to research the effects of forestry.

Today, while we still farm a small part of Dalby Forest, the trees and the land are managed with a different objective – to provide a safe, beautiful space for visitors to experience the pleasures being in a forest can bring.’

A stunning place to visit in Yorkshire during any season

Dalby Forest doesn’t lack for visitors in the summertime, when the tracks and trails are used by cyclists, walkers and families exploring this beautiful piece of Yorkshire, but in the winter months everything quietens down a little – a great shame, according to Jody.

Great British Life: Several rare species of birds can be found nesting around Staindale Lake. Several rare species of birds can be found nesting around Staindale Lake. (Image: 2021 / Forestry England)

‘At the moment the trees are really putting on a show,’ she says. ‘As the colours change and the leaves fall, it’s such a beautiful spectacle, and unlike in a town or suburb, when you stand in the forest you are surrounded by trees and in the silence, it affects all the senses – you can see it, hear it, feel it and smell it. Inhaling the scent of trees in autumn is just wonderful.

'It’s very calming, and has been shown to have huge benefits to mental health – lowering cortisol (the stress hormone) production and boosting endorphins.

‘Visitors can come here, park their cars in secure car parks, walk any of 13 walking trails (six of which are purposefully designed to be fully accessible), and grab a hot drink or snack in the visitor centre cafe. As the seasons progress, the understanding of our environment grows; the appreciation of what we have here becomes heightened, and people just fall in love with it all.’

Combatting climate change and protecting native wildlife

As well as providing leisure options for visitors, Forestry England has evolved from wholly commercial operations to a focus on putting our land right again, paying back, and paying forward.

Great British Life: 'If you spend a day here and don't spot any of our Red or Roe deer, you would be very unlucky! 'If you spend a day here and don't spot any of our Red or Roe deer, you would be very unlucky! (Image: 2021 / Forestry England)

‘With proper management, and thinking about the future, not only the here-and-now, forests such as Dalby can play a huge role in combatting climate change, and supporting our native wildlife. We have a huge array of different trees here, and have actually started a programme of reintroduction of native species either extinct, or seriously depleted, in the UK.

'We have also been supporting the rebuilding of threatened species, such as the Turtle Dove, which sits on the brink of extinction in the UK, but has found a home here, and the nightjar. There are also several rare species of birds nesting around Staindale Lake, and we have successfully reintroduced beavers as part of the ‘Slow the Flow’ programme, to reduce runoff and prevent flooding in nearby Pickering.

Great British Life: Cyclists, walkers and families exploring this beautiful piece of Yorkshire. Cyclists, walkers and families exploring this beautiful piece of Yorkshire. (Image: Copyright cw photograpy)

‘We have multiple families of pine martins (with one particularly brave little family who lives close by the Visitor Centre) and if you spend a day here and don’t spot any of our Red or Roe deer, you would be very unlucky!’

It seems that Dalby Forest has something to offer everyone, from those who enjoy a good hike to those who prefer a gentle stroll and some truly fresh, clean air.

Great British Life: Forests such as Dalby can play a huge role in combatting climate change and supporting native wildlife. Forests such as Dalby can play a huge role in combatting climate change and supporting native wildlife. (Image: Forestry England)

‘Dalby Forest is really somewhere everyone in Yorkshire should be proud of – and visiting during these quieter months really reveals it in all its natural glory,’ Jody adds. ‘I encourage everyone to come here and can guarantee there will be no disappointment.’