You may have seen our “back garden” on TV recently in the “Secret Life of the Forest” on Channel 5. To say that the Great Yorkshire Forest is our back garden isn’t an over statement. Turn right as you leave our cottages and in just over a mile you are in the back of Dalby, the Great Yorkshire Forest.
The Great Yorkshire Forest
Dalby Forest has so much to offer in terms of things to do, whether you are a solo traveller or visiting as a family. Dalby Forest has a bit of something for everyone who enjoys the great outdoors. There are plenty of cycling routes, from flat even forest tracks to World Cup downhill mountain biking routes and all grades in between. We have bike cages at Cliff House, so you can store your bikes here when you’re not using them in Dalby. There are also lots of trails for walkers from a Gruffalo trail for the kids to orienteering challenges. Also in Dalby there is “Go Ape” – for those that need more adrenalin in their lives with aerial rope ways, wobbly bridges and zip wires.
Here’s our list of things to do…
- Mountain Biking – Dalby Forest has hosted the MTB World Cup in the past and is a bit of Mecca for downhill mountain bikers. There are 55 miles of cycle routes! In the summer take advantage of the longer day light hours and head to Dalby in the evening when the routes are quieter. For those that prefer their cycling to be a bit more genteel, there are plenty of gentle forestry access routes in the forest for cycling along. If you don’t have your own bike, you can hire them from the Dalby Forest Cycle Hub.
- Test your mettle with Go Ape and their aerial rope ways and zip wires 35 metres up in the air! Or, for something a little different, go on a Forest Segway tour on an all terrian Segway. For more details visit Go Ape.
- Dalby Forest has many walking trails, including some that avoid the main visitor centre (and car parking fees) at Bickley and Crosscliffe – just turn right out of Cliff House and keep going and when the metalled road runs out, keep going some more and you will find the sign posts for the car parks. For more details visit here.
- Go on a Gruffalo hunt – from Adderstone Field, go looking for the Gruffalo and the Gruffalo’s Child (and see if you can spot the StickMan)
- Try out archery or have a family paintball match with the Dalby Activity Centre.
- If seeing beavers or hearing the distinctive call of the Nightjar, when watching “Secret Life of the Forest” has inspired you to find out more about birds or nature in general, then why not have a look at what workshops Yorkshire Coast Nature is offering?
- Or make your own fun, why not grab a map from one of our cottages and strike out on your own in the Great Yorkshire Forest. We are “Walking Friendly”, which means that we supply maps, walking guides and extras such as bird watching guides and binoculars.
Stay at Cliff House Holiday Cottages
If you are thinking about a visit to The Great Yorkshire Forest, why not make Cliff House Holiday Cottages your base? We are just on the edge of Dalby Forest, as well as being handy for such attractions as Flamingo Land, the North Yorkshire Moor Railway. The seaside towns of Scarborough, Whitby and Filey are all just a short drive away.
At Cliff House we have five self catering cottages that sleep from 6 to 1 – all dog friendly. As all of our cottages are set within 2 acres of grounds, if there are more of you, you can mix and match the cottages to suit the size of your group – ideal for get togethers with friends or family. We aren’t just self catering holiday cottages, we also have outdoor play equipment, a games room and best of all an indoor heated pool. As we live on site, we are usually always on hand to answer questions and give recommendations as to where to go and what to visit.
