WAGFINDER
Walk · North Yorkshire

Dalby Forest

Thornton le Dale · YO18 7LT
N 880 YD © OpenStreetMap contributors
3.5MILES
1h 50mON FOOT
120mCLIMB
CircularSHAPE
The route A-road B-road Lane Track Path Water Woodland
Off-road 95% 5% shares tarmac with cars
Field & moor path 45%Lane & track 50%Road with traffic 5%

Our drawing of the route, over road and path data from OpenStreetMap. It shows where the walk goes and what it goes through. It is not a survey and not a navigation aid — carry OS Explorer on the hill. Off-lead information here is what walkers reported or what signage allows — never our advice. Whether and when a dog is off the lead is the owner’s decision and legal responsibility; keep dogs under control near livestock and follow signs on the day.

Starts at
YO18 7LT
Directions to the start →

Over 8,500 acres of Forestry England woodland in the southern moors, entered via the toll road from Thornton-le-Dale, with waymarked walking trails from easy-access lakeside strolls at Low Dalby to all-day forest hikes. Dogs are welcome and can run off lead on the forest tracks under control - keep them close near the visitor centre, cyclists and wildlife areas. Open daily 8am to 8pm, with a cafe and facilities at the visitor centre.

THE SMALL PRINTVehicle toll applies on the forest drive

House rules, decoded

Off-lead allowed
REGION · NORTH YORKSHIRE
GRID · 54.2846, -0.6637
SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.FORESTRYENGLAND.UK/DALBY-FOREST
Also in Thornton le Dale
WAGFINDER No photo yet
440 YD © OpenStreetMap contributors 4.2 MI · LOOP
DOGS WELCOME

Dalby Beck Yellow Trail

Thornton le Dale · YO18 7LT
No reviews yet
4.2MILES
1:49TIME
100mCLIMB
95%OFF-ROAD
Off-lead allowed Water bowls

A 4.2-mile waymarked forest loop with 100 metres of ascent and a shade under two hours, following Dalby Beck upstream on wide forest road before climbing gently onto the rigg and dropping back; the going is gravel and forest track throughout, which makes it a reliable choice when everything else in Ryedale is under water. It starts at the Dalby Forest visitor centre at Low Dalby, reached by the toll Forest Drive from Thornton-le-Dale where a car pays a day charge at the barrier, so this is not a walk to arrive at on a whim. Dalby Beck runs alongside for two miles with easy access for drinking and splashing, there is no livestock at all, and dogs may be off the lead on the trail, though the forest is worked and the drive itself carries slow but constant traffic.

VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW WALK ›
WAGFINDER No photo yet
440 YD © OpenStreetMap contributors 3.4 MI · LOOP
DOGS WELCOME

Ellerburn Trail, Dalby Forest

Thornton le Dale · YO18 7LT
No reviews yet
3.4MILES
1:26TIME
40mCLIMB
95%OFF-ROAD
Off-lead allowed Water bowls

The gentlest of the Dalby waymarked routes at 3.4 miles with only 40 metres of ascent and about an hour and a half, running south-west down the valley towards Ellerburn on level forest road with one short rise back to the centre. It begins at Low Dalby visitor centre, where the pay-and-display is included in the Forest Drive toll, and the centre has a cafe, toilets and outside water taps that make it an easy first stop of the day. The beck is close for most of the way, the surface is kind on old joints and puppy paws alike, and there is no stock and no stile on the whole route, so a dog can be off the lead the entire way with only forestry vehicles and cyclists to watch for.

VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW WALK ›
WAGFINDER No photo yet
Restaurant NOT CHECKED YET

Russell's Tea Room

YO18 7RN
No reviews yet

Russell's Tea Room is a place to eat in Thornton-le-Dale. It is listed here so you know it is there, but we have not yet established whether dogs are welcome — so there is no verdict on this page and no stamp. If it is your business, claim the page and tell us, and we will stamp it.

NOT CHECKED YET · IS THIS YOURS? VIEW ›
Ad

Dog-friendly cottages you can book

Real dog-welcoming cottages from our booking partner holidaycottages.co.uk — live prices, booked on their site. Booking through these links supports Wagfinder and never changes the price you pay.

Birchwood Stable Cottage Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £428 Hawthorn Cottage Yorkshire Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £447 Prospect Lodge Halifax Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £453 Clover Cottage Osmotherley Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £479 Number 2 Bank Top Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £484 Havercroft Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £485 Whisper Cottage Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £520 Lavender Cottage Helmsley Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £521 Dove Cottage Old Malton Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £649 Farmstead Cottage At Bland Close Farm Yorkshire · dogs welcome 7 nights from £671

Know one we have missed?

Tell us the pub we have not walked into yet.

Local knowledge beats desk research every time. Name the place and we will check it properly — the venue's own policy, confirmed, then stamped and dated like every other listing.

Get the new stamps first.

One short email when we add places or a council changes its beach rules. No noise, easy out.

NO SPAM · UNSUBSCRIBE ANY TIME · WE NEVER SELL THE LIST

Wagfinder Members

Your patch, watched for you.

£4.99 A MONTH · OR £48 A YEAR
Restriction alerts for your saved beaches — know before the ban starts, not at the slipway sign.
New-place notifications in your area, the day we stamp them in.
Member perks at claimed venues across Britain.
Become a member

ENTER DOG OF THE MONTH · RESTRICTION ALERTS · CANCEL ANY TIME