Road through Dalby Forest?

[ColinJ]

I've devised a coast-to-coast road route from Scarborough to Blackpool and my route takes in Dalby Forest.

On the OS map, it looks as though there is a minor road going all the way through from Langdale End, via Bickley, along Forest Drive to Adderstone Rigg and Stain Dale to Thornton-le-Dale. However, Google Street View only goes so far along it so it makes me worry that it might become more of a dirt track in the forest. I was just wondering - is it suitable to ride on a skinny-tyred racing bike? 

If it was hard-packed dirt, it would be okay for my Basso, but I'd take my Roadracer mudguards off because they clog easily. I don't think I'd fancy doing 8 miles of real rough stuff through the forest though.

 

[Black knight]

Hi,

Yes it's fine been up there today in the car. Done the through route to Scarborough on the motorbike (road) a couple of times too. All tarmac.

Rick.

 

[jack the lad]

The road you are talking about is the 'scenic drive' through the forest. A proper tarmac road, well surfaced, but with speed bumps and dozy drivers looking anywhere but where they are going!

It would be a real shame to pass straight through Dalby without doing some proper awesome mountain biking! Purple Mountain at Low Dalby will hire you a suitable bike while you are there.

 

[ColinJ]

Thanks to both of you - that sounds great, but I'll watch out for the dozy drivers!

I've heard good things about Dalby Forest, but when I do my coast-to-coast ride I will be aiming to do it in one day so I won't have time for some of the things I'd like to do such as mountain biking in the forest, going round Fountains Abbey or checking out Brimham Rocks. 

I've never been to the East coast before nor visited the North York Moors; I must have a proper holiday over there some time.

 

[Browser]

Go Ape is worth a visit on a nice day, finishes with a nice height zip wire

 

[ColinJ]

Go Ape is worth a visit on a nice day, finishes with a nice height zip wire

I spotted that, but since I have a fear of heights I'd definitely be giving that a miss! 

 

[andy_wrx]

It used to be gravel years ago, 20mph speed limit (or 120+ in the RAC or Mintex rallies !) but has been tarmaced for quite a while now.

What you could do is go through Dalby, turn right out of the end out to the Fox&Rabbit rather than left to Thornton Dale, then to Lockton & Levisham
- that's a 1:5 downhill and then a 1:4 uphill, which is quite entertaining...
(decent pub in Levisham though !)

Out the other side and across the NYM railway and you get into Cropton Forest - the roadsigns obviously pointed to Forest Drive but have been crudely painted over and dead-end signs erected instead, although you can still work out Forest Drive through the paint if you know what it says.

It's not a dead end, it's access to the forest and farms, you can get through to Cropton, although as you say, Google's camera car turned back here too.

This forest drive hasn't been maintained in the same way as Dalby : it starts out as tarmac, which then gets progressively more potholey and granulated-up, then becomes hardpack : but quite doable on a roadbike if you're happy to ride canal towpaths and stuff