Dalby Forest
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Dalby Forest is a forest located on the southern slopes of the
North York Moors National Park North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...
in
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...
, England. It is maintained by
Forestry England Forestry England is a division of the Forestry Commission, responsible for managing and promoting publicly owned forests in England. Forest Enterprise, the precursor to Forestry England, was originally formed as a Great Britain-wide organizati ...
. Dalby Forest, along with Langdale Forest and Cropton Forest, forms part of the North Riding Forest Park, found within the
North York Moors The North York Moors is an upland area in north-eastern Yorkshire, England. It contains one of the largest expanses of Calluna, heather moorland in the United Kingdom. The area was designated as a national parks of England and Wales, National P ...
National Park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
.


Fauna and flora

Dalby Forest is home to many species of wildlife such as
badgers Badgers are medium-sized short-legged omnivores in the superfamily Musteloidea. Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by their squat bodies and adaptions for fossorial activity rather than by their ...
, roe deer and
nightjars Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called bugeaters, their primary source of food b ...
, as well as five species of bat. There are also many species of trees including
oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
,
beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...
,
ash Ash is the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash is the ...
,
alder Alders are trees of the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus includes about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species ex ...
and
hazel Hazels are plants of the genus ''Corylus'' of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family, Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K ...
.
Sitka spruce ''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to just over tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth- ...
is the prevalent tree species accounting for 30% of all trees in the forest. It is also home to narrow leaved marsh orchids, yellow bird's-nest and violet crown cup. There are four Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) within the forest at Ellerburn Bank, Ellers Wood & Sand Dale, Seive Dale Fen and Troutsdale & Rosekirk Dale Fens.


Geology

The area now covered by the forest was under water 150 million years ago. Fossils from this era can be found across the entire area. The predominant soil type on the moorland and spurs is Middle calcareous grit, or
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
. Elsewhere, Hambleton
Oolite Oolite or oölite () is a sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains composed of concentric layers. Strictly, oolites consist of ooids of diameter 0.25–2 millimetres; rocks composed of ooids larger than 2 mm are called pis ...
Limestone and Yedmandale Limestone, as well as sandstone, can be found. On the valley floor is
Oxford Clay The Oxford Clay (or Oxford Clay Formation) is a Jurassic marine sedimentary rock formation underlying much of southeast England, from as far west as Dorset and as far north as Yorkshire. The Oxford Clay Formation dates to the Jurassic, specific ...
Formation, also known as mudstone. There are also some peat bogs. The forest is situated on a rising landscape from a low point of 60m in Thornton Dale to a high point of 248m. There are four main water valleys of Thornton Dale, Trouts Dale, Stain Dale and Deep Dale. The dales of Dalby Forest were the result of melt water from glacial ice fields during the Devensian period.


History

There is evidence of people living in Dalby Forest since the Bronze Age.
Burial mounds A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. ...
,
linear In mathematics, the term ''linear'' is used in two distinct senses for two different properties: * linearity of a '' function'' (or '' mapping''); * linearity of a '' polynomial''. An example of a linear function is the function defined by f(x) ...
earthworks Earthworks may refer to: Construction *Earthworks (archaeology), human-made constructions that modify the land contour *Earthworks (engineering), civil engineering works created by moving or processing quantities of soil *Earthworks (military), mi ...
of unknown purpose and the remains of a flourishing
rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...
warren Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * War ...
industry have also been found throughout the woods. In all there are 83 scheduled and over 600 unscheduled monuments within the area. It was once the Royal Hunting Forest of Pickering. The
Forestry Commission The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England. The Forestry Commission was previously also respons ...
purchased land around Low and High Dalby in 1919 from the
Duchy of Lancaster The Duchy of Lancaster is an estate of the British sovereign. The estate has its origins in the lands held by the medieval Dukes of Lancaster, which came under the direct control of the monarch when Henry Bolingbroke, the then duke of Lancast ...
Estate. They began planting trees in 1921. During the 1930s, unemployed men were set to work in Dalby Forest, breaking ground, building tracks and undertaking other heavy labour. The men lived in a work camp at Low Dalby, which was one of a number of so-called Instructional Centres run by the
Ministry of Labour A ministry of labour ('' UK''), or labor ('' US''), also known as a department of labour, or labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, and s ...
in order to 'harden' young men who had been out of work for some time. By 1938, the Ministry was operating 35 Instructional Centres across Britain with a total capacity of over 6,000 places. By 1939, unemployment was declining in the face of impending war and the Ministry closed down its work camps. However, much of Dalby village seems to be based partly on the layout of the old Instructional Centre. In 1982, Barry Prudom sought refuge from a police manhunt in Dalby Forest. Prudom who was wanted for several murders holed up in Malton near the police station and when cornered, he committed suicide.


Recreation

Today, Dalby Forest is used for recreation as well as timber production. There are several car parks, hiking trails and mountain bike trails, a 'forest drive' throughout the forest and a
Go Ape Go Ape! is an outdoor adventure company which runs tree top ropes courses under the names Tree Top Challenge, Tree Top Adventure and Zip Trekking, as well as ground-based Forest Segway Safaris, at locations across the United Kingdom and the United ...
centre. A toll is charged to enter either end of the forest drive by car. There is no further charge for parking at the car parks along the route. The main visitor centre has a café and shop, which is adjacent to a selection of other businesses including a bike shop and various craft workshops. A free, weekly, timed 5k parkrun takes place at 9am every Saturday starting near The Courtyard, Low Dalby. Mountain bike trails correspond to the standard IMBA and Forestry England grading scheme. Some start from the main visitor centre, others from Dixons Hollow, an area a little further along the forest drive. They include: * Two green trails, one starting from the visitor centre and one from Dixons Hollow. The green trails follow forestry roads for the duration of the trail, and as suggested by the IMBA, require a minimal amount of fitness and are suitable for families. * A blue trail starting from the visitor centre. * A red trail starting from Dixons Hollow. This is the longest trail and explores much of the forest. It passes near the visitor centre and can be accessed from it. The red trail is technical in places and requires a high level of fitness and technical proficiency. A hardtail mountain bike of a moderate spec is advised to tackle this trail. * A black trail starting from Dixons Hollow. The black trail is highly technical with some extremely severe descents requiring a very high level of skill and fitness. On the newer sections of the trail there are a number of blind 3–5 ft drops which can cause serious injury if approached unaware, or at a high speed. * A "slope-style" area at Dixons Hollow, including jumps, a corkscrew, northshore and skinnies. This has been sponsored by Pace Cycles and constructed in association with SingletrAction. The trickier trails deliberately start from Dixons Hollow, a little remote from the main visitor centre, to discourage inexperienced mountain bikers. In 2010 and 2011 the forest hosted a round of the cross-country section of the
UCI Mountain Bike World Cup The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is a multi-round mountain bike racing series that is sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale The Union Cycliste Internationale (; UCI; ) is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees int ...
. A climb through the forest featured on the first stage of the
2015 Tour de Yorkshire Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number) *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album), 2007 * ''15'' (Phatfish album), 2008 * ' ...
. The route of
The White Rose Way The White Rose Way is a walking trail in England from Leeds, West Yorkshire to Scarborough, North Yorkshire. It was created in 2011 by local author Paul Brown. The walk starts at the foot of the Black Prince Statue in City Square with the fin ...
, a long distance walk from
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
to
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...
, passes through the forest. The
Dark-sky preserve A dark-sky preserve (DSP) is an area, usually surrounding a park or observatory, that restricts or reduces light pollution or maintains and protects naturally dark night skies. Different terms have been used to describe these areas as national or ...
aspect of Dalby ensures its place as a perfect venue for local and national
astronomical Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest include ...
societies. Dalby has long been a popular venue for
rallying Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed ...
. Its forest tracks, noted for their long straights and difficult bends, for many years formed one of the most daunting stages on Britain's round of the
World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is an international rallying series owned and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA. Inaugurated in 1973, it is the oldest FIA world championship after Formula One. E ...
, the
RAC Rally Wales Rally GB was the most recent iteration of the United Kingdom's premier international motor rally, which ran under various names since the first event held in 1932. It was consistently a round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) cal ...
. It is also part of the Forest Live music network, and hosts a number of concerts per year from artists of a great variety of genres. Performers include: * Embrace (25 June 2006) *
Morning Runner Morning Runner were an English alternative rock band, formed in 2003 in Reading, Berkshire. The band comprised vocalist/guitarist Matthew Jonathan Greener, drummer Ali Clewer, bassist Tom Derrett and pianist Chris "Fields" Wheatcroft. They re ...
(25 June 2006) * James Morrison (2007) *
McFly McFly are a British pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the ''Back to the Future (franchise), Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Da ...
(26 June 2009) *
Will Young William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Ido ...
(June 2012) *
Kaiser Chiefs Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who originally formed in 1996 as Runston Parva, before reforming as Parva in 2000, and releasing one studio album, ''22'', in 2003, before renaming and establishing themselves in their cur ...
(2016) The Kaiser Chiefs were due to play at the venue in the summer of 2020, but had to cancel due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Will Young and James Morrison were also due to play that year too as part of the Forest Live 2020 concert series.


Long term plan

Forestry England, who maintain and conserve the forest and its facilities, have a long term plan for sustainability. It includes: *Conservation of ancient trees and restoration of native woodland and plants. *Maintaining the character of the woodlands through structural and species diversity. *Maintaining a sustainable timber supply through diversification of types of tree felled. *Providing recreational opportunities aligned with the sustainability goals. *Protecting those scheduled and unscheduled features within the forest.


References


External links


Forestry Commission

Dalby Forest at the Forestry Commission


* ttp://www.sharemyroutes.com/routes/United-Kingdom/Near-Pickering-North-Yorkshire/Dalby-Forest-Red-Route/details.aspx Dalby Forest Red Mountain Bike RouteMap, photos and description of Red Route.
Dalby Forest Black Mountain Bike Route
Map, photos and description of Black Route. {{Forests and woodlands of Yorkshire Forests and woodlands of North Yorkshire North York Moors Outdoor recreation