Dalby Forest is a pleasant 45min drive from York through Pickering and on to Thornton Le Dale.
Situated on the South East corner of the North York's National Park, Dalby has a little bit of something for everyone.
I last visited the forest with my family on Saturday 27th October on a fairly dry and mild day (there was still a few people only in t-shirts).It was possibly a year and half since my last visit and I was suitably impressed by the changes made.
Entrance to the forest drive was £7 for the car which isn't bad considering the charges made by the Stately homes to visit their gardens.
Dalby Forest now boasts a courtyard encompassing a small cafe (which seemed to be doing good business) and a bike Hire Centre which are both run by Purple Mountain, there are also a number of craft shops and Offices.
We parked a little further down at the new Dalby Forest Visitor Centre which is very impressive.
It boasts excellent facilities including the Treetops cafe which boasts some pretty nice snacks and meals, it also has a shop and exhibition area.
Went on what I think was the Dalby Beck walk which had fairly easy access and took us in a circle from the courtyard and back again (around 2 and1/2 miles in total).
Excellent day for a walk, very little wind and much of the trees had that stunning autumnal look.
Had a further drive almost to the end of the forest and there is a great deal more scenery and walks to see, will certainly return in the very near future.
