Can you cycle to Dalby Forest from Thornton-le-Dale?

Yes. From the village you can ride up the Ellerburn trail into Dalby Forest, following the Moor to Sea route that passes through the village. Dalby Bike Barn, whose shop is on Pickering Road, puts the ride at around 20 minutes.

Does the Moor to Sea Cycle Network go through Thornton-le-Dale?

Yes. The North York Moors National Park Authority lists the Moor to Sea Cycle Network, its long-distance off-road cycle route, as linking Thornton le Dale with Pickering or Dalby Forest. The Authority also says the North York Moors Cycleway passes through the village.

Which Moor to Sea stages pass through the village?

Visit North Yorkshire describes Pickering to Highwood Brow, 14 miles or 22.5km, 2.5 to 4 hours, which passes through Thornton le Dale and the hamlet of Ellerburn before a gradual ascent through forest. It also describes Pickering to Langdale End, 15 miles or 24km, 2 to 3.5 hours, which passes through Thornton le Dale en route to Dalby Forest and is a hilly ride with some steep ascents and descents.

Where do you park to cycle into Dalby Forest?

Most riders use the North York Moors National Park pay-and-display car park in Thornton-le-Dale, signed off Maltongate (sat-nav YO18 7SD), and ride in from there rather than driving into the forest.

Are there any free ways into Dalby Forest by vehicle?

Forestry England makes no charge for a motorcycle, no charge for a drive through the forest completed within 30 minutes, and Forestry England members park free. Anything longer than 30 minutes in a car is charged by the hour, from £3 for up to an hour to £15 for over four hours. Checked in August 2026, so confirm before you travel.

Where can you hire a bike near Thornton-le-Dale?

The National Park Authority names Dalby Bike Barn and Dalby Forest Cycle Hub as the bike hire and cycle repair stations in this area. Dalby Bike Barn, 1 Pickering Road, Thornton-le-Dale, hires bikes and electric bikes. Dalby Forest Cycle Hub, at the visitor centre at Low Dalby, hires mountain bikes, e-bikes, kids' bikes, trailers and adapted bikes; that one is in the forest rather than in the village.

Is there a bike shop in Thornton-le-Dale?

Yes. Dalby Bike Barn at 1 Pickering Road is a bike shop with an in-house service centre. Pace Cycles, the British mountain bike brand, also has its headquarters at 1 Pickering Road, YO18 7LG, with a shop and a service department; Pace is a manufacturer, not a hire operation.

Is the Moor to Sea route waymarked?

The National Park Authority says the network is waymarked all the way, using cycle route signs and waymark arrows, and that it publishes downloadable directions for each section. It also notes that mobile reception is limited along much of the route, so carry OS Explorer OL27 or an offline map.

Can you ride it without a car?

In part. The National Park Authority says some sections of the Moor to Sea Cycle Network connect with the Esk Valley Railway, allowing car-free days out. For reaching Thornton-le-Dale itself by bus or train, see our getting here page.

Do you need a mountain bike?

No. Dalby has easy green routes as well as blue, red and black trails, and the valley-bottom ride in from the village suits a hybrid or a wide-tyred bike. Families and casual riders are as well served here as riders on full suspension.

Can you charge an electric car at the village car park?

Yes. The National Park Authority lists four 75kW DC rapid chargers at the Maltongate car park, including two accessible bays. It also lists other public charging at Vivis Lane, YO18 8DL, and at Eastgate, Pickering, YO18 7JD.

Cycling

Cycling in Thornton-le-Dale

This is the village end of a day on the bike: where to leave the car, the two national routes that run through the village, how to get into Dalby Forest under your own steam, where the bike shops and hire bikes are, and what there is to eat when you come back down. The forest's own trails are covered in detail elsewhere.

At a glance

Park in the village: National Park car park off Maltongate, YO18 7SD, pay and display, then ride in.
On two national routes: The Moor to Sea Cycle Network and the North York Moors Cycleway both pass through.
Into the forest: Up the Ellerburn trail towards Low Dalby, on the Moor to Sea route past the shops.
Bike shop: Dalby Bike Barn, 1 Pickering Road, in the village centre.
Hire: Dalby Bike Barn in the village; Dalby Forest Cycle Hub at Low Dalby.
Map: OS Explorer OL27 covers the village, Dalby and the Moor to Sea stages.
Trail grading: Dalby's waymarked trails run green, blue, red and black.
Afterwards: Tea rooms, pubs and ice cream within a few hundred yards.

Park in the village and ride in

The useful thing to know before you load the car is that you do not have to drive into Dalby Forest at all. You can leave the car in Thornton-le-Dale and ride in.

The village car park is the North York Moors National Park pay-and-display car park, signed off Maltongate, sat-nav YO18 7SD. The comparison matters if you are planning a day out. A full day in the village is £6.20, the over-two-hours rate set by the North York Moors National Park Authority, against £15 for over four hours inside Dalby Forest, the rate set by Forestry England. Park in the village and ride in and you are £8.80 better off before you have turned a pedal. Both tariffs were checked in August 2026. Tariffs change, so please check them before you travel. Full detail on the village car park, the long stay rates, payment, EV charging and long-vehicle bays is on our parking page.

A few Forestry England nuances are worth knowing. There is no charge for a motorcycle, no charge for a drive through the forest completed within 30 minutes, and Forestry England members park free. Between those and the hourly tariff, £3 for up to an hour rising to £15 for over four hours, the village car park still wins for a rider spending the day out. Dalby uses barriered number-plate recognition, so your time in the forest is measured from the moment you arrive.

From the car park it is a short pedal through the middle of the village to pick up the Moor to Sea route, which passes right by the shops, and then up the Ellerburn trail into the forest. Dalby Bike Barn puts that at around 20 minutes. It is a valley-bottom start rather than a climb, past Ellerburn and its small ancient church (worth a pause: St Hilda's, Ellerburn), and the shop will give you a map if you call in.

We have deliberately not printed turn-by-turn directions, gradients or waymark colours for the trail itself, because we cannot verify them to the standard the rest of this site is held to. Take OS Explorer OL27 or a GPX file, and check current forest access with Forestry England on the day.

Woodland track heading north from Thornton-le-Dale towards Ellerburn and Dalby Forest — The wooded valley north of the village, the way in towards Ellerburn and the forest.

The Moor to Sea Cycle Network

Thornton-le-Dale is not simply a car park with a forest above it. The village sits on a long-distance route. The North York Moors National Park Authority, on its own page for Thornton le Dale, describes the Moor to Sea Cycle Network as its long-distance off-road cycle route and lists it as linking the village with Pickering or Dalby Forest. If you are riding out of the village in either direction, you are almost certainly on it.

The Authority describes the network as connecting Scarborough, Whitby, Dalby Forest, Pickering and Great Ayton in a series of moorland, forest and coastal loops. It gives the whole thing as around 150 miles, split into eleven sections, taking five or six days to ride complete, with single sections working perfectly well as day rides. The riding is a mixture of quiet roads, woodland tracks and bridleways, along with the Cinder Track on the former Scarborough to Whitby railway. Terrain is described as mostly moderate, with some short steeper sections, and the network is waymarked throughout with cycle route signs and waymark arrows. Smaller circular trails come off the main network, particularly from Dalby Forest.

Two stages that pass through the village

Pickering to Highwood Brow

14 miles (22.5km), 2.5 to 4 hours. Visit North Yorkshire gives the start as the Pickering roundabout, grid reference SE 796 839, on OS Explorer OL27. It passes through Thornton le Dale and the hamlet of Ellerburn, then climbs gradually through forest, mostly on good quality forest roads with a couple of moderate hills. There is a visitor centre, refreshments and cycle hire at Low Dalby, picnic areas at Low Dalby and Highwood Brow, and views across Troutsdale from Highwood Brow.

Source: Visit North Yorkshire.

Pickering to Langdale End

15 miles (24km), 2 to 3.5 hours. Visit North Yorkshire again gives the start as the Pickering roundabout, grid reference SE 796 839, on OS Explorer OL27. It passes through Thornton le Dale en route to Dalby Forest, then leaves Low Dalby for Langdale End. This is a hilly ride on roads and forest tracks with some steep ascents and descents, almost entirely forested and therefore sheltered on a windy day. Refreshments are given in Pickering and Thornton le Dale, at Low Dalby, and at the Moorcock Inn at Langdale End.

Source: Visit North Yorkshire.

Both stages are described from Pickering, which is about three miles away, so riders starting here join partway along. We have not attempted to restate the route instructions: the National Park Authority publishes downloadable directions for each Moor to Sea section, and that is the thing to carry.

The North York Moors Cycleway

The second named route through the village is the North York Moors Cycleway. The National Park Authority lists it as passing through Thornton le Dale. We have not printed a distance, a direction of travel or a stage breakdown for it, because we have not been able to verify those to the standard this site holds itself to. For the current line of the Cycleway and any published route sheets, ask the National Park Authority.

The forest, in one paragraph

Dalby's waymarked cycle trails are graded, running from green family routes through blue and red to black, so a family on hybrids and a rider looking for technical singletrack can both have a good day out of the same car park. That is as far as we go on the forest here, by design.

For the trails themselves, the forest drive, the visitor centre and everything else inside Dalby, see our sister site yorkshiremoors.com, which covers the wider North York Moors properly. This page sticks to the village.

Cyclist riding a forest track in Dalby Forest above Thornton-le-Dale — A rider on one of the shared forest tracks in Dalby, reached from the village by bike.

Bike shops, hire and repairs

The National Park Authority names Dalby Bike Barn and Dalby Forest Cycle Hub as the bike hire and cycle repair stations in this area. Pace Cycles is listed here as well because it is in the village, though it is a manufacturer rather than a hire operation.

Dalby Bike Barn, in the village

A bike shop at 1 Pickering Road, Thornton-le-Dale, in the centre of the village, with bike and electric bike hire and an in-house service centre. Its published opening times are Monday 9.30am to 5pm, Tuesday and Wednesday 9.30am to 3pm, Thursday to Saturday 9.30am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm. Hire bikes are reserved by phone, with photo identification needed as security, and hire bikes are returned the same day.

Hire rates, availability and hours change, so check with them directly: dalbybikebarn.co.uk.

Pace Cycles, in the village

Pace Cycles, one of Britain's long-established mountain bike brands, has its headquarters at 1 Pickering Road, Thornton-le-Dale, YO18 7LG, with a shop and a service department, open by its own published times Tuesday to Friday, 9.30am to 3pm. Pace designs and sells frames and complete bikes: it is a manufacturer, not a hire operation, so this is not the place to turn up hoping to hire a bike for the day.

Details and servicing arrangements: pacecycles.com.

Dalby Forest Cycle Hub, in the forest

At the visitor centre at Low Dalby, inside Dalby Forest rather than in the village, so allow for the journey up. It hires mountain bikes, e-bikes, kids' bikes, trailers, baby seats and adapted bikes, and has a workshop with Cytech-qualified mechanics for servicing and emergency repairs, plus a bike wash for which a charge applies. The Courtyard Cafe is alongside.

Current hire, prices and workshop availability: dalbyforestcyclehub.co.uk.

These three are listed factually and in no order of preference. This site is independent and non-commercial: nobody pays to appear here, and we take no bookings and no commission. Prices, hours and hire fleets are correct at the time of writing and do change, so please check before you travel.

Family and casual riding

Not every visitor arrives on a full suspension bike, and the village works perfectly well for people who simply want a couple of easy hours out. The way in towards Ellerburn is gentle, valley-bottom riding, and the green routes in the forest are made for children and for anyone happier away from rocks and drops. Electric bikes, from either hire operation, flatten out the climb home for riders who would rather not earn it.

The lanes towards Pickering are the other easy option out of the village, about three miles, and that leg is also the Moor to Sea link the National Park Authority describes. Buses are covered on our getting here page if legs or weather give out. Forest tracks are shared with walkers and horse riders, so ride considerately: the same valley on foot is on our walks guide.

Practical notes before you set off

Maps and directions

OS Explorer OL27 is the sheet Visit North Yorkshire cites for both Moor to Sea stages through the village, and it covers Dalby as well. The National Park Authority publishes downloadable directions for each section of the Moor to Sea network, which is the sensible thing to have with you rather than a page of notes.

Waymarking and phone signal

The Authority describes the network as waymarked all the way, using cycle route signs and waymark arrows, with terrain mostly moderate and some short steeper sections. It also warns that mobile reception is limited along much of the route, so do not rely on a live map or on being able to call for a lift.

Car-free days out

Some sections of the Moor to Sea network connect with the Esk Valley Railway, which the Authority notes allows car-free days out. Cycle carriage rules on trains are set by the operator, so check before you plan a ride around one.

Electric vehicle charging

The National Park Authority lists four 75kW DC rapid chargers at the Maltongate car park, including two accessible bays, which is worth knowing if you drive here to ride. Other public charging is given at Vivis Lane, YO18 8DL and at Eastgate, Pickering, YO18 7JD. Availability and tariffs are outside our control, so check on the day.

Afterwards: eating, and staying over

The village is a genuinely good place to finish a ride, which is half the argument for starting from it. Tea rooms, pubs, a delicatessen and an ice cream counter are all within a few hundred yards of the car park, and are listed on eating and drinking. Visit North Yorkshire lists refreshments in Thornton le Dale on both Moor to Sea stages above, which matches the experience of anyone who has finished a wet ride here. Bear in mind that opening hours vary through the year, so check locally.

If you are making more than a day of it, the cottages, inns, bed and breakfasts and campsites in and around the village are described on where to stay, and other ideas within reach are on days out. For the village itself, start with our Thornton-le-Dale guide.

Common questions

Can you cycle to Dalby Forest from Thornton-le-Dale?: Yes. From the village you can ride up the Ellerburn trail into Dalby Forest, following the Moor to Sea route that passes through the village. Dalby Bike Barn, whose shop is on Pickering Road, puts the ride at around 20 minutes.
Does the Moor to Sea Cycle Network go through Thornton-le-Dale?: Yes. The North York Moors National Park Authority lists the Moor to Sea Cycle Network, its long-distance off-road cycle route, as linking Thornton le Dale with Pickering or Dalby Forest. The Authority also says the North York Moors Cycleway passes through the village.
How long is the Moor to Sea Cycle Network?: The National Park Authority gives it as around 150 miles in total, split into eleven sections, connecting Scarborough, Whitby, Dalby Forest, Pickering and Great Ayton in a series of moorland, forest and coastal loops. Five or six days covers the whole network, and single sections work as day rides.
Which Moor to Sea stages pass through the village?: Visit North Yorkshire describes Pickering to Highwood Brow, 14 miles or 22.5km, 2.5 to 4 hours, which passes through Thornton le Dale and the hamlet of Ellerburn before a gradual ascent through forest. It also describes Pickering to Langdale End, 15 miles or 24km, 2 to 3.5 hours, which passes through Thornton le Dale en route to Dalby Forest and is a hilly ride with some steep ascents and descents.
Where do you park to cycle into Dalby Forest?: Most riders use the North York Moors National Park pay-and-display car park in Thornton-le-Dale, signed off Maltongate (sat-nav YO18 7SD), and ride in from there rather than driving into the forest.
Is it cheaper to park in Thornton-le-Dale than in Dalby Forest?: Yes. A full day in the village car park is £6.20, the over-two-hours rate set by the North York Moors National Park Authority, against £15 for over four hours inside Dalby Forest, the rate set by Forestry England. That is £8.80 saved on a day ride. Both figures were checked in August 2026, and tariffs change, so check them before you travel.
Are there any free ways into Dalby Forest by vehicle?: Forestry England makes no charge for a motorcycle, no charge for a drive through the forest completed within 30 minutes, and Forestry England members park free. Anything longer than 30 minutes in a car is charged by the hour, from £3 for up to an hour to £15 for over four hours. Checked in August 2026, so confirm before you travel.
Where can you hire a bike near Thornton-le-Dale?: The National Park Authority names Dalby Bike Barn and Dalby Forest Cycle Hub as the bike hire and cycle repair stations in this area. Dalby Bike Barn, 1 Pickering Road, Thornton-le-Dale, hires bikes and electric bikes. Dalby Forest Cycle Hub, at the visitor centre at Low Dalby, hires mountain bikes, e-bikes, kids' bikes, trailers and adapted bikes; that one is in the forest rather than in the village.
Is there a bike shop in Thornton-le-Dale?: Yes. Dalby Bike Barn at 1 Pickering Road is a bike shop with an in-house service centre. Pace Cycles, the British mountain bike brand, also has its headquarters at 1 Pickering Road, YO18 7LG, with a shop and a service department; Pace is a manufacturer, not a hire operation.
Is the Moor to Sea route waymarked?: The National Park Authority says the network is waymarked all the way, using cycle route signs and waymark arrows, and that it publishes downloadable directions for each section. It also notes that mobile reception is limited along much of the route, so carry OS Explorer OL27 or an offline map.
Can you ride it without a car?: In part. The National Park Authority says some sections of the Moor to Sea Cycle Network connect with the Esk Valley Railway, allowing car-free days out. For reaching Thornton-le-Dale itself by bus or train, see our getting here page.
Do you need a mountain bike?: No. Dalby has easy green routes as well as blue, red and black trails, and the valley-bottom ride in from the village suits a hybrid or a wide-tyred bike. Families and casual riders are as well served here as riders on full suspension.
Can you charge an electric car at the village car park?: Yes. The National Park Authority lists four 75kW DC rapid chargers at the Maltongate car park, including two accessible bays. It also lists other public charging at Vivis Lane, YO18 8DL, and at Eastgate, Pickering, YO18 7JD.