Dalby Extension, the Green Walk carried on into the forest

Directions

1. Walk the Green route as far as St Hilda's at Ellerburn.
2. Continue along the stream past the trout farm.
3. A stile and footpath take you up into Dalby Forest, where the forest roads are wide and shared with cyclists.
4. The route drops to a footbridge over a stream, then climbs to a forest track heading back towards Thornton-le-Dale. You can detour to Dalby village and return the same way for extra mileage.
5. Coming home, pass the bird hide near Sand Dale, worth sitting in for ten silent minutes, then a run of gates through grazing land.
6. Past the trout farm again to Ellerburn, where you rejoin the Green Walk for the last stretch.

Before you set off

• Forest roads are shared with mountain bikers: walk with half an ear out for riders coming down behind you.
• A stile up into the forest, and a run of gates through grazing land with livestock. Close them.
• Not a route for wheels or small children.
• Close every gate behind you. Several routes cross land with sheep, and a few have chickens and a horse alongside the path.
• Keep dogs under close control everywhere, and on a lead near livestock, in the churchyards and through the village.
• After heavy rain, check that Thornton Beck is not in spate before using the low beckside stretches or paddling.
• Distances, total ascent, gate and stile counts and current path conditions are not published in this guide, so carry OS Explorer map coverage or a mapping app.