There is evidence of people living in Dalby Forest since the Bronze Age. Burial mounds, linearearthworks of unknown purpose and the remains of a flourishing rabbitwarrening industry have also been found throughout the woods. 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 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 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 Commission 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 nearby 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. Please be advised that 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. A climb through the forest featured on the first stage of the 2015 Tour de Yorkshire. The route of The White Rose Way, a long distance walk from Leeds to Scarborough passes through the forest. Dalby has long been a popular venue for rallying, its forest tracks, noted for their long straights and difficult bends, for many years was one of the most daunting stages on Britain's round of the World Rally Championship, the RAC Rally.
