Still have some questions?
Speak to a member of our team
Heron Cottage is a cosy and quaint holiday home located in Dalby Forest in the North York Moors National Park. Surrounded by six acres of landscaped and wooded gardens complete with a large pond and stream, it’s the perfect place to enjoy a relaxing retreat. Whether you want an adventure packed stay full of activities or a slow paced escape, Heron Cottage is ideally situated for you to experience both. Sleeping two guests, the cottage provides a memorable getaway for couples and solo travellers.
The Space
Heron Cottage has an open plan kitchen, living and dining area. With a comfortable leather sofa and flat screen TV, it’s the ideal space to unwind after a day exploring Dalby Forest. Fully equipped, the kitchen has everything you could need to prepare meals during your stay including modern appliances and cookware.
Head to the bedroom and you’ll find a delightful space. Featuring a comfortable king size bed with premium bed linens, every care has been taken to ensure your night’s sleep at Heron Cottage. Pops of colour are added through the soft furnishings and wall art to create a lovely space. An ensuite bathroom leads from the bedroom where you’ll find a large walk in shower, WC and basin.
Head outside and you’re surrounded by stunning scenery. As the cottage is located in the grounds of High Dalby House, you’ll have direct access to six acres of gardens. You’ll find various areas with outdoor furniture and two decked areas. There are two BBQs and a log fired pizza oven at the rear for you to enjoy.
There is also a separate private garden to the rear for Heron Cottage.
Neighborhood
Heron Cottage is located in Dalby Forest on the southern slopes of the North York Moors National Park. With over 70km of cycling trails, it is great for those who like to cycle and partake in off-road biking. If you’re looking for a fun-filled day of outdoor activities, head to Go Ape Adventure Centre where you can zip-line and segway. You can expect the most beautiful views throughout the National Park. The views above the park are just as extraordinary as the sky above the Dalby Observatories is now recognised as one of the best places to enjoy the night sky in the country.
Dalby Forest is just two miles northeast of Thornton-le-Dale. Nestled on the edge of the North York Moors National Park, this scenic village is perfect for relaxing. Here you can enjoy peaceful walks and explore the several cafes and pubs in the village.
Nearby Pickering is a thriving market town with plenty of independent shops, cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars so you won’t tire of things to do. Explore Pickering Castle which is packed with a rich history dating back to the 12th century.
Getting Around
Heron Cottage is within 40 minutes’ drive time of Pickering, Hutton Le Hole, Kirkbymoorside, Helmsley and Malton.
Access to Dalby Forest is via Pickering on the A169 Pickering to Whitby Road. If you’re travelling via bus, the Coastliner bus passes close to Dalby.
The nearest mainline railway station can be found 13 miles away in Scarborough with routes to Filey, Bridlington, Liverpool and Sheffield.
Guests have access to the full property. The keys to the property are accessed via a secure key safe and full details will be provided shortly before your arrival date.
There is free on site parking at the cottage.
Please note the outdoor seating is shared.
Check-in: 16:00
Checkout: 10:00
4.54
(40 Reviews)
24/11/2024
Beautiful location to just walk from the door into the forest. Very quiet and peaceful. Initially quite cold but heated up quite quickly once the heaters were on.
06/11/2024
Loved the location - inside Dalby Forest, away from the madding crowd! Beautiful Trilogy Garden alongside stream. Washing machine/dryer. Warmed up quickly when needed heat. Full kitchen. Warm bathroom! Dark sky - no light pollution. Complicated coffee maker!
19/09/2024
Lovely peaceful place, set in beautiful grounds
02/09/2024
31/08/2024
The cottage is lovely and cosy, equipped suitably for the two of us. The garden is exceptional and very dog friendly, it's a very peaceful and relaxing place. Also being in the forest is amazing. On a clear night the milky way is visible, a great location for a bit of star gazing. It's also dog friendly, our golden retriever Gizmo had a fantastic time.
01/08/2024
26/07/2024
The first thing I have to mention is the overpowering smell of dogs which meant we had to leave multiple windows open at all times just to try and minimise the smell.Needs a deep clean and decor needs finishing.Unfortunately this was in complete contrast to the hosts and the grounds around the cottage which were superb.
23/04/2024
Fabulous location in the middle of the forest. Great for walking and stargazing. Comfy bed and a relaxing lounge. Couldn't work the coffee machine but that was probably user error ?
19/04/2024
lovely little place to stay for a short break
08/04/2024
Lovely host who made the most out of Host & Stays mess up of double booking the cottage I was meant to stay in....thank you Ian for your kindness Host & Stays £25 non returnable deposit which was never required in the first place ...blatant robbery Please just book through the owners in future & avoid Host & Stay it's a rip off!
10/03/2024
Lovely cottage in peaceful surroundings in the heart of Dalby Forest just a short walk from the Visitor's Centre & other park amenities. Comfortable & cosy once we got the heating going, nice bathroom with huge shower cubicle and plenty of hot water on demand. Exceptionally well-equipped kitchen.
18/02/2024
Great cottage in a lovely location! Perfect
29/01/2024
Heron Cottage was a wonderful, calm place to stay.The gardens where amazing,set out for meditation,and relaxation. There is no phone signal and it's beautifully set in fantastic surroundings. Ian was a fantastic host,and fully available for any problems. Would highly recommend this stay.Planning on returning soon .
30/12/2023
I spent many years delivering MOD survival training around the Cropton/Langdale forest areas and was looking for a central location to revisit some of our old sites. Heron Cottage provided an ideal base for this and also allows for easy access to both the Moors and coast. Despite nestling within Dalby Forest the clear and concise directions made it easy to find. The cottage is as described and provides a warm and homely bolt hole at the end of a long day. The welcome pack was appreciated, particularly the fresh bread and seasonal mince pies. My dogs crashed every night despite the best efforts of the owls to wake them. Guests should be aware that the Cottage is semi-detached and does sit immediately adjacent to the main house. That said during my stay it was very peaceful and you don’t have to walk far to find solitude and reconnect with nature.
26/12/2023
25/11/2023
Cosy cottage with everything you need for a relaxing break. Comfy bed and really appreciated the milk and bread etc on arrival. Set in beautiful grounds with walks in the forest on your doorstep, a really special place.
10/10/2023
07/07/2023
Lovely, well-equipped cottage in a great location. Will definitely look to come back
11/06/2023
07/05/2023
We absolutely loved our stay. Beautiful surroundings and very peaceful.
24/04/2023
11/04/2023
Pros: The location was great, as described it's right in the heart of Dolby forest. The cottage itself was already lovely, and a nice touch was the fresh eggs, biscuits and milk. Without the cons below it would be 10/10 for the price vs expectations. I am usually very unfussy with accommodation, especially when it's only a couple of days, but unfortunately a couple of things were really a bit much for me to leave out for other people. Cons: Requires £250 deposit + £10 non-refundable "admin fee" OR £25 non-refundable "admin fee" with no deposit. I've never experienced this this with any other booking for a cottage, hotel etc. Usually the price you pay for the booking is what you pay full stop, this is not mentioned anywhere in the listing. So even though £10/25 isn't a lot of money I think it's pretty bad to ask for either after the booking. It then took a while for the £250 to be refunded (although part of this was my bank). I also received a email about the deposit, even after I paid probably every day before the stay - totally overboard. I really didn't like Second thing was the actual stay. We were only staying for 2 nights, so arrived for 4pm check-in, all fine. We realised about 10pm there was no hot water for a shower. At this point we thought it was too late to wake the host up (neighbouring house), so all fine and we will see in the morning, maybe it was an easy fix. But in the morning at 7am we had the loudest, most panicked knocking I've ever heard - if you were at home you would think it was the police. It was relentless until we finally got to the door confused. It was the host who had said boiler in our porch had tripped the electricity. This was all done pretty much without an apology - especially when considering we were only there 2 nights, checkout was 10am the next day this was our only opportunity for a lie-in on a getaway. Again, understand it's totally out of their control but the way it was handled was a bit ridiculous and at the same time there really should be previsions in place, maybe a separate access door as it sounded like it wasn't an issue and it happens often. Any hotel I've stayed in where something similar (or less impactful) has happened I've been offered some kind of refund, to be honest I don't really expect one, but as mentioned the lack of any way of fixing the situation was disappointing.
29/03/2023
08/01/2023
Host was brilliant and very communicative definitely going by
27/12/2022
02/09/2022
Definitely recommend this to family and friends
10/08/2022
Very comfortable, clean, well-equipped cottage. Very friendly hosts. Excellent peaceful location.
31/07/2022
Amazing place for a quiet weekend away. Hosts are amazing, very welcoming and happy to help with everything. Will be seeing us again soon ?
09/07/2022
The Hosts are lovely and welcoming. The accommodation is well equipped and the bed is very comfortable. No reflection on the property or Hosts but the wifi and phone signal in the area are poor-be sure to have screenshots of all the directions/instructions before entering the forest entry barriers.
24/04/2022
27/03/2022
Lovely cottage in beautiful settings of Dalby forest. Very clean, had everything you need even had fresh eggs and bread waiting for us. Very quiet and peaceful perfect if you just want to get away from everything. Host Ian brilliant very good communication from the off. Yes you need to read the small print (not clear on air bnb but written by a third party) where the hot tub is down a little path and it’s shared with one other cottage but if you just drop him a message and let him know when you need it he sorts it all for you. Very comfy bed ( my other half’s picky when it comes to beds and he slept great ) good water pressure in shower etc everything you need. Especially as so close to Whitby it’s very cheap for what you get! Will be coming back again
17/03/2022
very lovely apartment, very welcoming and plenty of walking and things t do near by
25/02/2022
lovely little get away tucked right in the forrest. The hosts are very keen to please and their dog is absolutely adorable. accommodation was very cosy and felt welcoming. absolutely loved the view in the morning ?
06/02/2022
Fantastic location great host .Would have no hesitation recommending this cottage .
04/02/2022
Very comfortable cottage with good accommodation and in a very quiet location. Ideal for relaxing and recharging the batteries.
09/01/2022
The magic of this place is in its quiet beauty that makes you just slow down and relax. We took our two dogs and they also loved it. Ian couldn’t of been any better as a host….Reminded me of the shop keeper in Mr Ben. There was everything we needed and the cottage was equipped with exactly what you want, including the delicious crusty local bread that we devoured after a long walk. Loved the place.
20/12/2021
I would think carefully before booking. Host and Stay are a terrible business. The property was unclean, dirty utensils, crumbs in cupboards, hair from previous guest, black gunk in the bathroom sink, full dishwasher, frozen milk, no coffee and a broken piece of glass was found. We raised with the owner Ian. Yet nobody will accept any blame, even after photos were shown. I paid for exclusivity of the hot tub yet was asked by the owner if next door could use it. The hot tube isn't by the house as the pictures show. Its up a poor lit path which runs along side the main house and then up a little hill so you walk up in a towel!! The mattress is like a canyon and is very uncomfortable. Its overpriced for what you get and I wouldn't choose to return.
23/10/2021
Peace and quiet in the beautiful Dalby Forest with 7acres of grounds to explore. Breakfast can be ordered from the hosts but the kitchen and cottage are very well equipped to cook your own too. You can also book to use a hot tub and sauna.
15/10/2021
A lovely cottage in a wonderful location. Peaceful and relaxing. The cottage is like home away from home. We would love to return and would highly recommend to family and friends. The hot tub is lovely addition (£10 surcharge, we weren’t aware of this on booking though).
03/10/2021
very nice please, peaceful and beautiful.
Still looking for your perfect property? Explore more of our properties...