In the heart of Yorkshire, the world’s largest dry stone wall maze is being created
Mark Ellis, a specialist dry stone waller with almost 30 years of experience joined up with Friends of Dalby Forest and Forestry England to create the world's largest dry stone wall maze in the heart of Dalby Forest.
Each stone is being carved and laid out by hand, as is the tradition with dry stone walling. The finished maze will consist of 4 inner circular walls, encased by 5 square walls to create a labyrinth for visitors to navigate through. Interesting features are being added, such as squeezer stiles - originally designed to let people past but keeping sheep contained, smout holes - designed to let sheep through but not people, bee boles - created to keep the bee hive warm in winter and protect it from the elements and a few other surprises.
A planned record breaker
Once complete, the maze will be the largest in the world at 80 x 80 metres, with over 4,000 tonnes of regional stone being used in it's construction. When opened, the maze will offer hours of fun for curious forest dwellers.
A line of trees has been removed to create an entrance to the maze which allows the summer solstice sunrise to shine through onto the centre of the maze perfectly, similar to Stonehenge.
Make your mark and be part of history
Support us in this huge undertaking by buying a stone with your initials carved into it. You will be able to explore the maze with loved ones to find your stone and leave your mark on this feature in the Dalby Forest landscape.
Consider a stone for an occasion such as: a birthday, wedding or anniversary gift, or maybe to remember someone special.
Volunteer with the Friends of Dalby Forest
Are you looking to getting hands on with the maze or the wider projects Friends of Dalby Forest get involved with?
Friends of Dalby Forest hold regular volunteer days, which are family friendly and inclusive. The group meet in the forest every 2nd Sunday of the month, from 9am to around midday.
Bring suitable footwear and be prepared to get mucky!
So... what's a smout hole?
The finished maze will highlight a range of iconic features often found in Yorkshire's dry stone walls. From compass stones and smout holes to bee boles and squeezer stiles.
A smout hole is a hole built into the wall large enough to let sheep through but too small for cattle, perfect for children to hide in and surprise their parents.
Many of the maze's features are available for sponsorship, perfect for a family joint gift or local community business.
Our project partners
Friends of Dalby Forest
Friends of Dalby Forest (Registered Charity Number 1125882) are a group of volunteers who meet regularly in Dalby Forest to enhance the facilities and settings for all visitors, on a wide range of Forestry England approved projects. Their volunteer time is vital to helping us on site and raising funds for projects like the Maze.
Mark Ellis
Mark conceived the idea for and designed the maze, which is being built by him and two other local craftsmen, Mark Simpson and John Wharton. Mark Ellis is a specialist dry stone waller who started his business in 1994 from his Farndale base in the heart of the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors. Over the years along with rebuilding traditional dry stone walls, Mark has also been commissioned by his clients to design and build bespoke stone wall garden landscapes.
Mark first had the idea to build a dry stone wall maze in 1999, and with the help of North Yorkshire Council, Forestry England and Friends of Dalby Forest, the first foundation stones were laid in September 2014.
Our supporters and fundraisers
The construction of the Dry Stone Wall Maze wouldn’t be possible without the contributions from the following people and organisations.
- Friends of Dalby Forest
- Mark Ellis
- Arts Council England
- North York Moors Association
- North York Moors National Park
- And all the individuals and families who have contributed to ‘Buy a Stone’.
