Reviews for Lee Quarry Mountain Bike Trails

Summary:
love it love it love it :)

Review:
sun wind rain and maybe snow.......i still love this place......its not gisburn but still a top place to spend the day when its not too windy or wet...

Summary:
Good trail, but a bit start and stoppy.

Review:
Quite a short trail, but halfway through the trail there are 2 red runs and a black run which are short, but you can repeatedly ride them then move on and finish the trail. The 3 runs all end up at a practise area where there are wooden beams to practise on, and even a bike see-saw which is all good fun. There was also a practise ring for jumps at the bottom of the quarry.

All in all a good trail, which people seem to use for a quick blast around after work etc

Summary:
Fantastic but not when windy!

Review:
I tried this spot a week ago today and it was EPIC! as mentioned above there really is something for everyone here.

One massive plus is that due to the layout of the tracks and trails here you are never more than 2 or 3 km from the car/van.

BIG tip though... I enjoyed last Saturday so much that I went again on Thursday but drove an horu to get there and found we were the only people up there... with good reason. If it is slightly breezy down on teh ground you WILL get blown off your bike up on the quarry trails! I still enjoyed it, just the lack of any shelter from the elements means it can be so so sooooo windyand kinda spoil the fun of the downhill sections. Mother nature is probably just jealous though as she could not have built trails and jumps like these!

The windy weather is all that stops me giving this a 10!

BIG THANKS TO THE GUYS THAT BUILT THIS SPOT IT IS A GEM!

Summary:
Turned into a great mountain biking venue

Review:
The route starts with a pretty severe uphill section which takes you up to the level of the quarry itself. From there the route is pretty clearly posted and contours round a disused quarry.

The Red trail is maybe 6km so not huge by any means but the long term plan is to link trails between two more quarries. I found the red route to be great fun which augers well for the project. The last kilometre or so is a very fast flowing descent with a genuinely gnarly bit it the middle. Even its shortness works for it as I always seemed to arrive at the bottom and think ‘I could do that better’ and before you knew it I would be peddling up that hill again.

In 2010 some new sections of track were added which again are well thought out and add to the experience. Basically there are 3 sections all of which start at the same point and finish in the freeride area. Two of the sections are red and one black. All are great fun and can be sessioned by riding back up to the start point. So a great place to try to improve your flow or fiddle with your settings and see what works.

The black route is a spur to the main red route and it is definitely worth taking a bit of protection if you want to do it. Basically this section is a large number of slabs that descend the side of the quarry into the quarry itself. Though definitely a test of nerve, as it is steep and exposed in parts, I found it lacked flow as you have huck your bike over the gaps in the different sized slabs. Well either that or have your fillings shaken loose. So a challenge but not massively fun is how I would describe the black route.

In around May 2010 another trail at nearby Cragg Quarry was opened which is about a 3 KM circuit. There is no great drop in height as the exit is only about 5 metres from the entrance so easily loop able and the trail undulates quite nicely round another disused quarry. Red arrows on the rocks mark the trail and it is fairly easy to follow. Opinions on Cragg Quarry are pretty varied. I like it and to get the best of it I think it helps if you are fresh. With no gravity to assist you have to pump every back slope and keep the cranks turning on the flat. In other words if you try and coast it I think you could be disappointed. Commit yourself to riding it like a big pump track, carve those berms, carry that speed and Cragg Quarry will reward you. (To get to Cragg Quarry first it is easiest to road park somewhere beyond the Buck Inn in Cowpe (postcode BB4 7AB) and go straight up the very steep road).

There is a route linking the two quarries part of which was a bog fest the last time I rode it in July but September saw big buckets of stone being helicoptered in to finish the job so there should be a decent trail linking the two by now. Taken together Lee and Cragg Quarry are turning into a great little mountain bike venue and all credit to Lancashire County Council for showing the initiative to turn a couple of disused quarries into a community asset. Not to mention excellent ground work from Daffyd Davis and Rowan Sorrell who were all involved I believe. All we need now is a café.

Summary:
Absolute Class!!

Review:
Something for everyone, and I mean EVERYONE!!. There has been so much work been put in up there its quite amazing (so a big thanks to who ever is responsible!). The longest I've had chance to spend there is a couple of hours, and couldn't get close to riding everything that place has to offer. Every hill you walk round reveals another set of perfectly built sweeping berms into a few fun jumps. Definitely my favorite place to ride lately.
If your like me, and dont take it too seriousley, love blasting around some 'not too scary' jumps and fast berms on yer hardtail, as apposed to dragging round a huge DH bike, then this is the place to go. Every trail seems like it was specially built for hardtails and with a lot of thought too! every berm and bump seems to flow brilliantly and send you flying into the next weird and wonderful section build. All the trails allow you to test yourself at speeds but also take it easy if you want and go at your own pace (so no 'make or break' stuff).
Basically, this place is as much fun on a hardtail as Hamsterly forest is on a ful sus.
The only thing I would say it needed was maybee a few bigger drops and jumps (a little bit more like Hamsterley) and a couple of trails to really test you when you're feeling brave, and it definitely seems like there's space for them up there.
To add to all this though there's the perfect example of how a pump track should be built thats great to ride with almost endless lines and of course the amazing views that you get up there, after the 20 min walk straight up!!! (but the ride back down to the car is well worth it!

But must agree with Johnboyo, everytime I was about to releive my bladder, some bugger seemed to appear right infront of me! plant some bushes please!