Lee/Cragg Quarry VS Coed Llandegla

capoz77

Still not had chance to go to Degla, but according to a mate the trails there (especially the unmarked trails?) are way superior to Lee+Cragg Quarry where i've been riding of late.

From videos i've seen degla seems very smooth, more forest singletrack, with lots of chicken wired wood bits.

So how do they compare from a technical point of view and overall bang for your peddling buck?

getonyourbike

The degla black seems for like a fun blasts with lots of tabletops, jumps and windy singletrack than a really technical trail. I've never been but that's how it seems from watching quite a few helmet/chest cam videos.

shm_uk

Llandegla and Lee/Cragg are chalk and cheese really, both very different and not really comparable. Depends what you're after.

Llandegla is generally smooth, fast, flowy, nothing particularly technical. Typical forest singletrack. A few sections of 'wood bits' as you put it, but not a lot.

The Lee/Cragg trails are on a more compact site, a lot more technical, more varied surface. Being disused quarries, there's no trees, very exposed if it's wet/windy.

shm_uk

getonyourbike wrote:

The degla black seems for like a fun blasts with lots of tabletops, jumps and windy singletrack than a really technical trail. I've never been but that's how it seems from watching quite a few helmet/chest cam videos.

it's probably worth mentioning, you can ride the Black as bravely as you like - the tabletops & jumps are easily rollable if you're not into all that stuff

the Llandegla Red & Black routes are very similar in terms of technicality, the main difference being the length of the route & there's a few more climbs on the Black.

personally, I find the Red more fun overall ...

omegas

capoz77 wrote:

and overall bang for your peddling buck?

Depends on what you are looking for , to some people they are both just playgrounds even though they are very different .

homers_double

Very different place IMO, Llandegla is man made and feels it. Cafe, body armour, 6" travel bikes, trails through the trees etc. That said its one of my fave trail centres.

Lee and Cragg quarries are exposed, quiet and exposed. No cafe etc and can punish you and yur bike. Bloody good fun though.

Both are worth a trip, but different in their own ways.

capoz77

My fav trails are technical XC, apart from some berms which were quite a steep learning curve for me, cragg quarry in particular left me very happy.

Favourite natural ride is grit and gears 1 + 2, ascend to the cat and fiddle, then descend over wildborclough and the rocky river bed descent.

I'm not a fan of air, northshore, uber steep stuff or very narrow forest tracks so would Degla be a no?

davewalsh

homers double wrote:

body armour, 6" travel bikes

Lost of people go to Llandegla completely overbiked

capoz77 wrote:

I'm not a fan of air, northshore, uber steep stuff or very narrow forest tracks so would Degla be a no?

No need to get big air, everything there is rollable. There's about 20 yards of Northshore on the red route and the 'drop shore' on the black. Both aren't overy long and make a nice change from the gravel. Can't remember anything uber-steep and the trail is quite wide in all places.

If you like tech XC and berms, I'd say give it a go, you should enjoy it

1mancity2

Degla as said before it fast and flows well, all rollable, Lee quarry is the better of the two IMO very techy and now its linked to Cragg makes a good ride.

The Jump track at Degla looks good fun.

There is talk of Lee and Cragg being linked to another quarry, I have to say I love Lee quarry and the development over the last two years just shows what can be achieved if funded and planned properly.

welshkev

capoz77 wrote:

I'm not a fan of air, northshore, uber steep stuff or very narrow forest tracks so would Degla be a no?

the 'black' sections at llandegla are not worthy of a black rating in my opinion, there's nothing there that can't just be rolled. yes you can get some air if you hit some of the stuff fast but stay at your own pace and keep your wheels on the ground

if you miss out the black bits (the trail isn't as fun) but there's nothing testing at all really

everything there is wide, not too steep, rollable jumps and only 1 'north shore' bit, that looks quite scary when you're up there but is actually a piece of wee wee

1mancity2

"rollable jumps and only 1 'north shore' bit, that looks quite scary when you're up there but is actually a piece of wee wee "

X2

capoz77

Is there a chicken run for the uber high northshore bit?

welshkev

capoz77 wrote:

Is there a chicken run for the uber high northshore bit?

yes, there is.

but give it a go. it's a straight line with a steepish drop on the end..all rollable, you may suprise yourself

1mancity2

The northsore bit is wide and you don't feel like your high up really, as you reach the end just watch the roll out as it dips and falls away so if your nailing it like i did you miss the runout and land to flat which is fun but scary :shock:

stumpyjon

I must admit I was totally underwhelmed by that northshore bit.

Amyway maps are now available for Lee & Cragg Quarries, you can download them from www.pmba.org.uk (we've also had loads printed, copies can be picked up from Ride On in Rawtenstall). There are fairly advanced plans for linking the quarries to Facit Quarry and less developed plans for linking to a fourth quarry. There's also a feasibilty study being done about more facitlites in Futures Park although it's early days. I'll post up more on www.pmba.org.uk when I know it.

welshkev

stumpyjon wrote:

I must admit I was totally underwhelmed by that northshore bit.
.

me too, i thought it would be bigger (no jokes, oh yeah it's ok it's not the crudcatcher )

grant43

live near lee quarry so lee and cragg are my local tracks craggs a good laugh and you can hammer a few laps in,went to llandegla about a month ago and was very impressed was totally different to lee and cragg hoping to go back soon,gisburn forest is good 2

Muttly1981

stumpyjon wrote:

I must admit I was totally underwhelmed by that northshore bit.

I'd seen loads of videos of the northshore drop and thought christ thats a monster then i actually rode it without realising until a mate pointed it out :-s

As for Degla and Lee i ride both regular and although i like Lee quarry the shortness of the runs are the problem for me, i feel just as i'm getting into the groove it's time to push back up and have another go. The section through the feilds at the end is absolutely fantastic though i'd actually pay uplift just to ride that one section over and over all day As for Degla what can i say apart from i love it, everythings rollable which is good for when i take newbies for a blast round but when you give it some you can get great air without the risk of a tree jumping out at you.

omegas

welshkev wrote:

capoz77 wrote:

I'm not a fan of air, northshore, uber steep stuff or very narrow forest tracks so would Degla be a no?

the 'black' sections at llandegla are not worthy of a black rating in my opinion, there's nothing there that can't just be rolled. yes you can get some air if you hit some of the stuff fast but stay at your own pace and keep your wheels on the ground

if you miss out the black bits (the trail isn't as fun) but there's nothing testing at all really

everything there is wide, not too steep, rollable jumps and only 1 'north shore' bit, that looks quite scary when you're up there but is actually a piece of wee wee

I was talking to some lads at Llandegla one day and they were telling me how they had just done the black and how it was not challenging enough for them, they also told me it took them 1 ½ hours to get round , well I fell over laughing.

The moral of the story is it’s only as challenging as you make it.

welshkev

omegas wrote:

welshkev wrote:

capoz77 wrote:

I'm not a fan of air, northshore, uber steep stuff or very narrow forest tracks so would Degla be a no?

the 'black' sections at llandegla are not worthy of a black rating in my opinion, there's nothing there that can't just be rolled. yes you can get some air if you hit some of the stuff fast but stay at your own pace and keep your wheels on the ground

if you miss out the black bits (the trail isn't as fun) but there's nothing testing at all really

everything there is wide, not too steep, rollable jumps and only 1 'north shore' bit, that looks quite scary when you're up there but is actually a piece of wee wee

I was talking to some lads at Llandegla one day and they were telling me how they had just done the black and how it was not challenging enough for them, they also told me it took them 1 ½ hours to get round , well I fell over laughing.

The moral of the story is it’s only as challenging as you make it.

what do you mean? you fell over laughing? you mean them saying that it wasn't challenging enough for them?

if you do, what i meant by not worthy of the black rating is that at afan, cwmcarn, nant yr araian and coed y brenin there's stuff just like the black at llandeglacand it's graded red :?

and just to say, it's not that challenging at llandegla, if i was to ride it faster it would be a bit more interesting, but challenging...not really

but like you say, it depends on what you ride and what you're used to

and why are you laughing at 1.5 hrs to get around? you think that's slow or fast?

Ryan Jones

1.5 hours seems reasonable unless you're on your own setting times to go around ! Nothing too difficult unless you hit the jumps (rockshox reverb please?) but I did feel underwhelmed after Coed-Y-Brenin, however I can see the appeal of llandegla !