Lee Quarry, Llandegla or Macc Forest - Please help me choose

ClimbBoy

Hi

I am out with a some mates this Sat morning (18.02.12) for a couple of hours, so looking for a ride that has withstood the grotty weather best recently.

The options are:

- Llandegla - the trails may be a bit more rideable here but getting a bit bored of it - even the new trails now...

- Lee Quarry - haven't been there for over 6 months and understand there's some new stuff there?

- Macclesfield Forest - parking at Langley, up and over Charity Lane, Three Shires Head, Wincle etc (a pint in The Leather's Smithey is the big draw here...)

How are conditions at all three?

Ice at Lee Quarry? Quagmire at Macc Forest?

Any info very welcome.

Thanks.

delcol

when did you last hit leequarry ?

there's nothing new gone in at lee quarry since feb/march last year....

what about gisburn forest..

NickLCR

Thinking of going upto Lee Quarry on Saturday too, although its looking a bit windy, prefer to go there when its a bit calmer.

papertech202

Was at degla on tuesday and whilst there was no ice there was a great deal of mud, which made some sections (new red back to cafe) really slippery.

peter_booker2003

papertech202 wrote:

Was at degla on tuesday and whilst there was no ice there was a great deal of mud, which made some sections (new red back to cafe) really slippery.

still like this today, but great fun all the same. Should be better by saturday.

stumpyjon

Most of the ice will be gone from the quarry come Saturday, it's north facing so it does tend to linger but it shouldn't get in the way of riding.

Worth keeping an eye open here as I try and keep the trail guide live.

ClimbBoy

delcol wrote:

when did you last hit leequarry ?

there's nothing new gone in at lee quarry since feb/march last year....

what about gisburn forest..

I thought there were a few new bits at Lee?

We are in Lpool and I am on a strict curfew, so those 3 are my options.

Is Gisburn good? Never been.

ClimbBoy

stumpyjon wrote:

Most of the ice will be gone from the quarry come Saturday, it's north facing so it does tend to linger but it shouldn't get in the way of riding.

Worth keeping an eye open here as I try and keep the trail guide live.

Thanks StumpyJon. I can always rely on u for a Lee Q update!

I'll bookmark that site as well thanks.

stumpyjon

Is Gisburn Good

Well I reckon it is but then I'm biased as I built quite a few metres of the trail. It won the MBR readers choice trail of the year award this year :shock: . Full trail guide here.

Got some berms that are 30 feet high, got lots of smaller berms, some rock gardens, some really tight and twisty stuffans some woodwork. About 18km round the red which most people do in 2 to three hours (there's a few short black options as well). You can download the trail map from the link above. I'd describe it as a proper red, not quite Lee Quarry red but definitely Llandegla black.

ClimbBoy

stumpyjon wrote:

Is Gisburn Good

Well I reckon it is but then I'm biased as I built quite a few metres of the trail. It won the MBR readers choice trail of the year award this year :shock: . Full trail guide here.

Got some berms that are 30 feet high, got lots of smaller berms, some rock gardens, some really tight and twisty stuffans some woodwork. About 18km round the red which most people do in 2 to three hours (there's a few short black options as well). You can download the trail map from the link above. I'd describe it as a proper red, not quite Lee Quarry red but definitely Llandegla black.

And what are the trail conditions like do u think there?

I heard it doesn't drain well

stumpyjon

Pretty good, most of the ice has gone, Hully Gully (home of the big berms) is a little slippy this time of year. It went through a bad patch the first winter after it openned, some of the contractor built stuff fell apart. The forestry team and the volunteers have done a lot of repair and rebuild work since then. It can get wet after heavy rain (especially the stream crossings) but it's not a mud fest.

delcol

ClimbBoy wrote:

delcol wrote:

when did you last hit leequarry ?

there's nothing new gone in at lee quarry since feb/march last year....

what about gisburn forest..

I thought there were a few new bits at Lee?

We are in Lpool and I am on a strict curfew, so those 3 are my options.

Is Gisburn good? Never been.

not since they put the new pumptracks and those 3 drops in (next to the pump tracks) and there's the little cut off at the top of the climb (the teccy rocky one) and made the tables bigger.. thats the last bit of work they did at lee quarry..

gisburn is a good day out well worth a visit.. it's better in the dry...

grant43

its a bit wet up here but lees looking fine im going up there in morning ill be on a blue commencal hardtail heading over to cragg too