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Lee Quarry and Cragg Quarry Mountain Biking
Avg 4.04
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup
Number of Reviews (52)

*You can claim this trail if you are the trail owner

  • Information:
  • Type: MTB Base
  • Grades: Red,Black,Orange
  • Riding: Cross Country,Downhill,Pump Track
  • Facilities: Toilets,Cafe,Car Park
  • Distance(s): Under 5km, 5-10km, 11-20km
  • Country: England
  • County: Lancashire
  • Website: Lee Quarry
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Trail Network & Rider Segments

Trail network status from Trailforks and recent rider segments from Strava (see full mapped routes and details in the Tracks tab).

Trail Status

status via Trailforks.com

Tracks Nearby

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Description

Lee Quarry Mountain Bike trails are in Rossendale in Lancashire. This is an old quarry and so as you would expect it is rocky MTB terrain packed full of drops, berms, and other technical trail features. There is a 7km Red trail, a short 1km Black, a Skills area, two Pump Tracks, and a world-class extensive Trail facility. 

Like this?

Cragg Quarry is also nearby and there's a link trail between Lee and Cragg quarries. Cragg's more of a flowy XC loop. It's popular and reached by a newly constructed bridleway link over Brandwood Lower end moor. You can combine Lee and Cragg Quarry to provide a cross-country route of 17km.

You can also access the Mary Towneley Loop and a host of natural trail routes from nearby the quarry. The natural riding is great both in Lancashire and across the regional border in Calderdale, in West Yorkshire.

Lee Quarry Red

  • The Lee Quarry outer Red MTB trail is around 6km long trail, graded as difficult, with flowing big berms, rock gardens, drop-offs and jumps and is designed with many loops making it great for sessioning and practising those skills.

Lee Quarry Black 

  • The Lee Quarry Black is a short 1km track,  graded as severe, which has all the above but is much more technical and requires excellent bike handling and balance skills at slow speeds at times to navigate the terrain.

Lee Quarry Skills area

  • This incorporates a pump track and areas to practice drop-offs, logs, and berms as well as climbing and descending in rocky terrain. 

Trials Area

  • The Trials area is world-class and has multiple sections. They host nationals here but are set up progressively to encourage beginners into the sport.   

Cragg  Quarry

  • Cragg Quarry has around 6.5km of flowing single-track and can be got to from Lee Quarry by heading south following the newly constructed route across Brandwood Lower End Moor to Rooley Moor Road, turn right (west) and follow the Mary Towneley Loop for just over 1km. If you take the two trails together it is about 17km in total.

Natural Trails

  • It's not just Quarry riding there are lots of natural trails in the area.

Groups and Clubs

Other Stuff

  • If you are looking for a guide or coach in the region then check out Adam at Trail Explorer who works throughout the North West including Lee Quarry and Gisburn Forest
  • Do come prepared (food and clothing wise)
  • The quarry is run by Lancashire Council and is free to the public.
  • The trail was designed by Dafydd Davis and built by local contractor Terra Firma.

Share

  • If you have ridden the mountain bike trails at Lee Quarry or Cragg Quarry then please share your experiences with the community and post your reviews, pictures, videos and tracks to the listing.
Andy:
Avg 4.76
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

Great place

Great place and fantastic views ones up there!

What do you like?

Cragg is great.its nice and fast.lee is more technical and rocky with lots of bits to improve your skills.

What could be improved?

Some time you get motorbike up there going the wrong way on the trail but only every now and then.

Would you recommend?

*Yes*

Date written:

29/10/2017 - about 8 years ago

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Justin Beardsmore:
Avg 4.53
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

Not your usual Trail centre

Excellent place to ride,plenty to challenge you whatever you skill level.I have been riding there for about ten years and it never gets boring.The main black is a proper Technical challenge and the reds are fast and flowing. There are lots of features to test you including two pump tracks Trials features steep chutes and nicely built tabletop jumps.You can easily spend a day there sessioning the trails or make a big loop out of it by taking the path up to Cragg Quarry and back (about 20k.) The final desent is great fun taking you back down to the carpark on tight rocky singletrack then nearer the bottom over a few tabletops and a small double if you hit it fast enough,everything is rollable though. Lee Quarry isnt your usual trail centre but it is a great place to ride and the views are awesome !

What do you like?

Excellent place to Improve your Skills Good technical Challenges Great All weather Trail surface Well built Lines that don't erode or change much Plenty of free parking

What could be improved?

Exposed in parts and can be Windy so caution required on the Jumps Rocky surface that can be painful when you crash so pad up

Would you recommend?

*Yes*

Date written:

29/10/2017 - about 8 years ago

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1
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Dom Baines:
Avg 4.88
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

#northerngrip

Great all round trail selection. Something for everyone. Can easily be done as part of a bigger ride. Sweet flowing trail linking the quarries. No paying for parking. Excellent sandwitch shop for fuelling. Home to a great festival #northerngrip and stages on the PMBA hope enduro series!!

What do you like?

Great all round trail selection. Something for everyone. Can easily be done as part of a bigger ride. Sweet flowing trail linking the quarries. No paying for parking. Excellent sandwitch shop for fuelling. Home to a great festival #northerngrip and stages on the PMBA hope enduro series!!

What could be improved?

Limited facilities when no events are on if I'm being picky

Would you recommend?

*Yes*

Date written:

03/10/2017 - over 8 years ago

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1
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Callum Metcalfe :
Avg 4.47
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

Love The Local!

Fanstatic place to stay and play, or ride and explore. Needs more investment. Very exposed and open to the elements so go prepared!

What do you like?

Great trails that stand up to the traffic and elements very well. A fantastic place to play about and session runs, features and pump tracks. There's a good variety. For those wanting to head out further, there is a nice red route that takes you round Lee Quarry, over to Cragg Quarry and back to Lee Quarry. There's plenty of great trails off the quarries too, so rides can be extended for those who wish to explore.

What could be improved?

There's often a meal wagon at the car park area but there's no facilities. There was talk of investment in the place and a building at the trailhead, run by the local bike shop in conjunction with the local council (Rossendale), but it's still just wasteland. Needs proper facilities, ie secure car park, toilets, bike wash etc, to put it on par with other trail centres.

Would you recommend?

*Yes*

Date written:

03/10/2017 - over 8 years ago

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0
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samh:
Avg 4.65
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

Rocky and Fun

Lee Quarry is a rocky place, so no matter the time of year it's always a good place to ride. It's an excellent place to develop skills. Various pump tracks, skills areas, berms and jumps that can be easily repeated. Your ride can be easily be extended by riding over to Cragg Quarry, or try the Rolling Boars XC routes to add extra miles, which all start from the quarry. A lot of people describe Lee Quarry as a massive playground, this is true, spend a day, ride the red route and explore the quarry. Mainly a red route with some black features. If you have the time to explore the quarry you will find plenty of drops and little DH type runs dotted all over. The ride back from Cragg is fast and long. There's a cafe on the main road opposite the parking area, open 7 days a week and has a toilet. They serve good quality food. Excellent and well stocked bike shop 7 min drive away - Ride On, Rawtenstall Plenty of parking, currently free.

What do you like?

Various pump tracks. Skills area. Great for a short blast. Longer rides, add Cragg Quarry or the Rolling Boars XC Loops. Cafe Opposite. Bike Shop nearby. New pump track at Stubbylee Park, next to parking area. Free parking.

What could be improved?

Quite open so can get windy. Wear helmet, knee, elbow pads. Ground is hard and rocky so can hurt if you fall. Phone signal isn't great.

Would you recommend?

*Yes*

Date written:

22/05/2017 - over 8 years ago

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1
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Tom:
Avg 3.65
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

Great for a quick blast or a longer ride

I ride Cragg more than Lee as I can ride there from my house (looping Lee in would make for a longer ride than time usually allows!). As a inexperienced rider I find Cragg great for technical progression (swoopy bits, punchy climbs, rocks to negotiate) without being overly intimidating. It's great fun to boot. Lee feels a bit more developed: the features are more technical, there are jumps and drops, etc. I find it tougher to ride than Cragg as a consequence, and although there is still plenty to enjoy as a novice I can see more experienced riders getting more out of Lee than I can at present! Although these trails are local to me I would travel to ride something similar, you could certainly make a day of it with a few loops and sessioning some features.

What do you like?

Lots of session-able features. Rocky and hence dry even when the weather is poor. Rarely very busy.

What could be improved?

No trail head to speak of. Rocky and hence a hard landing if you crash. Wind can get high as its quite exposed.

Would you recommend?

*Yes*

Date written:

02/04/2017 - almost 9 years ago

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1
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