I went to Lee/Cragg quarry for the first time in nearly two years. I know there were plans for a cafe and bike shop ?run by a local shop? There was even talk of it opening for the Tour d France. What’s happened to these plans because there’s no sign of anything at all – even the portaloo has gone! Has it officially been cancelled, is it indefinitely on the back burner or is it still going ahead.

The whole place had a bit of a feel of faded grandeur and needing a bit of a TLC and love (although a November Tuesday might not be the best light). In the past each time I’ve been there’s been something new, a bit more trail, a tweak here or there, new signs and so on. This time nothing new, the car park was covered in litter and glass and lots of the signs were broken or missing.

I hope the local authority haven’t lost interest and moved on to something else. It was still a great ride and the trails were in great condition. It would just be nice not to worry about the safety of my car all the way round and have somewhere to go to the loo and change at the end.

what your after?

I suspect the more modern varieties had recently been parked up in the ‘car park’

these types?

Seems to be a perennial problem for Lee Quarry.

Officially there are only 60,000 of ‘them’, but they do seem to make a lot of mess and disruption about the place.

I still find Cragg quarry a real gem to ride round, although I agree a bit better signage and TLC would be welcome.

Last time at Lee Quarry I made the mistake of following the MTB pathway down to the car park and finding myself riding back down through the travellers caravan area….Thinking I might get shouted at, my fear of human interaction was quickly forgotten when two dogs roaming about on the loose decided I was fair game…luckily I was already warmed up from the morning’s ride and managed to set a new strava segment time across ‘pikey’s hollow’ 😀

Ride On are supposed to be moving up there. they’ve got the planning permission and i believe they’re now waiting for the construction to start

Lee Quarry to get a trailhead

I really enjoy Cragg Quarry – but I always have this uneasy feeling about being up there by myself!! Sort of worried about my decomposed body being eaten by wolves, that kind of thing. The link back to Lee is great fun, I don’t remember it being that bermed or jumpy, perhaps its weathered in?

I had heard about Ride On getting planning permission to move there, I’d just wondered as given it is now a year later and nothing seems to have been built if this was still the plan

skydragon – Member
I still find Cragg quarry a real gem to ride round, although I agree a bit better signage and TLC would be welcome.

Last time at Lee Quarry I made the mistake of following the MTB pathway down to the car park and finding myself riding back down through the travellers caravan area….Thinking I might get shouted at, my fear of human interaction was quickly forgotten when two dogs roaming about on the loose decided I was fair game…luckily I was already warmed up from the morning’s ride and managed to set a new strava segment time across ‘pikey’s hollow’No joke though is it? While You, I and every other good citizen is sorting our rubbish and recycling like good little drones, there are these hordes dumping conifer clippings, shitty mattresses and old Calor gas bottles about the place with impunity.

Was a while since I last rode there, but it was great, with the (then) new Cragg Quarry extension. However the Mrs refuses to ride there, because the only time she came up must have been after another band of happy campers had been in residence – if you play word association with her, the words “Lee Quarry” trigger the immediate response “dog shit and broken glass”. (To be accurate, not all the excrement was from animals.)

The route signage around Lee is diabolical; have they all been nicked and whittled into clothespegs?

Old quarry the grounds contaminated and the council wont contribute to the cleaning of it,wont be anything built there any time soon,this came from Craig at Ride-on

Old quarry the grounds contaminated and the council wont contribute to the cleaning of it,wont be anything built there any time soon,this came from Craig at Ride-on

Boo!

this is good. im fairly certain it would be a doomed venture and a bad move for ride-on. not a fan of Lee Quarry but i just dont see there being enough trade for them. i can ride there from my house over the moor but rarely bother becasue its bob. but if we do we certainly wouldnt head down to the bottom. daytrippers? surely just go to Hebden, cock hill or Gisburn? i know it will always have its fans but im not sure there are enough to justify that big old development!

Contaminated how exactly?

Are the pikeys just on the lower car park, or have they broke gates and using top for dumping ground?

that place is Desperate for some trees to be planted around and through it, that would change the dynamic 100% … IMO yet again.
and it would help shield from that constant infernal bluddy wind that’s always there too.
plus trees are Lovely and really really good for the planet (apparently) 😉

Officially there are only 60,000 of ‘them’, but they do seem to make a lot of mess and disruption about the place

the real source is the locals who store up all their crap until travelling folk arrive and then go and dump it next to the caravans

“dog shit and broken glass”.

unfortunately there seem to be a selection of locals who walk their dog by taking it into Futures Park and letting the dog loose while they have a fag

as for developing a trailhead, it seems that there should be a scandal about a significant waste of public money, but there won’t be. Nor is it likely that anyone will build there.

It’s an old industrial site don’t know what it’s contaminated with but it’s not the pikeys dumping stuff

Steady on you folks dont you be dissuading digga with facts it “them” who are to blame OK

I consider the free logs as a bonus when I visit Lee Quarry, that’s wood variety rather the dog kind…

Steady on you folks dont you be dissuading digga with facts it “them” who are to blame OK

plenty of mtber’s defecating near the car park

locals also decide to use the woods in preference to their toilets when travellers are there to reinforce local stereotypes and prejudices

The whole place had a bit of a feel of faded grandeur and needing a bit of a TLC and love

Was up there a few weeks back and thought the same, just like Dalby. Didn’t see any caravans although Crag was getting ruined by youths on motorbikes/scooters.

Does it need a cafe with the town literally on the doorstep?

I don’t care who’s dumping the rubbish etc but the bottom line is that the current start of the trails is far from appealing. It is not a very nice place to park your car and set off for a ride. I know that an urban environment is not the same as a FC wood but if they want to entice people to ride there (which I think was the rationale behind the trail developement) a few improvements would go a long way.
Last time I was at Lee there seemed to be lots of enthusiasm and ideas for biking in the area and it was sad that these seem to have come to not much. It made me a bit sad TBH

I do not doubt this B n D but digga was the one describing “them” as the ones responsible for everything there. I am sure he will return and accept he was wrong to be so judgemental and accept the views of informed locals.

the enthusiasm still exists, just sometimes things take longer than you would like

plenty of people giving their freetime to make things better

i was involved in the original big lottery bid for the site when the plan was to create the adrenaline gateway…once the bid got rejected for short-listing it deflated everyone’s enthusiasm
the work that has been done since, to me, seemed like a small consolation prize. its good, dont get me wrong, but the spend/project size was peanuts compared to what was originally planned.
on the plus side the current work does show the potential of the site

I often ride through Lee on the way home from work. I always make a point of stopping and having a big poo in the middle of the car park. Its an absolute scandal that those charming caravan-dwelling people-of the-road are subsequently blamed for my behaviour. They get a really bum deal from my bum 😉

Junkyard – lazarus
I do not doubt this B n D but digga was the one describing “them” as the ones responsible for everything there. I am sure he will return and accept he was wrong to be so judgemental and accept the views of informed locals

I have evicted more of “them” from industrial land than you have ever had to deal with. It is no laughing matter when you have to go to negotiate with them, face to face.

We’ve also had the pleasure of their company a few times at our local downhill trails. The less said about that the better (for your spurious argument anyway).

I know the MO. I also know not all travellers work to it – there are those whose impact is minimal to zero. I am sure that Lee, like many other places in the UK – beautiful or not so – suffers from its fair share of local, mindless tipping.

Whilst your opinions are valid, I am not sure by what authority you have the audacity and temerity to attempt to tell me what to think. Thank you, but I will keep my own opinions.