Les Vardes quarry gets mountain bike route
A MOUNTAIN biking route is being created around Les Vardes Quarry.
Volunteers from the Guernsey Mountain Bike Association have put in hundreds of hours to help build a new trail that will run parallel with the existing nature walk. They are using special machines to make the ups and downs and rubble-strewn riding spots, in one of the most elevated areas of the north of the island.
The project should be completed in a couple of months’ time, ready for the May Day Bank Holiday.
Guernsey Mountain Bike Association chairman Dan Thwaite said it will include a number of special features.
‘You look for different things when you’re creating a walking trail and a mountain biking trail, the walking trail is generally mellower grades, a wider path,’ he said.
‘On a bike trail you want undulation and features and corners and jumps to enhance the enjoyment of it. It should be fairly accessible to all with a good quality mountain bike, yes there are some ups, it starts with a climb and then descent, but there’s nothing too extreme.
‘To the side we have some alternate lines which have more technical challenge, such as over boulders or rocks or something a little bit steeper.
‘On the top of the hill at the far side of the quarry there’s a massive prominent boulder that you can see from all areas, and I’d like to ride over the top of that, it should be quite exciting.’
Rock from the quarry was used to make some ‘rock gardens’ to ride through.
The pressure of space in a small island means that there are very few areas devoted to mountain biking, so the volunteers jumped at the opportunity when Ronez suggested the idea.
The pandemic bike boom has resulted in increasing numbers of people who want to get out on two wheels and enjoy the benefits of the fresh air.
Ronez director Steve Roussel said the company was delighted to work with the mountain bikers so that more people would be encouraged to experience the beauty of the area.
‘People sometimes have an image of quarries being very desolate areas that don’t encourage wildlife, but I don’t think that’s the case at all.
‘There is a lot of nature and wildlife that adapt and live around the quarry.’
Les Vardes Quarry is anticipated to only have a few years lifespan left as a working quarry. It is currently about 55 metres below sea level at its lowest point, with only around another 10 to 12 metres to go.
