The channel Islands are nestled out in the English Channel, between the coasts of England and France, sporting more sunny days than anywhere else in the UK. With a landmass of just 119.5 km square and a total elevation of just 143 metres, you would think that mountain biking would not be high on the agenda of local residents in this small and wealthy tax haven isle! But this is where we were wrong, as with a population of 100,000 people it is amazing to think they have five bike shops on offer and be it road or MTB, biking plays a massive part in the islanders lives.
We had beautiful coastal views all around out to France and England. Our guides, both cross country and enduro racers, Richard and Mark, have been biking for years and told us of a very suprising amount of Enduro races they have raced there and even downhills events; both having short stages making the best out of the islands short trails. But we weren’t here to race, we were just here to ride and see what Jersey had to offer to potential holiday bikers in the form of fun; could that 143 metre elevation be enough for good days in the saddle?
With no trail centres or bike parks to speak of all trails are natural as they come. The coastal stuff is shared with walkers, a polite hello and easing off the trail speed keeps them happy and friendly, unlike certain upper class parts of the UK, as they just seem happy to be out and about. Many of the coastal paths are up and down, a dusty mix of hard packed sand and shale, short sections of orange and brown unique rocks to test those tyres and suspension on. Lots of the trails are littered with wooden steps, making things more interesting and technical. Riding with these guys you can see how they have connected lots of these sections up with the odd road transition to make the most out of the island’s terrain.
Move inland and the riding changes, as we were offered deep dark woods with fertile soil and short sections of the most fun techy corners, where locals have carved out smile making turns. We spent some time in these sections acting like big kids, getting the bikes sideways in the corners, then off we went to where one of the island’s enduro races are held. This is on farmland and after a field start entered another very green woodland, winding its way down through the lush green vegetation over the odd jump, making very good use of the hill’s contours. It really was great to get a couple of day’s riding in, never repeating the same terrain and feeling surprisingly tired afterwards, even with the low gradient. The island is quite populated with it’s small size and by a surprising amount of wealth, drawn over by the massive tax breaks; it’s amazing to see so many fast sports cars on an island with a max speed limit of 60 kph; unbelievable!
Why ride in Jersey
As we said, Jersey has more days of sunshine than any other part of the UK. it is simple to get to by boat or plane via the UK or France and the sights are fantastic. If you are a person who likes the finer things in life, posh shops, lovely eateries and plenty of bike shops to offer repairs for those often needed holiday ride breakages then it has it all. But the trails are such fun and bikers aren’t shunned like in parts of the UK, plus the beautiful beaches are a worthy respite from all that riding!
Getting to Jersey
From the UK we flew with Flybe, but lots of others are available, including Easyjet, these flights are offered from most of the major airports across the UK and readily available and relatively cheap. Ferry prices from the UK can be obtained from Jersey Travel. From France and other parts of Europe there are ferry and flight options (it’s cheaper to get there and back from France too) for these check out your local travel agent for details.
Getting around Jersey
With Jersey being thoroughly populated with small towns and lots of rural habitation there are plenty of local buses and taxis, plus bike hire is available from some of the bike shops if you didn’t want to take your bike over or wanted to do more of the family thing. Check out Jersey Bike Hire for more info on this.
What bike to take to jersey
With the elevation being low and the trails being pretty mellow in the most part, we would recommend a short-travel bike for the trails on offer, something light and fun, bring your big 160 mm enduro weapon and you will find yourself struggling up the many short climbs and road sections and way too over-biked. We took our test Intense Primer 29 and this did really seem like the perfect bike for those type of trails.
What else can be done in Jersey
With Jersey being an island of wealth and surrounded by beautiful beaches, there are lots to do in the form of activities. Watersports obviously are a biggy over there, with water Skiing, Jet skiing, wind surfing etc and if you can’t be bothered with all that and just wish to chill, the weather is mostly good during the summer for that good old beach sun bathing. With it’s many paths horse riding is also high up on the agenda of activities, as is walking. The sites are especially interesting, as Jersey was the closest place to England to be under German occupancy during the second world war; their influences in coastal defences can be seen everywhere around the island and is very fascinating.
On the local enduro track, we get loose and our efforts were rewarding!
We would like to offer a massive thanks to Rich and Mark from Remap clothing (check out our Leopard Bib Shorts review) for having us over and showing us their fantastic country. For more information on Jersey check out the official website.
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