AN Islander ‘collected’ every giant tortoise sculpture on Durrell’s summer trail in a one-day 100km bike ride.
It is not the first time that Neil Gray has collected giant animals by visiting each one, having done the same for Durrell’s Go Wild Gorillas trail in 2019.
Mr Gray, who works for finance firm Morningstar and runs the Instagram account @jerseycycleci, said: ‘There are more in town this year, which I think is a great thing because it means people who can’t get out in buses and cars have tortoises in town.’
Leaving at around 7.30am, Neil rode about 107km, making it home around 1pm.
Some tortoises were harder to access, Mr Gray said, including one halfway down La Rocque Pier, and others in St Catherine’s Woods and at Devil’s Hole.
He added: ‘I just had to walk the bike down to the bottom of Devil’s Hole. That was probably the most challenging.’
He added: ‘It was just a fun way for an adult going out on their own and not looking quite so weird.’
He said that he had struck up conversations with curious people along the way.
Mr Gray added that cycling the tortoise trail took him to roads than he is not used to.
A regular at cycling club Jersey Rouleurs, he is used to 50-60km rides.
‘We have got so many great lanes, the roads are great,’ he said.
Asked which tortoise was his favourite, Mr Gray said that he enjoyed Shell-f Reflection, at Moulin de Quétivel (designed by The Beach and sponsored by Standard Bank), as well as The Jersey Royal at St Martin’s Village Green (designed by Hannah Jayne Lewin and sponsored by PwC), as well as Sanctuary, designed by Gabriella Street, which was chosen by Princess Anne in her role as patron at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.
