Mining companies in northern France did more than dig coal. They built housing, schools, churches, shops and clinics, so that workers' lives were shaped from birth to burial by the company, and the Goutte de Lait, the Drop of Milk, is a piece of that system. The name refers to the charitable clinics set up across France from the late nineteenth century to give mothers advice and clean milk for their babies, in an age when infant mortality was terrifying. In Auchel, the building belonged to the mining community, and it is listed as part of the Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin.
Auchel and its neighbours Calonne-Ricouart and Cauchy-à-la-Tour sit on the southern edge of the basin, where the plain starts to roll into the hills of the Artois. The landscape here is greener than around Lens and Douai, with fields and woods behind the mining villages, but the terrils and pit-head buildings are still visible. Many of the miners who worked here came from Poland and other countries in the 1920s, and their influence survives in names, churches and clubs. The Marles mining company, which ran the pits around Auchel, shaped the town's streets and its civic life.
Riding in the area is easy and unhurried. The roads run in gentle undulations through villages of brick houses, with local traffic and the occasional lorry, and the surface is mostly good, apart from setts in some of the old centres. The nearby slopes give some bends and views, and the cycling and walking trails along old mine railways attract many visitors. The best time is spring or early autumn, when the light is soft and the fields are bright.
Auchel is large enough for fuel, shops and cafés, and there is a market on certain days. Food is hearty: potjevleesch, a cold terrine of mixed meats, chips with a thick sauce, and rich local cheeses, along with beer rather than wine. If you are curious about the social history of the mines, the local museums are interesting, but check opening hours, since they can be limited. A short walk around the housing nearby shows the way a company could design a town.