The tower of Dunkirk's town hall rises above the centre of a city rebuilt from the ruins of the Second World War, a brick and stone belfry that is part of the World Heritage Site of the Belfries of Belgium and France. Belfries were symbols of civic freedom in the medieval towns of Flanders and northern France, housing bells and sometimes the town's charters, and they stood as proud counterparts to church towers. Dunkirk actually has two listed belfries, the town hall tower and the separate Saint-Éloi belfry beside the church, a reminder of how much these towns valued their bells.
Most people know Dunkirk for one thing: the evacuation of 1940, when hundreds of thousands of British and French soldiers were taken off the beaches and harbour by an armada of ships and small boats under German fire. The city was heavily damaged and was one of the last places in France to be liberated, in May 1945. A museum dedicated to Operation Dynamo explains the story, and the beaches at Malo-les-Bains, east of the centre, look peaceful today, with wide sands and a promenade.
Dunkirk is also famous for its carnival, held in the weeks before Lent, when thousands of people in costumes and wigs parade through the streets, singing and dancing behind bands. The highlight is the throwing of smoked herrings from the balcony of the town hall, beneath this very belfry, to the crowd below. It is loud, joyful and slightly mad, and not for the shy.
The riding country is flat, windy and open, with long straight roads, canals and fields. The A16 motorway connects Dunkirk with Calais and Belgium, while smaller roads lead through the Flemish countryside to towns like Bergues, with its walls and its own belfry, and Cassel, on a hill with views over the plain. The wind off the North Sea can be strong, and rain is common.
The city has fuel, workshops, restaurants and hotels. Local food is Flemish: moules-frites, potjevleesch, a cold terrine of mixed meats in jelly, and beer from the region's breweries. A walk on the beach at Malo after a day's ride, with the wind in your face and the lights of ships on the horizon, clears the head.