There is a particular kind of street in the old coalfield that outsiders mistake for suburban normality. Rows of identical brick houses, each with a small front garden, line a gently curving road, with a school at one end and a church at the other. These are the cités, built by the mining companies to house their workers, and the Cité des Petits Bois at Liévin is one of them. It belongs to the same family as the cités of the Solitude, named on this ride, and together they tell how a company could organise the life of its men from cradle to pit head.
Liévin itself is a town of thirty-four thousand people on the edge of Lens. It is known for its pits and for a tragedy: in December 1974 an explosion in one of the mines killed forty-two men, and the town still marks the anniversary. In happier times it is known for athletics, and the indoor stadium hosts a well-known meeting in the winter calendar.
As for the riding, expect more of the same as around Lens. The roads are flat and mostly straight, with cobbles in the older streets and speed bumps in the cités. Care is needed at the crossings, where the old railways cut the roads at odd angles. The traffic is thick on the main roads at rush hour, but the side streets are quiet, and a slow wander through a cité can be a quietly interesting half hour. The housing has often been renovated, with new roofs and brighter doors, and many of the residents are proud of the heritage that surrounds them. Please ride gently, since these are lived-in streets and not a museum.
Fuel and food are no trouble. There are stations on all main roads, and the cafes in the centre serve strong coffee and sandwiches filled with chips, a northern habit that foreigners find alarming and then adopt. The Éleu-dit-Leauwette district nearby is smaller but has a bakery or two.
In spring, when the gardens bloom and the allotments are planted, the cités look their best. In winter they are darker and wetter, and the brick takes on a hard grey tone.