The mining basin of northern France is a flat, open country that seems to have been built entirely by hand, and among the first things you notice are the hills that nature never put there. They are the terrils, the slag heaps of the coal mines, some of them more than a hundred metres high, and around Courrières they punctuate the horizon between rows of brick houses. The Cité Saint-Paul belongs to this world: a miners' housing estate, laid out by the mining company with its rows of uniform houses, gardens, schools and a church, so that a worker could live, shop and pray within the company's reach.
Courrières has a name that still carries weight. On 10 March 1906 a coal-dust explosion tore through the pits here, and more than a thousand men and boys died, making it the worst mining disaster in European history. Rescue efforts went on for weeks, and a handful of survivors were found alive after twenty days underground. The event shook France, led to labour unrest and helped to bring in reforms for mine safety, and the memorials in the area keep its memory alive. UNESCO listed the Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin in 2012, as an outstanding example of an industrial landscape and the communities it created.
Riding in the basin is not about corners. The roads are long, straight and often cobbled, running between villages that merge into one another, with level crossings and roundabouts and a lot of local traffic. The surface is generally fair, but the setts, called pavés, can be slippery in rain, so go gently. What you get instead is a sense of place: the angular silhouettes of pit-head frames, the red brick, the silent slag heaps now covered in birch and wildflowers. The light on a winter afternoon, low and amber on the brick, is particularly good.
Courrières, a couple of kilometres off, has fuel stations, bakeries, supermarkets and cafés, so you will not go hungry. Try a plate of carbonnade, beef stewed in beer, or a Maroilles tart made with the strong local cheese, and a glass of northern beer. The Louvre-Lens museum and the Vimy memorial, both close, are fine additions to a day, and an early start makes the whole ride easier.