France's coalfield is a long, narrow band that runs from Béthune in the west to the Belgian border in the east, and at its eastern end, around Valenciennes, the ground still carries traces of the first mines. The Anzin company, which controlled much of this area in the nineteenth century, dug shafts, built pumping stations and laid out workers' housing, and in 1884 Émile Zola came to the district to research Germinal, his great novel of a miners' strike. The ensemble at La Sentinelle includes the old pumping engine house of the Sarteau pit, a survivor from that early industrial age, and the nearby Cités de Beaurepaire, rows of company housing for miners and their families. The whole mining basin was listed by UNESCO in 2012.
The country is flat and gently rolling, a mix of fields, small towns and the dark cones of old slag heaps, called terrils, which now sprout birch and wildflowers. Roads here are mostly straight and well surfaced, with roundabouts every few hundred metres and plenty of traffic. This is not scenic riding in the Alpine sense, but it has a strong character, and the sight of a terril against a pale northern sky is unforgettable. Cobbled sections, called pavé, appear on some minor roads, and they are slippery in rain, so take care.
La Sentinelle has about three thousand people and Petite-Forêt about five thousand, so fuel and food are within reach, and Valenciennes, the nearest city, is a short ride away with all services. The region's cuisine is hearty, with beer, potatoes, cheese and the strong-smelling Maroilles. A plate of carbonade flamande and a glass of local beer after a day in the cold is the right kind of reward.
Spend a little time on the human story. The mines were hard and dangerous, and generations of families lived and worked within sight of the pithead. The pump house, quiet now, carries something of that history in its brick walls and tall windows. Look for the brickwork, which is rich in detail, and imagine the engine breathing.