Béthune was a mining town on the edge of the Artois, and Pit Number 9 of the Béthune company is one of the surviving complexes that UNESCO included in its listing of the Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin. A mining complex is more than a hole in the ground: there were the winding house and headframe, the screening and washing plants, the offices, the baths where miners scrubbed off the coal dust, the stables for the pit ponies and the railway sidings, and many of these structures stand near Vermelles. Brick, steel and slag dominate the scene, and a sense of effort and anonymity hangs over it.
Vermelles and the surrounding district have another history. In 1915 the area was a battlefield, with the British Army attacking German lines at the Battle of Loos, among the pit-heads and slag heaps, and the headframes themselves were used as observation posts. Many of the villages were wrecked, and mining resumed only after the war. Today a small number of memorials and cemeteries remain, quietly tended and often visited by British families.
In the town of Béthune itself, the belfry and the Grand'Place are also on the UNESCO list, as part of the group of belfries, and the contrast between the elegant square and the industrial heritage is striking. The belfry dates from the fourteenth century, and the Grand'Place was rebuilt in Flemish style after the First World War. Béthune is also known for the Charity of Saint Eloi, a medieval confraternity with elaborate processions.
Riding is flat and simple, with straight roads, cobbles in the town and busy roundabouts. Surfaces are generally good, though setts can be slick in the rain. Late spring and autumn are the best times. Mazingarbe, about four kilometres off, has fuel stations and supermarkets, and Vermelles has smaller services. Local cuisine is hearty, with stews, frites and beer, and a visit to the market in Béthune on market day is rewarding.