In Bruay-la-Buissière, the streets of one mining estate carry the names of composers, which is where the Cités des Musiciens get their name. The mining company laid out housing in neat rows of brick, with gardens, pavements and modest decorative touches, and gave the lanes names such as Mozart, Berlioz and Bizet, a gesture that mixes paternalism with a certain poetry. Whether the miners cared much about the choice is another question, but the estates have a distinctive atmosphere, and they are listed by UNESCO as part of the Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin.
Bruay grew rapidly in the second half of the nineteenth century, when the Compagnie des Mines de Bruay opened its pits, and the town's population surged. The company provided houses, schools and shops, and in exchange expected loyalty and long hours. Life was hard and the work was dangerous, and the miners, known as gueules noires, black faces, developed strong traditions of solidarity, brass bands, pigeon racing and growing vegetables in their gardens. Many of those habits survive, and you may see pigeon lofts and neat allotments behind the houses.
The land around Bruay is part of the western basin, with terrils on the edges of town, including one marked as Terril 31, and fields beyond. It is not dramatic scenery, but it has a gritty charm, and the light on the red brick, especially under a low winter sun, can be beautiful. Riding is simple, with flat, often cobbled streets and quiet side roads. Be careful with setts in the wet, and with streams of local traffic at rush hour, and take your time in the estates, where children play in the street.
Bruay-la-Buissière is large enough for fuel stations, supermarkets, bakeries and cafés, and neighbouring Divion and Houdain have smaller services. Local food includes chips with mayonnaise, mussels in season, and strong cheese, with beer in plenty. A stroll through the cités, with respect for the people who live there, is the best way to understand the place, and a late afternoon in autumn, when chimney smoke curls into the air, is a good time for it.