Barlin is where the coalfield starts to run into hills. To the west, the land rises gently into the Artois uplands, and the mining town sits at the transition, its slag heaps, workers' houses and pit buildings now part of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Mining Basin World Heritage site. It is a quieter corner than Lens or Douai, and the mix of industrial history and rolling countryside makes it a pleasant place to pause.
The mining landscape here includes terrils, some of them now covered with trees, and estates of brick houses built for the miners. Neighbouring Hersin-Coupigny and Bruay-la-Buissière were also major mining towns, and Bruay has an old mining estate turned into a heritage area. The region's mining culture is still visible in small details: the pigeon lofts behind the houses, the brass band halls, the miners' monuments in the squares.
The great sights nearby belong to the First World War. Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, the largest French military cemetery, crowns a ridge a few kilometres to the southeast, with a basilica, a lantern tower and tens of thousands of graves. Next to it stands the Ring of Remembrance, a vast elliptical memorial opened in 2014 that lists the names of almost six hundred thousand soldiers of all nationalities who died in the region, alphabetically, without regard to rank or side. A little further on, the Canadian memorial at Vimy Ridge, with its twin white pylons, overlooks the plain of Douai.
The riding improves as you head towards these ridges. The roads climb and fall over the hills, with gentle bends, short climbs and views across farmland and the old coalfield. They are not mountain roads, but after the flat land around Lens they feel lively. Traffic is moderate, heavier on weekends near the memorials, and the weather is fickle: rain, wind and low cloud can roll in at any time, so pack waterproofs and expect damp roads.
Barlin has a supermarket, a few cafés and bakeries; for a broader choice and reliable fuel, Bruay-la-Buissière and Béthune are close. The local friteries are a good bet for a quick lunch. Take a moment on the ridges, look out over the countryside, and you will see both the scars of war and the marks of industry spread out below you.