A terril is a slag heap, a mountain of waste rock dumped beside a coal mine, and in the flat land of northern France these man-made hills are the closest thing to relief for miles around. Terril 34 is one of hundreds that dot the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Mining Basin, a UNESCO site since 2012, which recognises not only the heaps but also the pithead frames, miners' housing estates, schools, churches and railway lines that made up the landscape of coal mining in the region for nearly three centuries. This one sits near Norrent-Fontes and Lillers, at the western end of the basin, where it meets the chalk hills of Artois.
Many terrils have been reclaimed by nature, with birch woods, grasslands and rare plants that thrive on the warm, dark soil, and some are now nature reserves or viewpoints, with paths to the top. Climbing one gives you a view over the plain, with church towers, villages, fields and other terrils on the horizon, and an appreciation of the scale of the industry that once dominated life here. The last mine in the region closed in 1990, and the towns are still dealing with the economic and social legacy.
Riding in this area is mostly flat, with straight roads through farmland and villages, and the wind is a constant companion. The real reward is the history and the atmosphere. A short distance east, the twin terrils of Loos-en-Gohelle, among the highest in Europe, and the Louvre-Lens museum are well worth a visit. To the west and south, the hills of Artois offer gentler curves, and the battlefields of the First World War, including the Canadian memorial at Vimy Ridge and the French necropolis of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, are a sombre reminder of the region's suffering.
Lillers, about nine kilometres away, has fuel, shops and restaurants, and Béthune, a little further, is a lively town with a belfry and a beautiful main square. Local food is hearty and comforting: carbonnade flamande, beef stewed in beer, potjevleesch, a terrine of mixed meats, and of course chips, often from a friterie van. The local beers are excellent, and the people are known for their warmth and hospitality.