In the western part of the Nord-Pas de Calais mining basin, around Bruay-la-Buissière, Divion and Marles-les-Mines, the horizon is shaped by terrils, the spoil heaps left by more than two centuries of coal mining. Terril number 10 is one of them, a dark cone of shale and waste rock that has slowly turned green as birch, broom and grasses have colonised it. The basin, with its pits, cités, railway lines and spoil heaps, was listed by UNESCO in 2012 as an evolving cultural landscape, recognising both the industrial history and the lives of the hundreds of thousands of miners who worked here.
Coal was first mined in the region in the eighteenth century, and by the early twentieth century the basin was one of the most important industrial areas in Europe, drawing workers from Poland, Italy, Belgium and North Africa. The last pit closed in 1990. The towns still carry the imprint of that era: rows of brick miners' houses, the corons, laid out in regular streets, with churches, schools and dispensaries built by the mining companies. The Polish community, in particular, left a deep mark, with churches, associations and family names.
Bruay-la-Buissière has a beautiful Art Deco swimming pool from the 1930s, restored and still in use, and the Stade-Parc, a park and sports ground also from that era. Some terrils in the area have been turned into nature reserves and walking areas, and from the top of the higher ones you get a surprising view over the flat landscape towards Artois.
The riding here is not spectacular, but it is interesting. The roads link mining towns with farmland in between, with frequent roundabouts, traffic lights and speed bumps in the built-up areas. To the south and west, the land rises into the hills of Artois, and small roads through villages towards Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise and the valley of the Ternoise are quieter and more rural. The weather is changeable, and the wind can be strong on the open plateau.
The food is northern comfort: frites, carbonade flamande, welsh, the cheddar and beer dish adopted by the north, and the strong Maroilles cheese. Divion and Bruay have fuel, shops and bars, and a friendly welcome. Locals take pride in their mining heritage, and if you show interest, they will tell you stories.