Why this ride
243 km from Armentières to Armentières, about 3 h 44 of riding. It goes by way of Terril 125a, Paysage et ensemble miniers de Barlin and back through Terril 125a.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville d’Armentières and Paysage et ensemble miniers de Barlin
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 243 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 44
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville d’Armentières
Armentières is a textile town on the river Lys, right on the Belgian border, a quarter of an hour west of Lille. Its name is familiar to many English speakers from the bawdy marching song of the First World War, Mademoiselle from Armentières, which British soldiers sang on their way to the front lines nearby. The town paid a terrible price for being so close to that front: it was shelled, occupied and largely destroyed by 1918. The town hall and its belfry were rebuilt in the 1920s and 1930s in a confident Flemish style, and the tower now belongs to the UNESCO group of belfries of Belgium and France.
Read the complete Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville d’Armentières write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville d’Armentières is where the day begins. Next is Terril 125a.
2. Terril 125a
On the southern edge of the coal basin, where Auberchicourt, Écaillon and Aniche run into one another, a long spoil heap rises above the brick roofs and the fields. Terril 125a is one of the many numbered heaps that the Nord-Pas de Calais inventory catalogues, and it belongs to the old concession of the Compagnie des mines d'Aniche, one of the historic coal companies of the region. Aniche itself is a reminder that the north was not only about coal: the town had a long glassmaking tradition, and the combination of fuel, sand and labour made the area an industrial hub well before the twentieth century.
Read the complete Terril 125a write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Terril 125a comes up about 66 km into the recorded legs. Next is Paysage et ensemble miniers de Barlin.
3. Paysage et ensemble miniers de Barlin
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.
Read the complete Paysage et ensemble miniers de Barlin write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 123 km into the recorded legs you reach Paysage et ensemble miniers de Barlin. Next is back through Terril 125a.
4. back through Terril 125a
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Terril 125a write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Terril 125a, late in the day. Next is Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville d’Armentières.
5. Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville d’Armentières
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville d’Armentières write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville d’Armentières. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville d’Armentières to Terril 125a
Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville d’Armentières → Terril 125a is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Terril 125a to Paysage et ensemble miniers de Barlin
Terril 125a → Paysage et ensemble miniers de Barlin is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Paysage et ensemble miniers de Barlin to back through Terril 125a
Paysage et ensemble miniers de Barlin → back through Terril 125a is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Terril 125a to Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville d’Armentières
back through Terril 125a → Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville d’Armentières is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.