Why this ride
From Dunkerque it runs 249 km to Dunkerque; allow about 3 h 56 of riding. The stops in between: Terril 244, Paysage et ensemble miniers de Fouquières and back through Terril 244.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville de Dunkerque and Paysage et ensemble miniers de Fouquières-
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 249 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 56
- 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 de Dunkerque
The tower of Dunkirk's town hall rises above the centre of a city rebuilt from the ruins of the Second World War, a brick and stone belfry that is part of the World Heritage Site of the Belfries of Belgium and France. Belfries were symbols of civic freedom in the medieval towns of Flanders and northern France, housing bells and sometimes the town's charters, and they stood as proud counterparts to church towers. Dunkirk actually has two listed belfries, the town hall tower and the separate Saint-Éloi belfry beside the church, a reminder of how much these towns valued their bells.
Read the complete Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville de Dunkerque 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 de Dunkerque is where the day begins. Next is Terril 244.
2. Terril 244
Way out at the western tip of the coalfield, near the villages of Mametz and Norrent-Fontes, Terril 244 marks the place where coal mining reached its limit. Beyond it, the land belongs to farmers, and the next towns, Aire-sur-la-Lys and Saint-Omer, have more to do with canals, marshes and markets than with mines. The heap stands as a solitary landmark in the fields, smaller than the giants further east, and its green-covered slopes blend into the landscape. It is one of the outlying components of the Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin listed by UNESCO, a reminder that the coalfield stretched for over a hundred kilometres from the Belgian border to here.
Read the complete Terril 244 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Terril 244 comes up about 68 km into the recorded legs. Next is Paysage et ensemble miniers de Fouquières-.
3. Paysage et ensemble miniers de Fouquières-
On 10 March 1906 a fire in a pit at Courrières, a few kilometres from here, set off a coal-dust explosion that ran through the galleries of three linked mines and killed 1,099 men and boys. It is the worst mining disaster in European history. Rescue teams came from Germany's Westphalian coalfield and worked alongside French crews, a rare moment of cooperation between two countries that would be at war within a decade. Twenty days after the explosion, thirteen survivors were found alive, which astonished the country. The disaster led to strikes and a national debate on safety and the role of the state, with the interior minister, Georges Clemenceau, sending troops to the area, and it changed mining law in France.
Read the complete Paysage et ensemble miniers de Fouquières- write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 125 km into the recorded legs you reach Paysage et ensemble miniers de Fouquières-. Next is back through Terril 244.
4. back through Terril 244
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Terril 244 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Terril 244, late in the day. Next is Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville de Dunkerque.
5. Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville de Dunkerque
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville de Dunkerque 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 de Dunkerque. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville de Dunkerque to Terril 244
Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville de Dunkerque → Terril 244 is 68 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Terril 244 to Paysage et ensemble miniers de Fouquières-
Terril 244 → Paysage et ensemble miniers de Fouquières- is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Paysage et ensemble miniers de Fouquières- to back through Terril 244
Paysage et ensemble miniers de Fouquières- → back through Terril 244 is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Terril 244 to Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville de Dunkerque
back through Terril 244 → Beffroi de l’Hôtel de Ville de Dunkerque is 67 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.