Why this ride
From Rue it runs 215 km to Rue; allow about 4 h 14 of riding. The stops in between: Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de, Terril 49 and back through Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Beffroi de Rue and Terril 49
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 215 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 14
- 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 Rue
Rue is a small town of three thousand people that used to be a seaport, and the belfry in the middle of it is one of the reasons it still feels more important than its size suggests. Over centuries the Baie de Somme silted up and the sea pulled back, leaving Rue stranded a few kilometres inland among salt meadows and polders, but the stone tower that once watched the harbour still stands over the square. It is part of the group of belfries of Belgium and northern France on the UNESCO list, symbols of civic freedom built by towns that wanted the world to know they governed themselves.
Read the complete Beffroi de Rue write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Beffroi de Rue is where the day begins. Next is Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de.
2. Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de
On 26 March 1918, with the German spring offensive smashing through the British lines and threatening to split the Allied armies apart, French and British leaders met in the town hall of Doullens, a small town on the river Authie, north of Amiens. In a room on the first floor, they agreed to give the French general Ferdinand Foch the coordination of all Allied forces on the Western Front, a decision that many historians see as a turning point of the war. The room, now known as the Salle du Commandement Unique, can still be visited, with a stained glass window commemorating the meeting. The belfry of the old town hall, a solid tower from the late Middle Ages, is part of the UNESCO group of belfries of Belgium and France.
Read the complete Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de comes up about 54 km into the recorded legs. Next is Terril 49.
3. Terril 49
Terril 49 rises above the fields between Vermelles, Mazingarbe and Noyelles-lès-Vermelles, one of the dozens of spoil heaps that punctuate the landscape of the Gohelle. Like many of them, it has gone green, with trees and scrub covering slopes once black and bare, and it has become a refuge for wildlife in a landscape of intensive farming and urban sprawl. Lizards, rare insects and birds of prey thrive on the warm, dry slopes of the terrils, which retain heat like stone.
Read the complete Terril 49 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 109 km into the recorded legs you reach Terril 49. Next is back through Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de.
4. back through Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de, late in the day. Next is Beffroi de Rue.
5. Beffroi de Rue
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Beffroi de Rue 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 Rue. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Beffroi de Rue to Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de
Beffroi de Rue → Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de is 54 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de to Terril 49
Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de → Terril 49 is 55 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Terril 49 to back through Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de
Terril 49 → back through Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de is 52 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de to Beffroi de Rue
back through Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de → Beffroi de Rue is 54 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.