Why this ride
From Cambrai it runs 248 km to Cambrai; allow about 4 h 17 of riding. It goes by way of Fosse n°5, Het Belfort of Halletoren and back through Fosse n°5. It crosses from France into Belgium - carry ID and check the toll rules.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Belfries of Belgium and France and Het Belfort of Halletoren
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 248 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 17
- 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: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Belfries of Belgium and France
Cambrai gave its name to a fabric. Cambric, a fine light linen, was once woven and traded in this town, and the word survives in English. The town is also known for a small, translucent mint sweet called the bêtise de Cambrai, which the locals say was invented by mistake, and a visit to a confectioner is a pleasant way to spend ten minutes. The belfry is one of the group of belfries across northern France and Belgium that UNESCO listed together, as symbols of the independence of medieval towns, and in Cambrai it is a tall stone tower in the town centre, while the town hall nearby has two mechanical figures, Martin and Martine, who strike the hours.
Read the complete Belfries of Belgium and France write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Belfries of Belgium and France is where the day begins. Next is Fosse n°5.
2. Fosse n°5
Douvrin, Billy-Berclau and Wingles form a little triangle of brick towns at the northern edge of the Lens coalfield, and the old pit known as Fosse n°5 sits among them. It is not a famous site and does not need to be: its value lies in being one of the many pieces that make up the mining landscape UNESCO listed in 2012, a network of pits, housing estates, slag heaps, railways and public buildings stretching for over a hundred kilometres across the north of France. Seen from the saddle, the area is a patchwork of cités, fields, canals and newer industrial estates, with the occasional terril breaking the skyline.
Read the complete Fosse n°5 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Fosse n°5 comes up about 62 km into the recorded legs. Next is Het Belfort of Halletoren.
3. Het Belfort of Halletoren
On the Grote Markt of Kortrijk a tower stands alone in the middle of the square, as if the building it belonged to had wandered off. In a sense it did. The Belfort, or Halletoren, was once part of the cloth hall, the trading heart of a medieval textile town, and when the hall disappeared the tower stayed. It is one of the belfries of Belgium and France on the UNESCO list, and it has a pair of local celebrities at the top: two gilded figures, Manten and Kalle, who strike the hours on the bell. Kortrijk people are fond of them, and you will see their likenesses on all sorts of souvenirs.
Read the complete Het Belfort of Halletoren write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 124 km into the recorded legs you reach Het Belfort of Halletoren. Next is back through Fosse n°5.
4. back through Fosse n°5
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Fosse n°5 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Fosse n°5, late in the day. Next is Belfries of Belgium and France.
5. Belfries of Belgium and France
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Belfries of Belgium and France write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Belfries of Belgium and France. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Belfries of Belgium and France to Fosse n°5
Belfries of Belgium and France → Fosse n°5 is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Fosse n°5 to Het Belfort of Halletoren
Fosse n°5 → Het Belfort of Halletoren is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Het Belfort of Halletoren to back through Fosse n°5
Het Belfort of Halletoren → back through Fosse n°5 is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Fosse n°5 to Belfries of Belgium and France
back through Fosse n°5 → Belfries of Belgium and France is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.