Why this ride
285 km from Péruwelz to Péruwelz, about 4 h 02 of riding. On the way it passes Hôtel de ville, Terril 31 and back through Hôtel de ville. It crosses from Belgium into France - carry ID and check the toll rules.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Château de l’Hermitage and Terril 31
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 285 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 02
- 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. Château de l’Hermitage
On the Franco-Belgian border, in a forest that has never much cared which country it is in, a pale classical château stands in a clearing. The Château de l'Hermitage was built in the eighteenth century for the dukes of Croÿ, one of the great aristocratic families of the region, as a refined country retreat, and it sits just inside France, near Condé-sur-l'Escaut, at the edge of the forest of Bon-Secours. The family's title went back centuries, and their estates spread across both sides of what is now the border.
Read the complete Château de l’Hermitage write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Château de l’Hermitage is where the day begins. Next is Hôtel de ville.
2. Hôtel de ville
A town hall makes an odd target for a ride, but Carvin's is a good excuse to stop in a place most people only see from the A1. The town sits on the northern edge of the old coalfield, between Lens and Lille, and its civic buildings and squares reflect the confidence of a community that grew with the mines. Like many such places, Carvin's centre is a mix of brick, stone and post-war rebuilding, and the town hall faces a square with cafés, bakeries and a market on certain days.
Read the complete Hôtel de ville write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hôtel de ville comes up about 79 km into the recorded legs. Next is Terril 31.
3. Terril 31
A terril is a coal slag heap, and in the old Artois coalfield they punctuate the horizon like unfinished pyramids. This one, numbered 31 in the local inventory of the mining basin, lies on the southern fringe of the field, near Norrent-Fontes and Mametz, where the plain of the Lys starts to tilt against the low hills of Artois. Heaps like this were built up over decades from the waste rock hauled out of the pits, and many are conical, a few are flat-topped and some stretch in long ridges. Left alone, they have turned into oddities of nature, with warm black soil that suits unusual plants, birch scrub, and in summer a surprising number of butterflies.
Read the complete Terril 31 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 142 km into the recorded legs you reach Terril 31. Next is back through Hôtel de ville.
4. back through Hôtel de ville
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Hôtel de ville write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Hôtel de ville, late in the day. Next is Château de l’Hermitage.
5. Château de l’Hermitage
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Château de l’Hermitage write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Château de l’Hermitage. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Château de l’Hermitage to Hôtel de ville
Château de l’Hermitage → Hôtel de ville is 79 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Hôtel de ville to Terril 31
Hôtel de ville → Terril 31 is 63 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Terril 31 to back through Hôtel de ville
Terril 31 → back through Hôtel de ville is 64 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Hôtel de ville to Château de l’Hermitage
back through Hôtel de ville → Château de l’Hermitage is 79 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.