Why this ride
From Grenay it runs 153 km to Grenay; allow about 2 h 41 of riding. The stops in between: Cité Crombez, Terril 125a, Belfries of Belgium and France and back through Terril 125a. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Cité du n°7 de Béthune and Belfries of Belgium and France
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 153 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 41
- 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. Cité du n°7 de Béthune
Between Grenay, Mazingarbe and Vermelles, in the heart of the Gohelle, the Cité du n°7 is one of the mining villages built by the Compagnie des mines de Béthune for the workers of its pit number 7. The houses, laid out in tidy rows with gardens, still form a coherent neighbourhood, part of the UNESCO-listed mining basin. Each company built its cités in its own style, and the variety of brick patterns, porches and layouts is surprisingly rich once you start looking.
Read the complete Cité du n°7 de Béthune write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cité du n°7 de Béthune is where the day begins. Next is Cité Crombez.
2. Cité Crombez
Cité Crombez is a miners' settlement at Noyelles-Godault, on the eastern edge of Hénin-Beaumont, in the heart of the old coal basin between Lens and Douai. Built by the mining company to house its workers, it has the classic layout of brick houses, gardens and straight streets, and it is part of the Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin World Heritage site. Today it is a quiet residential area, surrounded by shopping centres, motorways and the remains of heavy industry.
Read the complete Cité Crombez write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cité Crombez comes up about 22 km into the recorded legs. Next is Terril 125a.
3. 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
about 46 km into the recorded legs you reach Terril 125a. Next is Belfries of Belgium and France.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is back through Terril 125a.
5. 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 sits at 99 km, about halfway. Next is back through Cité Crombez.
6. back through Cité Crombez
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cité Crombez write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Cité Crombez comes up about 131 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cité du n°7 de Béthune.
7. Cité du n°7 de Béthune
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cité du n°7 de Béthune write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cité du n°7 de Béthune closes the day.
Leg by leg
Cité du n°7 de Béthune to Cité Crombez
Cité du n°7 de Béthune → Cité Crombez is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cité Crombez to Terril 125a
Cité Crombez → Terril 125a is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Terril 125a to Belfries of Belgium and France
Terril 125a → Belfries of Belgium and France is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Belfries of Belgium and France to back through Terril 125a
Belfries of Belgium and France → back through Terril 125a is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Terril 125a to back through Cité Crombez
back through Terril 125a → back through Cité Crombez is 25 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cité Crombez to Cité du n°7 de Béthune
back through Cité Crombez → Cité du n°7 de Béthune is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.