Why this ride
218 km from Lens to Lens, about 3 h 56 of riding. On the way it passes Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de, Beffroi de Rue and back through Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Gare de Lens and Beffroi de Rue
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 218 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 56
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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. Gare de Lens
Lens station looks like a locomotive, which is exactly what its architects intended. The Art Deco building, completed in the 1920s to replace a station destroyed in the First World War, has a long low front with a tall central block that suggests a train at speed, and its brick and stone are laid out with real flair. Inside and out it was designed to tell people that this was a town that had survived and meant to thrive, and few stations of its date achieve the effect so well.
Read the complete Gare de Lens write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gare de Lens 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 65 km in. Next is Beffroi de Rue.
3. 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
129 km in you reach Beffroi de Rue. 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 Gare de Lens.
5. Gare de Lens
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Gare de Lens write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Gare de Lens. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Gare de Lens to Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de
Gare de Lens → Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de to Beffroi de Rue
Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de → Beffroi de Rue is 67 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Beffroi de Rue to back through Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de
Beffroi de Rue → back through Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de is 67 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de to Gare de Lens
back through Beffroi de l’ancienne maison communale de → Gare de Lens is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.