Why this ride
70 km from Oignies to Oignies, about 1 h 11 of riding. The stops in between: Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame, Cités de Beaurepaire and back through Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Paysage et ensemble miniers de la fosse n° and Cités de Beaurepaire
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 70 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 11
- 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.
Scenic road chapters
Paysage et ensemble miniers de la fosse n° → Cités de la Clochette et
20 km on Paysage et ensemble miniers de la fosse n° → Cités de la Clochette et .
Chapter facts
- Length
- 20 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Paysage et ensemble miniers de la fosse n°
At Oignies the last coal in the whole Nord-Pas-de-Calais basin was brought up, and the pit closed in December 1990. That was the end of more than two and a half centuries of mining in northern France, and the buildings of pit number 9 and 9 bis survive as a monument and, remarkably, as a concert hall. The old headframes and sheds now host rock bands, and the site is one of the most striking pieces of the UNESCO-listed mining landscape. Two terrils, slag heaps from the mine, rise behind it, green with birch and bramble.
Read the complete Paysage et ensemble miniers de la fosse n° write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Paysage et ensemble miniers de la fosse n° is where the day begins. Next is Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame.
2. Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame
Douai is a handsome old town on the river Scarpe, and its belfry is the thing to look for. The tall Gothic tower, topped with a lion, rises above the town hall and holds a carillon of bells, and it is one of the belfries of Belgium and France that UNESCO listed together. Every July the town stages a big parade of giants, huge wicker figures carried through the streets that represent Gayant, a giant from local legend, with his wife and children, a tradition that dates back centuries and which UNESCO recognises as intangible heritage. The Chartreuse museum, in a former monastery, holds paintings and sculpture from the town's long history.
Read the complete Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame comes up about 20 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cités de Beaurepaire.
3. Cités de Beaurepaire
Somain exists because of the railway. Several lines meet here, and the town grew up around the station, which still has the busy feel of a junction. The Cités de Beaurepaire were built by the Aniche mining company, one of the great concerns of the northern coalfield, and they show how a company could shape a landscape: neat brick rows, small squares, a few shared buildings, and gardens laid out to a plan. A local will tell you who lived in which house and which families still do; an outsider notices the symmetry first, and then the small signs of individuality, a painted door, a trellis, a satellite dish pointing the wrong way.
Read the complete Cités de Beaurepaire write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 36 km into the recorded legs you reach Cités de Beaurepaire. Next is back through Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame.
4. back through Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame, late in the day. Next is Paysage et ensemble miniers de la fosse n°.
5. Paysage et ensemble miniers de la fosse n°
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Paysage et ensemble miniers de la fosse n° write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Paysage et ensemble miniers de la fosse n°. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Paysage et ensemble miniers de la fosse n° to Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame
Paysage et ensemble miniers de la fosse n° → Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame to Cités de Beaurepaire
Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame → Cités de Beaurepaire is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cités de Beaurepaire to back through Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame
Cités de Beaurepaire → back through Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame to Paysage et ensemble miniers de la fosse n°
back through Cités de la Clochette et Notre-Dame → Paysage et ensemble miniers de la fosse n° is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.