Why this ride
A 63 km round trip from Norrent-Fontes - roughly 1 h 28 in the saddle. The stops in between: Chevalement du Vieux-Deux, Paysage et ensemble miniers de Noeux-les and back through Chevalement du Vieux-Deux.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Terril 34 and Paysage et ensemble miniers de Noeux-les-
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 63 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 28
- 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. Terril 34
A terril is a slag heap, a mountain of waste rock dumped beside a coal mine, and in the flat land of northern France these man-made hills are the closest thing to relief for miles around. Terril 34 is one of hundreds that dot the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Mining Basin, a UNESCO site since 2012, which recognises not only the heaps but also the pithead frames, miners' housing estates, schools, churches and railway lines that made up the landscape of coal mining in the region for nearly three centuries. This one sits near Norrent-Fontes and Lillers, at the western end of the basin, where it meets the chalk hills of Artois.
Read the complete Terril 34 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Terril 34 is where the day begins. Next is Chevalement du Vieux-Deux.
2. Chevalement du Vieux-Deux
Marles-les-Mines is a small town of about six thousand people west of Béthune, in the hilly western fringe of the coalfield, and the headframe known as the Vieux-Deux, the old Number Two, stands among its houses as a stubborn monument. The Compagnie des mines de Marles sank its shafts here in the nineteenth century, and the pit worked until the twentieth. The tall frame has been preserved, and together with the nearby terril and the cités around it, forms part of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Mining Basin, the World Heritage Site listed in 2012.
Read the complete Chevalement du Vieux-Deux write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Chevalement du Vieux-Deux comes up about 16 km into the recorded legs. Next is Paysage et ensemble miniers de Noeux-les-.
3. Paysage et ensemble miniers de Noeux-les-
Noeux-les-Mines stands between Béthune and Lens, and its skyline is dominated by two things: tall slag heaps, the terrils, and the old pithead structures that survive from the coal years. It is the surviving heart of a mine, with its headframe, winding house, baths and offices, plus the housing, school and church that went with it. The UNESCO listing of 2012 includes the Noeux-les-Mines area among its many components, for the sake of the whole landscape rather than any one building.
Read the complete Paysage et ensemble miniers de Noeux-les- write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 31 km into the recorded legs you reach Paysage et ensemble miniers de Noeux-les-. Next is back through Chevalement du Vieux-Deux.
4. back through Chevalement du Vieux-Deux
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Chevalement du Vieux-Deux write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Chevalement du Vieux-Deux, late in the day. Next is Terril 34.
5. Terril 34
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Terril 34 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Terril 34. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Terril 34 to Chevalement du Vieux-Deux
Terril 34 → Chevalement du Vieux-Deux is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Chevalement du Vieux-Deux to Paysage et ensemble miniers de Noeux-les-
Chevalement du Vieux-Deux → Paysage et ensemble miniers de Noeux-les- is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Paysage et ensemble miniers de Noeux-les- to back through Chevalement du Vieux-Deux
Paysage et ensemble miniers de Noeux-les- → back through Chevalement du Vieux-Deux is 15 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Chevalement du Vieux-Deux to Terril 34
back through Chevalement du Vieux-Deux → Terril 34 is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.