Due to its geographical position along the Belgium border,
the Nord region has always held a very specific role in European
history.
Considered as a land of conquest it has for long been the victim
of wars and invasions, but is now able to take advantage of its
strategic situation to promote its natural, historic and
maritime heritage.
It is a land of traditions and authenticity, personalised
by its people who welcome you with open arms into their many
estaminets, those traditional cafés where one can enjoy a good
carbonade or a timeless old Flemish game such as ‘marteau’ or
‘billard Nicolas’.
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This land of generosity, industriousness and trade, home of
the famous “bêtises” from Cambrai, is also a land of cultural
interchange, a land of Art. Lille and its metropolitan area
exemplifies the confusion of categories and genres. Lovers of
walks in the fresh air, window-shoppers, admirers of Notre-Dame
de la Treille or of Vauban’s fortifications, enthusiasts for the
Paris-Roubaix cycle race and of horse-racing… all have had their
taste of Greater Lille.
But Nord is also a region of natural beauties, with its
Regional Nature Park in Avesnois, where rock roses and wild
carnations still bloom. Nature is sometimes peaceful and
well-suited to pleasant walks, sometimes bewitching and
secretive.
The range of Flanders hills, the five ‘monts’, contradicts
the received idea of a totally flat landscape and communicates a
sense of grandeur which is shared by the windmills, some of
which are still working and producing flour, and by those
legendary heroes the Giants.
Find out more on the Nord
www.cdt-nord.fr
Cyclists will discover over 1,500km of signposted trails,
from the lush bocages of the Avesnois, to the rolling hills and
flat lands of Flanders or the pretty countryside around Lille.
Our 22 trails for families and sporting riders, will take you
through this region renowned for its conviviality and
festivities. Along the way, you will find unspoilt trails taking
in the many different facets of the Nord !
Those 22 trails can be found on
walking and biking |
