Et un, et deux, et trois terrils

Park in Verquin in the car park in front of the cemetery.

(S/E) Head towards the village and immediately turn left onto the Sentier de l’Égalité. After a few metres, take a narrow, well-hidden path on the right. When it turns left, continue straight on (rustic steps) and cross the wasteland towards the house. Then take the small street on the right to reach the T-junction with Rue Alexandre Duflot. Turn left, then immediately right to reach the area near the church. Head towards the church and go round it, either to the right or left, to find a flight of steps leading down to Rue Constant Martin. Cross at the pedestrian crossing and go under the gate. At the car park, veer left to find a good path and follow it, ignoring a path on the left. Continue straight on along the narrow path, pleasantly lined with barbed wire. You’ll reach a farm where the path becomes a bit rough for a few metres. At the end of this section, you’ll come to a junction.

(1) Take the path furthest to the right, which climbs slightly, and you’ll come to a flight of steps.

(2) Take the path opposite, to the left of the steps. A little further on, head uphill to reach a wider path and follow it to the left until you come within sight of Rue du 4 Septembre.

(3) Just before reaching the street, turn right and you will immediately find a path climbing up to the right.
Take this steeply ascending path to reach the top of the first slag heap. At the top, continue straight on along the correct path which goes round the summit and eventually veers to the right to descend, arriving at the top of the steps. Go down these and find a new flight of steps leading down to the left.

(2) Take it. At the bottom, go through the “tunnel” on the right and arrive overlooking a pond.

(4) Head down towards the pond and go round it on the left. At the end, turn left to walk alongside the large white building on the left and join Rue du 4 Septembre.

(5) Follow it to the left until you reach the traffic lights. Cross the road (D937) and take Rue des Déportés opposite.

(6) Pass Rue du Pont on your right (you’ll take this later) and reach the railway line. Cross it and immediately turn left onto the path. Go under the A26. Reach a small road; follow it to the right for a few metres.

(7) Leave it and take the path on the left. At the stadium, head diagonally left towards a large ruined building. Go round it on the left to reach the exit of the sports complex.

(8) Cross the road and take Rue des Jardins, almost directly opposite. At the very end, you’ll find yourself facing the riding school; take the path on the left, the entrance to which is somewhat hidden. Follow this path carefully as it makes a wide circular loop to the right. After a section that is often very damp, you’ll reach a footbridge.

(9) Cross it, turn immediately left, then right, and you will reach a large grassy area. Follow it to the left, staying high up near the hedge: there are ponds below on the right. Look for a gap in the hedge, just after a solitary tree marked with a red arrow (in December 2024). Take this path and turn immediately left to reach a small road. Cross it to take the straight path opposite and reach a junction facing a wooded area.

(10) Head right and walk past an electricity substation. Just after this, you’ll reach a junction. The entrance to the path is opposite (small gravel). Follow this well-marked path to reach a housing estate. Turn right before the houses to reach a small road opposite the entrance to the slag heap. Cross over to enter the slag heap site and go round the playground on the right. At the fork, take the left-hand path and climb a steep slope. At the top, you’ll reach a junction.

(11) Take the second path on the right, going uphill. At the next junction, turn left to reach a large open space. Continue straight ahead on the narrow path (I recently cleared it, winter 2024) and after a short descent, you’ll come to a junction. Go straight ahead uphill and continue to the steps.

(12) Climb these on the left. At the top (summit of the second slag heap), turn right. At the fork (Caution: it is not very visible), take the left-hand path and follow the correct route straight on to the playground (bumpy terrain for mountain biking opposite).

(13) Take the flat path on the right. Follow a stream, then pass in front of the sports ground. Shortly afterwards, at the junction (footbridge on the left), take the first path on the right and you’ll come within sight of a footbridge on the left.

(14) Cross the footbridge and follow the path alongside a pond. At the fork at the end of the pond, take the grassy path on the left and join Rue Jules Ferry. Follow it to the right for about a hundred metres.

(15) Take a path on the left (the wagon that used to be at the entrance has gone!) which turns right before a house, then joins Rue de la Chapelle, which you follow until Rue Pasteur.

(16) Follow it for a few metres to the left, then turn right into what looks like a dead end.
Keeping well to the right, find the entrance to a narrow path with the lovely name of Sentier de la Chapelle du Bel Amour. At the end, turn right, then immediately left onto the Sentier de la Gare. At the end of the street, continue along a path that joins a main track. Follow it to the right until you reach the houses you passed on the way out.

(7) Then turn left, go under the motorway and follow the railway line to reach Rue des Déportés; follow this to the right for about a hundred metres until you reach a junction you passed on the way out.

(6) Turn left onto Rue du Pont. Pass a first sports ground, then reach a second one. Cross it and continue straight ahead to the D937. You can either cross immediately, as there is a central reservation and the traffic lights regulate the flow of traffic well, or go right to the traffic lights to cross and retrace your steps (route choice) to the entrance of the slag heap (barrier).

(17) Turn right (a slightly tricky section) and, a few metres further on, follow the path on the right.
A first serious climb, followed by a second, slightly steeper one, leads up to the slag heap and onto a good path.

(18) Follow it for about ten metres to the right, then leave it to follow a narrow track on the left which, via two steep sections, leads to the summit. Continue due south. The path bends twice to the right and eventually joins a track that descends steeply to the left.

(19) Take this path.

(20) At the bottom, take a hairpin bend to the right onto a very narrow path which eventually joins a tarmac track to be followed to the road. Follow it to the right to reach the car park in front of the cemetery (S/E).

There are no major difficulties on this route, but you should wear suitable footwear.

The^{first one} after the point (8) is at the entrance to the equestrian centre. Of course, you can't go straight ahead, but the two paths to the left and right are perfectly passable.

The^{second is} after (15). Take the path that starts at the wagon to find a narrow trail on the right along the house.

The^{third is} after the (16). Just keep to the right along the wall to find the entrance to the Sentier de la Chapelle du Bel Amour.

^{The fourth} is at the entrance to the sports field, where there is a gate that is easy to pass under. On the other side, the fence has been modified to allow free passage. Please note that the only visible sign is for dog waste.

There is no doubt that hiking descriptions will become more complex with the measles epidemic raging on the maps!

This is a good idea that, if misused, will cause us major problems.