Hauts-de-France doesn’t have the cycling reputation of the Alps or Pyrenees, but the region has a genuine road and cobblestone cycling tradition, inherited from its proximity to Belgian Flanders. Enough to build a varied trip between Flemish hills, rolling hedgerow country, historic forest and family-friendly coastline.
1. The Monts de Flandre by bike, from Cassel
A handful of isolated hills rising out of the surrounding plain, none topping 180 m, but close enough together to form a 45 km loop with 550 m of cumulative climbing — classic training ground for riders from northern France, in the spirit of the neighbouring Flemish classics.
2. Gravel in the Avesnois, the north’s ‘little Switzerland’
Rolling hedgerow country that breaks from the flat image usually pinned on the region, on a 55 km loop with 450 m of cumulative climbing through grazing pastures and blue-stone villages. A few cobbled stretches, a nod to the region’s cycling tradition, round out the picture.
3. Mountain biking in the Compiègne forest
A forest massif steeped in history — the Clairière de l’Armistice sits at its heart — that also offers some of the best mountain biking terrain north of the Paris Basin. Expect around 35 km and 400 m of climbing on tracks that alternate wide fire roads with more technical trails.
4. The Côte d’Opale for families, from Le Touquet
The family counterpoint on this list: 30 km of near-flat cycle paths along the coast, between dunes and sandy beaches. One of the most accessible routes in the catalogue, suitable from a young age.
Planning the trip
The Nord (Cassel, Avesnois) forms a coherent hub near the Belgian border, worth pairing with a trip into Belgian Flanders for cycling enthusiasts. The Oise (Compiègne) and Pas-de-Calais (Le Touquet), further out, work better as separate stops.
