Trails in the North

Department of France 🇫🇷 located in the Hauts-de-France region, the North is the most populated in the national territory, thanks in part to the metropolis of Lille, which is both the prefecture of the 59 and the region. It must be said that the capital of Flanders has a few tricks up its sleeve, including a surprising diversity of architectures (the city consists of working-class and industrial red-brick buildings and more bourgeois neighborhoods filled with historical monuments...). Lille is the fourth agglomeration in France 🇫🇷 behind Paris, Lyon, and Marseille. Almost like the Ligue 1 rankings. The other landmark cities of the North? Roubaix, Tourcoing, Dunkirk, Valenciennes, Villeneuve-d'Ascq, Dunkirk... This last city was the scene of fierce fighting between the belligerents in 1940, a story told in the Oscar-winning film by Christopher Nolan. While culture lovers will fall in love with the many museums to visit in the department, the oceanic climate of the North, with mild winters and cool summers, makes the territory quite welcoming for runners. But where do fans of trail and nature go in the North? Perhaps you can start with the "dunes of Flanders", on the 🏖 seaside of Dunkirk... Many slag heaps dot the department. They remain important cultural vestiges of this former mining basin. To be done to get a complete view of the North. In Watten, the Blue Lake, a perfect place for nice family walks, is home to many plant and animal species. Many forests 🌳 are scattered throughout the North's territory, such as those in the Mounts of Cats (we love the name!) and Mount Noir. In Maroilles, once you've discovered the town and its most delicate aromas 😅, the Avesnois Park is large enough to catch your breath.

Should we check the trail calendar in the North? What are the star races of this vast territory? Let's start with the Course des Terrils, highly emblematic of the region, which is run in Raismes. Several race formats are offered, including a night 🌛 run that will offer you a unique moment in such a atypical place! A great moment in prospect. In another genre but just as exhilarating, the Urban Trail - Lille is the perfect race to discover Lille and its diversity... The 20 km of Maroilles, urban trail in the great festive tradition of the North, awaits your craziest costumes! More peaceful, the Phalempin Half-Marathon takes you through the woods 🌲 for some fresh air. Well, we wouldn't want to promise you Mounts and Wonders but almost...

No need for a compass to find the North.