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Start from Arras railway station.
(S/E) Follow Boulevard Faidherbe and then Boulevard Michonneau, both of which have cycle paths, until you reach a roundabout.
(1) Enter the new park on the banks of the Scarpe.
(2) Cross the river via a footbridge and continue straight on, passing through two roundabouts.
Cycle for about a hundred metres and turn left onto a path leading to the Résidence la Bougie. Continue along this path, then for a very short distance along a small road within the housing estate before turning left to reach a wooden footbridge spanning the ring road.
(3) Cross the footbridge, then turn right onto Rue du Timon and head towards thesecond roundabout.
(4) Turn right towards Roclincourt and cross the four-lane road. At the T-junction, turn left.
Drive through Roclincourt, keep straight on and continue to Thélus. It’s a fairly quiet country road.
(5) At the small roundabout in the centre of Thélus, turn left, then after about 300 metres, turn right onto Rue des Abouts, which continues as Rue du 19 Mars. Follow it to the end.
(6) At the junction opposite the radio relay stations, turn left onto Rue de Vimy. When you reach the main road running from Arras to Lens, go up the hill on the left for 200 metres and take thefirst road branching off to the right.
(7) Turn right towards the Canadian Park onto theD55E2, Route des Canadiens. The road enters the national forest; follow it for over 1 km. If you have time, stop to visit the German and Canadian trench lines on the left and the interpretation centre on the history of the Great War from the Canadian perspective.
(8) When you reach the junction with the D55 (Broadmarsch Crater), note the deep crater caused by an underground mine and turn left.
Head towards Neuville-Saint-Vaast and drive to the Place de Neuville, where you’ll find interesting public buildings dating from the reconstruction of the 1920s, including the town hall, which was inaugurated in the presence of Roland Dorgelès, the famous author of *Les Croix de bois*, who fought here.
(9) Turn left onto Rue de la Barre, then take the first right towards Écurie on theD49E1. After 3 km, cross the junction and continue straight on along Rue Augustin.
(10) At the N425, cross the busy road with care (this is the only slightly tricky bit of the route).
Carry on straight ahead onto the N25, then turn right onto Chemin d’Écurie (a one-way street, except for cyclists) between a small wood and some houses; this will take you, about 700 m further on, onto the Route de Lens at the foot of the water tower.
(11) Turn right onto the cycle path and continue for about 300 m.
(12) Turn left towards the Résidence Val d’Artois to avoid this wide road on the street called Domaine des Malvaux. Take thesecond street on the right, Rue de Marquenterre, and follow it until you find yourself opposite a house. Take Allée du Cambraisis and join a side street, Rue des 4 Maisons. Turn left and continue along Rue Aristide Briand, which leads down towards Saint-Nicolas.
(13) Once you reach the back of the village church, turn right onto Rue Raoul Briquet, then right again onto Rue Anatole France.
(14) Just after the bridge over the Scarpe, take a path on the left-hand side of the blocks of flats which winds its way between the hedges of the allotments and crosses small wooden bridges. Keep to the left and head towards the canal.
(15) Facing the canal, turn right and, after 300 metres, take the path on the right which leads to Boulevard Robert Schumann.
Turn left, cross the canal and turn immediately right towards the Harbour Master’s Office, until you reach the junction with Rue du Crinchon.
(16) Walk straight up towards the city centre and follow the narrow streets of Old Arras straight on, leading to the administrative district. Turn left in front of the administrative district towards the Grand-Place car park.
(17) Return to Arras’s Grand-Place, turn right straight away and, at the end of the square, turn left. Continue along Rue Paul Perrin until you reach Boulevard Faidherbe. Turn right towards the station (S/E).
