The best traffic-free bike rides around Toufflers

Until 1983, the last 300 meters of line 271 000, Roubaix-Wattrelos, ran here. At the other end, it connected to Belgian line 85 to Leupegem, Oudenaarde. The only 3.6 km long and never electrified line 271 000 no longer carried passenger trains after 1932.

The Canal de Roubaix connects the Deûle River to the Scheldt via the Espierres Canal. Plans for this canal date back to 1821, and it was deemed necessary to supply water and coal to the rapidly developing textile industries in Roubaix and Tourcoing. The first section of the canal begins at the Deûle and includes the canalization of part of the Marque River. This section opened in 1831. The connection from Roubaix to the Belgian-French border was also completed in 1843. The section through Belgium to the Scheldt, the Espierres Canal, was also opened at that time. A watershed existed between the two sections of the canal (between the Lys and the Scheldt), and a tunnel was planned, but this led to difficulties and delays. Therefore, an alternative route was chosen further north, also serving Tourcoing. This more northerly section opened in 1877. A branch of this section of the canal is the Canal de Tourcoing. This was completed in 1893. In 1985, the canal was closed due to dilapidated infrastructure. However, it was restored as an industrial heritage site and reopened to shipping in 2010. The canal is 20 km long and has 12 locks. Source: Wikipedia

The Mauroy Bridge is one of three movable bridges spanning the canal at Saint-Léger. Each bridge had a bridge keeper's house, where the bridge keeper lived, responsible for opening and closing the bridge each time a ship passed. These houses were often also cafés... or still are, as here. Just beyond the bridge, the old Mauroy farm bordered an imposing castle, the Mauroy Castle, designed by Sanderus in 1644. In 1504, the castle and the Mauroy estate belonged to Arnould de Maulde, a lord of the manor. Source: brochure "Promenade Saint-Léger"

However dilapidated the castle may be, the future promises improvement: The current owners of the castle, Pierre and Annie Moulin-Duthoit and their children, are responsible for its restoration, particularly Olivier Moulin, who wrote a thesis on this heritage at the end of his architectural studies. ...that's why you can see signs of construction work from a distance (approaching close is not permitted). Source: leershistorique.fr

The Château de Royères, probably around 1100, was a feudal motte with a wooden tower and a retractable walkway... which Havide de Néchin brought as a dowry to Lambert de Wattrelos. The inhabitants of Tournai submitted to Philip II Augustus. The Tournai region would belong to the French royal family for over 300 years (1187-1521). La Royère is located in the Château de Lille, in the Flanders region, on the hills of Leers and Néchin, on the edge of the Wattines forest, on the border with Tournaisis: it is the castle of the border. In 1227, it was probably a feudal motte with a stone tower that was purchased by Arnoul IV. Wealthier than the seller Hugues de Roubaix, he may have had Tournai's stone walls built. From 1500 onwards, the lords of Roubaix also became lords of La Royère through marriage: the de Werchin and the de Melun. Pierre de Melun, governor of Tournai, lord of Roubaix and La Royère, and a Protestant supporter, was considered civilly dead by Philip II, the Catholic king. His possessions passed to the Ligne family through Anne de Melun. As a supporter of the Edict of Nantes (Henry IV, 1598), Louis XIV returned La Royère to the de Melun family. This led to family disputes: the property first went to the de Ligne family and then back to the de Melun family. A Crombez from Tournai bought La Royère, 35 hectares (Popp map circa 1850). Miss Crombez de Remond de Montmort married Count Ferdinand Costa de Saint-Gérix de Beauregard… Everything was then sold to farmers. Source: leershistorique.fr

Please note: the towpath on the south side is temporarily closed towards Leers between the Pont de Petix-Preux and Rue de Belva. A short detour along Rue de la Motterie is the solution.

Also note the charming bridge keeper's house. Ten years ago (2015), it was for sale for €52,000. Source: lavenir.net

The Roubaix Canal, or the Espierres Canal, as it's called in French or Belgian, forms part of the link between the Deûle River in France and the Scheldt River in Belgium. In 1843, the two canals were connected between Leers, France, and Leers-Nord, Belgium. Despite damage sustained during the two world wars, the canal was the pinnacle of the region's textile industry for over a hundred years, transporting coal from Belgium to numerous French factories. In Leers-Nord, Belgium, the workers who pulled the coal-laden barges were called "satcheux" (sailors). Next to the lock keeper's house, a stone's throw from France, the crossing point between France and Belgium, a customs guardhouse was built. Customs officers were present to inspect the numerous goods transported by barge. After the decline of the textile industry in the 1970s and 1980s, the canal gradually lost its usefulness and was closed to shipping in 1983. In the early 2000s, the canal was the subject of a cross-border rehabilitation project to allow tourist boats to pass through again. As part of the Interreg Blue Links project, a collaboration between France, Flanders, and Wallonia, it was flooded again. The final works were completed in 2011, and navigation reopened. Since the early 20th century, the Roubaix/Espierres Canal has been a place of conviviality, walking, and fishing for cross-border residents and commuters. Consequently, strong public opposition has arisen to the plan to convert the canal into a motorway. Source: www.caue-nord.com