The best traffic-free bike rides around Beaumetz-Lès-Aire

The small village of Delettes includes the hamlets of Upen d'Amont, Upen d'Aval, and Westrehem. Crossed by the Lys River, it boasts a pretty sluice mill built on the banks of the river.

Enquin was located on the western edge of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais coal basin, which was mined on a large scale in the 19th century and around 1850 coal was also being sought in Enquin. Initially, the mine had a good yield. The mining company built a town with miners' houses between Enquin and Fléchinelle. In 1905, the name of the municipality was changed from Enquin to Enquin-les-Mines, referring to the mining. However, the mine suffered somewhat from poorer access and less large coal and ultimately proved to be unprofitable. The mine closed definitively in 1928.

The church of Enguinegatte, built in white stone, had a choir and a bell tower portal from the 17th century. We went there by a spiral staircase, with a receding barrel vault. The nave was restored in the 19th century. It was destroyed by bombing during the Second World War targeting nearby German installations and a V1 rocket launching platform. It was completely rebuilt in brick in 1960. It has retained the bronze bell, cast by Beaudoin and Jussaud in 1776, and classified as movable objects of historical monuments in 1943. It bears the arms of the Ghistelle and Lens Ricourt families.

This Spanish mill was built around 1635, on the banks of the Lacquette River. It produced flour until 1938, then milling for livestock. It was bought in 1974 to be transformed into a home. It is built with brick and stone (white limestone). All that remains of the original building is the north gable (17th century), and also a porch. The water wheel is still in place but it no longer turns. The dam forms a pretty waterfall. A turret was added on the river side. It is a very beautiful private home with a beautiful garden in which you can see a stone fountain.

The Rebecques ponds are fishing ponds, but they are no less beautiful to admire. They are open all year round, from sunrise to sunset.

The Spanish mill of Enquin les Mines is a former water mill which dates from the 17th century and was used to produce flour and animal feed until 1938. It is today a private residence with a beautiful garden and a fountain. You can admire the old brick and stone building, the restored waterwheel and the waterfall created by the dam on the Laquette.

Spanish style water mill. No longer operational

Located in the heart of a heritage village between the towns of Aire-sur-la-Lys and Saint-Omer, the Saint-Michel de Roquetoire church is a surprise behind the roofs of the village. The origins of this small town are very old, a health resort has existed on this already inhabited land since ancient times. Water is very important in the history of this city, as a legend indicates: during the reign of Saint Louis, a great drought that impoverished the soil, the priest, to put an end to it, struck the ground with a statue of Saint Michael. A spring originates from this place that has never dried up. Read the full history at https://openchurches.eu/fr/edifices/saint-michel-roquetoire-ndf