Amettes to Bruay-la-Buissière

Highlights

• Mining heritage area
• UNESCO mining basin
• Industrial history

Stage conditions

Practical notes

Getting there and away

Bruay-la-Buissière's own station closed to passengers in 1958 and the old halle is now a market. The nearest trains are on the Béthune–Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise line, where Fouquereuil, Calonne-Ricouart and Pernes-Camblain remain open, served by TER Hauts-de-France omnibus trains between Lille and Saint-Pol (C50/K50). Béthune, about ten kilometres north-east of Bruay, is the hub with trains to Lille, Arras and Lens. Local buses link Bruay with Béthune station; check the current network locally. Amettes at the start has no rail service.

What the season does

April to October with partial shade. This is the day the route enters the former coal basin, so the second half is suburban and urban; heat reflects off tarmac in July and August, and there is little shelter from rain on the open fields before the towns. Hunting is open from mid-September: the LightFoot guide even offers a road alternative that avoids the woods before Bruay partly because of shooting there. The mining heritage sites keep normal museum seasons if you want to visit.

Safety on this stage

The stage data flags urban sections through towns: pavements, roundabouts and crossings rather than footpaths for the last kilometres into Bruay, so switch from countryside habits to town ones. Earlier, the LightFoot guide notes the woods before Bruay can be hard to navigate and may be hunted, which is why it suggests a road variant; if you take the woodland line in autumn, wear something bright and keep to the marked path. Walk facing traffic on the D-roads between villages.

Water and food

Water is abundant, in the sense that towns come thick and fast once you reach the mining basin: bars, bakeries and supermarkets are easy to find from the first pit villages onward. The first half from Amettes is farmland with no fountains, so leave with a full bottle. Bruay-la-Buissière is a town of some size with all services, and it is a good place to stock up before the long 30 km stage to Arras.

Where pilgrims sleep

Our directory lists three hotels in Bruay-la-Buissière: the B&B hotel, Ibis Styles and Le Cottage. We found no pilgrim gîte or parish welcome in the town, so this is a hotel night unless the FFVF booklet, updated each January, has a homestay. The Confraternity's general advice for France applies: ring ahead, carry the credential, and expect fewer specifically pilgrim beds than on the Caminos. Béthune, a short bus ride away, widens the choice if needed.

Sources: Wikipedia — Bruay-la-Buissière · Wikipédia — Gare de Bruay-en-Artois · Wikipédia — Ligne de Fives à Abbeville · LightFoot Guide to the Via Francigena, Canterbury to Besançon (PDF, 2014 edition) · Le Montagnard — Calendrier chasse France 2025-2026 · FFRandonnée — Via Francigena 'Hébergements et Services' · Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome — Walking the Via Francigena

Common questions

Walk this stage

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