Passchendaele and Ypres Salient Battlefields

Day 2

The Northern Salient. Our ride today includes many of the talismatic sites of the area, including Essex Farm and the dugouts where John McCrae served as a surgeon when he wrote his famous poem 'In Flanders Fields'. We then pass the site of the first German gas attacks before visiting the Langemark cemetery where the flower of German youth was buried in 1914. Next is Tyne Cot, the scale of which is humbling and moving in equal measure, before passing ther Passchendaele Museum which is well worth a visit. Following this we continue to Sanctuary Wood (Hill 62) and then on to Hill 60, which with its commanding views over Ypres was bitterly fought over. Throughout the day we pass sites and memorials where troops from all over the world fought and died; Vancouver Corner and Polygon Wood, for example, plus a multitude of smaller memorials and cemeteries.

Day 4

Behind the Lines. The areas behind the front lines played a vital role in the Great War and a visit to these areas gives a better understanding of how everything operated. We visit Poperinge, affectionately known as Pop to the Tommies, where the was could at least be part forgotten during brief periods of rest and relaxation. Toc H is the famous hostel here where all were welcomed regardless of rank. Also in Pop is the place where several men for whom the battle was too much were executed. Essential medical work also went on behind the lines with hospitals but the reality fo the war resulted in many men dying behind the front lines; a visit to Lijssenthoek cemetery is a vivid reminder that not everyone made it home even if they were rescued from the mire of the Flanders mud. Finally we visit Kemmelberg, a natural vantage point from where the whole of the region can be seen on a clear day.