Commemorating WWI south of Ypres

This route south of Ypres takes you to the border with France. The area is dotted with memorials and war monuments in memory of the heavy losses suffered here in the First World War. The hilly landscape makes for beautiful cycling terrain, with alternating wooded slopes and rolling fields. Sometimes you have to pedal hard through the hills and then enjoy the wind whizzing past your ears as you descend. Ypres is located in the West Flemish Heuvelland region. This hilly area was the scene of four major battles for the city of Ypres during the First World War. The last battle was fought on 18 March 1918. The Germans never succeeded in conquering the city, but Ypres was completely destroyed. Ypres is the centre of the commemoration of the First World War and the fields around the city are dotted with more than 170 cemeteries. You cycle through the Gasthuisbossen, one of the forests that remain of the vast forest area that once lay east and south of Ypres. During the First World War, the area was on the front of the Ypres Salient and the forests were completely destroyed by the prolonged fighting. On your ride, you will pass Sanctuary Wood Hill 62. Hill 62 is a hill of 62 metres high that served as an observation point to oversee German lines during the First World War. The hill has been the scene of fierce fighting. In the Sanctuary Wood Museum you can view utensils, trenches and shell craters. You continue your tour towards the French border and cycle through the border towns of Komen and Wervik. Both towns are located along the river Leie, which forms the border with France. Wervik is one of the oldest towns in Belgium and is known as the capital of the tobacco region, known for its tobacco cultivation.