We have an amazing day ahead of us, firstly we will ride the famous Kemmelberg from the Gent-Wevelgem race and after lunch visits the Tyne Cot Cemetery and to finish the day witness the Last Post under the imposing memorial arches of the Menin Gate.
We will leave the hotel and head out to ride some of the interesting parts of the course from the famous Gent-Wevelgem race, including the famous Kemmelberg which is about 12km from Ieper. After our ride we will return to Ieper for lunch and a shower. Ieper is a unique European city, giving you the opportunity …
We will leave the hotel and head out to ride some of the interesting parts of the course from the famous Gent-Wevelgem race, including the famous Kemmelberg which is about 12km from Ieper. After our ride we will return to Ieper for lunch and a shower. Ieper is a unique European city, giving you the opportunity to fully experience what the Great War was really like. No other city has such interesting medieval story to tell and no other city has combined its past elements better into a modern place bubbling with enthusiasm for the future. Dive into Ieper’s medieval past in the town centre and pay a visit to the Cloth Hall on one of the most beautiful market squares of Belgium or go for a walk around the 17th Century Vauban ramparts. The very beautiful and grand Main Square is full of life with restaurants and cafes flanked by the museum and town hall on one side.
After lunch we will visit the Flanders Fields which were the scene of some of the most fierce battles of World War 1. Included will be a visit to the Tyne Cot Cemetery where there is an interesting display of the battles fought in this area and the resting place of many Australians and British soldiers.
The cemetery grounds were assigned to the United Kingdom in perpetuity by King Albert I of Belgium in recognition of the sacrifices made by the British Empire in the defense and liberation of Belgium during the war. It is the largest cemetery for Commonwealth forces in the world, for any war.
The name “Tyne Cot” is said to come from the Northumberland Fusiliers seeing a resemblance between the German concrete pill boxes, which still stand in the middle of the cemetery, and typical Tyneside workers’ cottages – Tyne Cots.
To complete our day, on our return we will head to an early dinner (provided tonight) in order to be able to see the last post at the Menin Gate.
Every evening (at 8 pm) since 1928, the Last Post has been sounded under the imposing memorial arches of the Menin Gate. The Last Post is the traditional salute to the fallen and is played in honour of the memory of the soldiers of the then British Empire, who fought and died in the ‘Immortal Ypres Salient’ between 1914 and 1918.