The best cycling routes in Houthulstbos

The harbor in Ypres, known locally as "De Kaaie," is actually the Ieperlee, which runs beneath the city of Ypres and becomes visible again there. At the Drie Grachten (Three Canals), the Ieperlee is joined by the Martjevaart canal, which originates in Merkem. Drie Grachten is a hamlet in the west of Merkem where the three canals converge: the Martjevaart canal, the Ypres-IJzer canal (also known as the Ieperlee Canal), and the Ieperlee itself. Drie Grachten is also known for the battles during World War I, in which the French, including the Zouaves, fought against the Germans. After a failed attack on the German outpost at Luigem, the Germans captured a number of Zouaves. They launched a counterattack but hid behind the captured Zouaves to prevent the French Zouaves from firing on them, thinking they were their own men returning. At one point, one of the captured Zouaves reportedly shouted: "Tirez donc au nom de Dieu, ce sont les Boches!" (For God's sake, these are the Boches!). Immediately after the warning, a French salvo erupted, mowing down both the Germans and the captured Zouaves. The Zouaves of Northern France (Union des Zouaves du Nord) continued to commemorate this after the war. Luigem is a hamlet 1 kilometer east of Drie Grachten and 1 kilometer west of the center of Noordschote. The Zouaves (French: zouaves) were a light infantry unit of the French Army, associated with French North Africa.

Beautiful route. Definitely stop at De Knocke

Shady in sunny and warm weather

Tyne Cot Cemetery is the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world, located near Passchendaele. It was established in October 1917 and contains over 11,000 graves of soldiers who died during the First World War. The site was strategically important during the Battle of Passchendaele and was used as an advanced dressing station after its capture by the 3rd Australian Division on 4 October 1917. The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker and includes an impressive Cross of Sacrifice, built on a former German bunker. The cemetery was significantly expanded after the Armistice to include graves from nearby battlefields and smaller cemeteries.

The New Zealand Division Passchendaele Memorial commemorates the more than 5,000 New Zealand soldiers who were killed or mortally wounded during the series of battles that culminated in the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917. Located in Zonnebeke, Belgium, the memorial pays tribute to the sacrifices of New Zealand troops during one of the darkest days in New Zealand's military history.

Tyne Cot Cemetery is the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world, located near Passchendaele. It was established in October 1917 and contains over 11,000 graves of soldiers who died during the First World War. The site was strategically important during the Battle of Passchendaele and was used as an advanced dressing station after its capture by the 3rd Australian Division on 4 October 1917. The cemetery was designed by Sir Herbert Baker and includes an impressive Cross of Sacrifice, built on a former German bunker. The cemetery was significantly expanded after the Armistice to include graves from nearby battlefields and smaller cemeteries.

A poignant anecdote about Tyne Cot Cemetery concerns the father and son, Lieutenant Colonel Harry Moorhouse and Captain Ronald Moorhouse. Both served with the 4th Battalion, the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, and were killed within an hour of each other during the Third Battle of Ypres. Harry Moorhouse was seeking medical attention for his badly wounded son when he himself was killed. Their bodies were never recovered, but their names are immortalised on the Tyne Cot Memorial.

The Saint Paul's Church in Langemark, also known as the Saint Paul's Bekering Church, is a neo-Gothic hall church built between 1923 and 1925. The church, designed by architect Thierry Nolf, has an imposing western tower and stands on the market square, surrounded by lime trees. The original church was completely destroyed during the First World War, and the current structure was rebuilt afterwards. Inside the church you will find stained glass windows and a contemporary work of art, "Way of the Cross of Love", by the Brussels painter Luc Hoenraet.