Traces of WWI in Ypres

We follow the signs of the Ypres Salient hiking network, a low and green ridge south of Ypres where heavy fighting took place in the First World War. We leave at parking Hill 60 in the Zwarteleenstraat opposite house number 36. Due to its location, Hill 60 was a strategic location. The site is unique and definitely worth a visit (access via folding gate at the beginning of the car park). Leave the car park to the right and follow the signs towards KP 29. Where the street turns sharply to the left, you go straight ahead into the cul-de-sac. Just before the road turns into a footpath, take a narrow path to the left. You come to the Werviksestraat which you cross. Go through a first meadow gate and walk straight ahead, through the meadow. At KP 29 you cross the Pappotstraat (again meadow gates) and continue towards KP 30. You are now in the beautiful, fragmented Gasthuis forests, formerly owned by the OCMW Ypres.

You will also follow a loop through the Groeneburgbos to get back to KP 30. If you want to shorten the walk by about 2 kilometers, do not follow this loop and suddenly take the right towards KP 31. The further description can be found after the next paragraph. For the full walk, turn sharply left at KP 30 towards KP 43. When you come to an asphalt road, follow it a few tens of meters to the left until KP 43, where you take a field road on the right towards KP 42. Turn right again through forest until KP 34 (at a crossroads of forest roads) and continue straight on to KP 32. A little further you come back to FP 30. You now follow the indications towards KP 31 for both the shortened and the full walk. Please note: at the Werviksestraat you turn left to take a grass road to the right 100 meters further between forest and meadow. You follow the kp 31 poles, which lead you to the Kasteelstraat. From KP 31, follow the street road to the right towards KP 11. Along the way you can see the church of Hollebeke in the distance. At KP 11, go right under the railway bridge to KP 12, about 200 meters further. Here you take the grass path to the right (beautiful pool and picnic bench). You enter the provincial domain De Palingbeek and follow the poles KP 27. These lead you through a beautiful area with a number of pools and via a few path changes to the Caterpillar crater. This large crater was created by detonating the underground positions of the Germans via corridors from below. Turn right around the crater and continue on the path towards KP 26. At the Komenseweg you turn left for a while, after which you almost immediately turn right into the Palingbeekstraat (follow the bicycle / footpath). Continue straight until KP 26 and KP 15, at the cafeteria of the domain.

Across the cafeteria (Paling beekstraat) take the path on the left towards KP 75. You come to the Palingbeek where you cross the wooden b back. In 1864 they started building an old Ypres dream: a canal between Ypres and Komen. Due to misjudgments of the subsoil, subsidence took place and in 1913, after numerous fruitless attempts, they gave up. Since then, the immense trench has evolved into a unique nature reserve.

Cross the bridge and turn right towards KP 17. At the next bridge, at the level of a former lock, you cross the Palingbeek again. Turn right and after 100 meters turn left onto the roadside. Once at the top, at FP 17, take the left again to get to FP 18 after a few meters. Follow here on the right towards KP 22. On the asphalt road (with picnic meadow, toilet and public observatory) follow it to the left to immediately follow the grass path on the right to KP 22.

From FP 22 it continues towards FP 23. Past a British soldiers' cemetery you go to l inks and you have a nice view of the Ypres towers. At KP 23, take the path to the right to turn left 100 metres further, at KP 24, towards KP 28. On the Molenbosstraat turn left again until the Komenseweg. Here you turn right and after a few tens of meters turn left to take the Zwarteleenstraat. After about 400 meters you will arrive at KP 28 in front of the railway bridge and then at the parking lot of Hill 60.