There seems to be a theme to our rest days - Ypres, First World War - Bastogne, Second World War! Visited the 101st Airborne museum and the Bastogne War Museum - both excellent.

Flat cycle paths seem to have changed into rolling roads with more uphill than downhill. Broke fourth spoke on another rough track, cycle paths vary from velvet smooth tarmac to gravel, dirt, rocky, grassy, rutted, lumpy and bumpy tracks ! In Bertrix Donna spotted a bike shop, the owner dropped everything to replace our last two broken spokes and true the wheel - yippee ! That doesn't mean our problems are over but we are trying to avoid the rubbish cycle paths a...

The last post ceremony is performed EVERY evening at the Menin gate in Ypres to remember the soldiers that died in the first world war. We went to it in 2012 and hd to go again both evenings we were in Ypres. Very moving. Scouts from the lake district were part of the ceremonies our 2nd night - laying wreaths.

We arrived at the campsite in Ypres - the sign said full, but we asked anyway, Can we camp? Of course. Two nights? Of course. Wifi? Of course. Free? of course, anything else you want? Free beer? Of course. Then the lady went to another room and returned with 2 free cans of chilled beer! Apart from the cycle path that turned into a rutted grassy track it was an easy sunny ride to Ypres in Belgium. Two nights here, our first day off. Visited the Flanders Fields mus...