On September 11th to September 21st 2022 I cycled the Western Front Way from Pfetterhouse, France near the Swiss border to Nieuwpoort, Belgium. The route is about 1000kms and follows the Western Front of World War I. The route has been developed as a linear memorial to so much human loss during that conflict. It is also a path on which to reflect on the horror of war in any time, the senseless loss of life and destruction of communities, and perhaps most importantly to contemplate the hope for peace in our world.
The Western Front Way https://thewesternfrontway.com/ honours and commemorates the original vision of A.D. (Douglas) Gillespie who, writing from the horrific conditions in the trenches of World War One envisioned the Western Front becoming a linear memorial and pilgrimage road dedicated to peace.
The idea for the Western Front Way or Via Sacra was envisioned from the trenches and described in a letter home in 1915 by my ancestor and distant relative A.D. Gillespie. The letter was re-discovered in 2015 by UK historian Sir Anthony Seldon who, with many other committed and inspirational people have succeeded in executing on A.D. Gillespie’s vision of a path of remembrance, respect, and peace. I have been so inspired by the initiative! It has been a tremendous effort by energetic people working with international governments, local communities, landowners, and philanthropists. I am so excited to be joining a ride with my distant cousin, Tom Heap and a number of other riders to honour all the efforts made to bring this project into being and to raise greater awareness to this wonderful project.
The Route
The logo for the Western Front Way represents the four flowers of remembrance.. if you’d like to purchase a waymarker, you can contribute here https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-western-front-way
Walking in Europe 