On the edge of the city of Eap, the Menin gates is being renovated.

Beyond it, along the Menin Road lies the Epe Town Cemetery,

where English lords and princes lie alongside ordinary soldiers from the Great War.

The I'm a Avaughan A

Avae I'm back in Epe this weekend. I didn't think I'd return to Flanders for some months,

but being a battlefield guide, things can change at the last minute.

And yesterday I found myself departing South Yorkshire at an early hour and heading to Epe,

to have a weekend here with a ledger group and guide them round the battlefields.

And the evening sun is setting over the rooftops of the city of

I can see the spire of St Martin's Cathedral and the cloth hall from the ramparts where I'm standing just in front of the mening gate

and we've had a great day on the battlefields touring some of the well-known sites and some of the lesser-known sites

and telling the stories of the Great War and often hearing people's own connection to that

as well and I've met an unparalleled number of podcast listeners today which has been a real

great experience to do that it's always great to meet those of you who listen to the podcasts,

and I'm always really interested for you to come up and say hello

and just have a chat, and it's really great to do that.

And I've just finished here at Eap.

The coaches have just pulled away.

The last post has been sounded

and the Mening Gate ahead of me is quiet.

I can hear blackbirds

and the odd chif-chaff in the trees in the distance

...