When farmers in France and Belgium plough their fields, they are as likely to be followed by souvenir hunters as seagulls.

One hundred years on from World War I, bomb disposal experts are still called out six times a day to the areas of France and Belgium that had the spotlight of the world from August 1914 to November 1918.

Farmers who find objects such as live bullets and shrapnel, like we did after a few minutes soil-searching, leave them in holes in telegraph poles to be collected by the army ‘‘milk lorry’’ that still trundles by each day.

Some 1.5bn shells were fired during WWI and 25% of those are estimated to have been duds, and lie unexploded, making farming this land something of a Russian roulette experience.

A total of 40t to 50t of ammunition are still collected from the battlefields every year, our GTI guide Dermot Curran told us, as we stood there in awe at the scale of the conflict that had happened in this region.

It was difficult to process – life and farming was still going on in ditchless, fertile plains that had been the burial place for so many.

Cemeteries abound among the open fields – crops of white headstones marking resting places for British, Irish, Northern Irish, Canadian, Australian and German forces too. Some headstones bear names. Some only say ‘‘known unto God’’.

During WWI, 17 million people died and 20 million were wounded, making it the most tragic conflict in human history. Some 200,000 Irishmen took part and an estimated 50,000 died.

Educational WWI battlefield tours like this one fill needs for several types of tourist.

Listen to tour guide Dermot Curran explain the impact of WWI on farming to this day in our podcast below:

The most important is the pilgrim there to find the grave of an ancestor who died during the war or if no remains were ever found, to come upon his name inscribed on the walls of memorials like those at Menin Gate, Thiepval and Tyne Cot.

We saw most of the major graveyards and memorials and were deeply moved to witness a tour companion find his granduncle’s place of rest, the first family member to visit the grave in 100 years.

We heard the Last Post played too at the Menin Gate, as it is every night, round the corner from our very central Novotel in Ypres.

Others come for the military history, to hear of gas and tank warfare and immerse themselves in military offensives and view dramatic sights such as the Lochnagar Crater. Its earth was shelled sky-high on 1 July 1916, signalling the start of the Battle of the Somme offensive. An organised tour makes it possible to see a lot in a short time but light relief in the form of rest and relaxation each night is very welcome to rehab after moving days.

The Passchendaele Museum was a particular highlight. There, we walked through reconstructed trenches and saw the uniforms and artefacts of the time. In the shop, among the more tasteful poppy souvenirs, imitation bullets with happy faces didn’t sit well, however.

Another memorable visit was to the Messines Peace Village, an Irish peace project and purpose-built hostel which encourages visiting international students to plan their own peace gestures.

The Island of Ireland Peace Park visit was worthwhile too. Built to commemorate crossborder contribution to the war, it features a round tower built of stone from a NI barracks and a workhouse in Mullingar. Its slab inscriptions dwelt rightly on the reality of war rather than misplaced romance or propaganda.

While probably not for the faint-hearted, the WWI Battlefields trip is an experience that can help you really appreciate peace. Usually, a buyer of a souvenir mug wherever I go, I shunned the poppy and place named ones for one bearing a simple flag – that of the European Union, truly grateful for the first time, perhaps, that we, at least in this neck of the woods, have progressed to peace.

Margaret Hawkins was the guest of GTI Ltd. The WWI Battlefields trip costs €667 for four days, including bus trips and bed and breakfast. Note: GTI may be able to help you find the grave of a relative in advance of your visit. See www.gti-ireland.com

Visit Bruges for some R&R before you go home – it is a beautiful city.