Walking The Waterloo Battlefields

Itinerary

• Day 1

  Local departure by coach, then to our hotel in Belgium for a four-night stay.

• Day 2

  Walk 1: We start by undertaking two short battlefield walks at Quatre Bras and Ligny, examining the vital opening shots to the Waterloo Campaign in June 1815. After lunch, we visit the Wellington Museum in Waterloo and see the memorials to fallen officers in St. Joseph’s Church. Walk 2: We then walk across the battlefield to Frischermount and Papelotte, defended by Nassau troops. Later, we walk across Wellington’s left flank looking at where Picton’s 5th Division fought. We end the day at La Haye Sainte, defended by the King’s German Legion, seeing their memorials nearby.

  Meals - Breakfast

• Day 3

  Walk 3: Walking Wellington’s right flank you will see the ground where the French cavalry charged the British squares and Napoleon’s Imperial Guard were repulsed. At the Lion Mound Centre you will see the museum, view the battlefield from the top of the mound and visit the impressive Waterloo Panorama, one of the largest painted battlefield panoramas in the world. Following lunch you visit the recently restored Hougoumont Farm. Here we look in-depth at arguably the most important part of the Waterloo battlefield for Wellington, seeing the memorials, original buildings, gates and loop-holed walls. Walk 4: We then walk across the battlefield to La Belle Alliance, looking at the battlefield from the French perspective.

  Meals - Breakfast

• Day 4

  In the morning we visit the superb Brussels War Museum with its collection of Napoleonic War period uniforms, weapons and equipment. Walk 5: Later we walk the battlefield at Wavre, where the Prussians clashed with French Marshal Grouchy’s men resulting in a French hollow victory. After visiting the impressive private Napoleonic war museum at Ligny you return to Waterloo. At Plancenoit, where the Young Guard fought the Prussians, we see the church, village and memorials, including the impressive Prussian Memorial. To conclude, at the Wounded Eagle memorial we study the ‘Crisis’, the attack, repulse and demise of Napoleon’s Imperial Guard and the allied rout of Napoleon’s army. We end the day at Le Caillou, Napoleon’s General Headquarters.

  Meals - Breakfast

• Day 5

  Return home.

  Meals - Breakfast

Accommodation

You will stay for four nights at a minimum 3-star hotel in the Brussels area such as the Holiday Inn Brussels Airport.