38 V i s i t www.theculturalexperience.com C a l l 0345 475 1815 XXX! XXX Napoleonic Waterloo is a fascinating but subtle battlefield. Wellington’s eye for ground and talent for drawing his opponent onto ground of his own choosing - allowing him to observe their dispositions and approach routes whilst concealing his own troops and thus achieving tactical surprise - was key to his success. This tour will give you the same insight. Ashley Truluck – former army General and Chairman of the Society for Army Historical Research - has spent a lifetime studying Wellington’s command style and tactics; he lived for 3 years near Waterloo and knows the battlefield intimately; and he is a keen walker. What better host to guide you ‘off piste’ – and so understand what ff piste’ – and so understand what ff it was really like to command and fight on the battlefields of Ligny, Quatre Bras and especially Waterloo? Thesewillbeaseriesofcountrywalks–not a route march! We cover about 5 or 6 miles a day, with stops for lunch and beverages. There is nothing here that any reasonably fit weekend walker couldn’t cope with – but don’t come if you are aren’t up to this fitness standard as we will be ranging away from main roads and facilities. You will still get to visit the excellent visitor centres – but what this tour really offers is fresh air ffers is fresh air ff and a fresh perspective - and a chance to enjoy the surprisingly peaceful and pretty Belgian countryside in the convivial company of fellow walkers. 5 - 8 October 2018 & & & & 28 September - 1 October 2019 28 September - 1 October 2019 28 September - 1 October 2019 28 September - 1 October 2019 28 September - 1 October 2019 28 September - 1 October 2019 4 days with Maj-Gen Ashley Truluck with Maj-Gen Ashley Truluck Activity Level 3 ESSENTIALS Return Standard Premier Eurostar, 4 star hotel, buffet breakfast, one lunch, 3-course dinner with drinks each evening, all entrance fees and expert guide throughout. Tour Price: £1295 Single supplement: £145 Deposit: £125 Price without train: £1195 TheWaterlooCampaigninJune1815ensured relative peace in Western Europe for the next fifty years. It was the first time that the two greatest commanders of the era, Napoleon and Wellington, met each other in battle and it was to be the last campaign for both of them. It was also the last campaign for grand old Marshal Blucher whose Prussian Army, having been trounced at Ligny, nevertheless arrived in the nick of time to tip the scales in the Allies’ favour as Wellington’s ‘infamous army’, already tested at Quatre Bras, hung on grimly to the ridge at Waterloo. Day 1 – Brussels & Waterloo Town. Depart London St Pancras by Eurostar to Brussels in time for a town walk into and around the magnificent Grand Place and on to the Royal Park where the story of the Waterloo cam- paign begins. We drive to Waterloo town to visit Wellington’s headquarters before checking in to our comforta-ble hotel in the centre of the town and our base for the tour. Welcome drinks and evening talk before dinner. Day 2 – Ligny & Quatre Bras. We walk from the French positions and follow their attack route across fields into the riverside village of Ligny to get a feel for its tenacious defence by Prussian troops. Then walk up through cornfields for a panoramic view from the site of Blucher’s windmill – where he and Wellington met prior to the battle. We take lunch at Pierpont farmhouse (now a golf club) where the concurrent battle of Quatre Bras opened. After viewing the battlefield from the strategic crossroads which give the battle its name, we walk out along the British front line to Cherry Wood on the left flank and thence cross the very centre of the battlefield, discussing the highlights as we go. We end our day by driving the route of Wellington’s skilful withdrawal through Genappe to Waterloo where we take dinner. Day 3 – W aterloo. We start today’s walk from the excellent new Hougoumont visitor centre, walking the length of the Allied Ridge discussing the French infantry and cavalry attacks as we go. After lunch near La Haye Sainte we push on to the British left flank and – weather permitting - around to see where the Prussians fell on Napo-leon’s flank at Plancenoit where we stop for refreshment in the picturesque village square. Day 4 – F inale. We return to the battlefield to walk the route of the Imperial Guard’s final attack up onto the ridge and the very site where they were dramatically defeated by Wellington’s elite Guards and Light troops. Thence to the excellent new Waterloo Visitor Centre on the battlefield where we will also enjoy our lunch stop. Then back to Brussels to catch our Eurostar train getting us back to London by early evening. XXX XXX WALKING WATERLOO XXX WALKING WATERLOO XXX A XXX A XXX SOLDIER S VIE XXX SOLDIER S VIE XXX W OF THE EVOCATIVE bATTLEFIELDS French cavalry attack British squares