A Near Run Thing
The Waterloo Anniversary Tour
Tour Introduction
Our ever-popular Classic Waterloo Anniversary tour covers the battles of Ligny, Quatre Bras and especially Waterloo itself – and takes place over the annual anniversary weekend when there will likely be re-enactors dressed in period uniform on the battlefields. We will be staying in historic Waterloo town, home to Wellington’s Headquarters.
Highlights
• Visit the spectacular Grand Place in Brussels
• See the building where Wellington planned the battle and wrote his famous Waterloo despatch
• Walk through the hotly-contested village of Ligny
• View Napoleon’s windmill at Fleurus
• Stand on the crossroads at Quatre Bras
• Spend a whole day on the battlefield of Waterloo
• The fortified farmhouse of La Haye Sainte
• Walk the route of the advance of the Imperial Guard and its defeat by Wellington’s elite Guards and Light Troops
• Visit the Waterloo Visitor Centre which includes the Lion Mound viewing platform, the Waterloo Panorama
Dates
Interested in this tour but not ready to book? Register your interest using the link below and we will keep you updated on the progress of the tour.
Expert Guides
Major General Ashley Truluck CB CBE BA
Ashley Truluck is a History graduate with a life-long fascination for Military History. As a soldier, he served worldwide with the Gurkhas, in Communications and Intelligence, with Army Aviation and on the General Staff, retiring as a Major General. Throughout that time he led battlefield studies – a passion he has carried over into his second career. Ashley has spent a lifetime studying Wellington’s command style and tactics: he lived for 3 years near Waterloo, knows the battlefield intimately and he is a keen walker: the perfect host to guide you ‘off piste’ to provide a general’s perception of what it would be like to command and fight on the battlefields of Ligny, Quatre Bras and especially Waterloo.
Background
When Napoleon arrived in Elba in May 1814, monarchs, aristocracy and diplomats (amongst them the Duke of Wellington) were gathered in Vienna to redraw the map of Europe. But whilst they dallied and danced their time away, the exiled Emperor had been scheming.
Aware of the political unrest in France and disharmony amongst the Allies, he embarked on his final gamble. Returning to France with less than 1000 men, he sent the whole of Europe into panic. With his overtures for peace rejected, the restored Emperor set about creating the finest fighting force he had commanded since his glory days of Austerlitz.
It was only a matter of time before he struck and so anxious Allies urgently mobilised their armies and hurriedly drew-up their plans before it was too late. On the night of 14 June 1815 near Charleroi in Belgium, the Emperor crossed the border with his Grand Armée taking his adversaries by surprise.
However during a whirlwind campaign of just 4 days, the resolute and skilful leadership of forces under the command of the Duke of Wellington and the Prussian commander, Marshal Blucher, resulted in the decisive defeat and rout of the French army on the field of Waterloo in a battle that would be referred to by the Duke as ‘a near run thing’.
Napoleon, abdicating for a second time, would end his days on the remote Atlantic island of St Helena from where death would be his only escape.
"Ashley's friendly approach, passion and light-hearted but in-depth commentaries made the tour special and the battles come alive."
What's Included
- 4 Star Hotel
- Return Eurostar Plus from London (optional)
- Attendance at the battlefield re-enactment
- Entrance fees for sites included in itinerary
- Dedicated Tour Manager
- The company of like-minded travelers
- Dinner parties hosted by your expert historians and tour manager
- Buffet breakfast each morning
- Two drinks i,e wine or beer at each dinner and a welcome drink on first evening
- Helpful and friendly travel advice
- Access to the Cultural Experience app
- Tour information booklet
- Modern, comfortable, air-conditioned coach
Itinerary
Day 1: Brussels
Day 1: Brussels
We travel by Eurostar arriving in Brussels in time to visit the spectacular Grand Place with its awesome gold-painted Guildhalls and Town Hall. We pause for lunch here before embarking on a guided walk of Brussels Old Town with its Wellington sites. We proceed via the Rue Royal to see where Wellington was based and the Royal Park where his troops assembled. Check-in to our comfortable Brussels hotel, our base for the tour. (D)
Day 2: Ligny & Quatre Bras (including the Waterloo battle reenactment)
Day 2: Ligny & Quatre Bras (including the Waterloo battle reenactment)
At Ligny we see where Napoleon's right wing clashed with the Prussians on 16 June 1815. We view Napoleon's windmill at Fleurus, walk through the hotly contested village of Ligny and travel up to Blucher's command post on the Prussian ridge to get a wonderful panorama of the battlefield and discuss how he managed to slip Napoleon's trap and retreat to Wavre. After a light lunch we stand on the crossroads at Quatre Bras where Wellington halted the advance of the left wing of Napoleon's army and then follow his skilful withdrawal to the defensive position at Waterloo. After an early supper in Genappe we attend the spectacular Waterloo battle re-enactment. An epic day! (B,D)
Day 3: Waterloo
Day 3: Waterloo
Today we spend the whole day on the battlefield of Waterloo amidst the many re-enactor camps, starting at Hougoumont - key to Wellington's critical right flank. Then to the centre of the Allied ridge where, aided by the Lion Mound viewing platform, we see where Napoleon's infantry columns were seen off by the British cavalry counterattack. We then walk down to the fortified farmhouse of La Haye Sainte to hear the story of its heroic, but doomed, defence. After lunch we see where French cavalry attacks were brought to a halt by Wellington's resolute infantry squares. In picturesque Plancenoit village we see where the Prussians fell on Napoleon's right flank. (B,D)
Day 4: The Museums
Day 4: The Museums
First thing this morning we walk the route of the advance of the Imperial Guard and its defeat by Wellington's elite Guards and Light Troops. We then visit the new Waterloo Visitor Centre with its excellent audio-visual display and the remarkable Waterloo Panorama. We complete our anniversary weekend in Waterloo town at the building where Wellington planned the battle and wrote his famous Waterloo despatch. Return to Brussels for our return Eurostar journey to London. (B)
Recommended Reading List
- A Week at Waterloo - Diary of Lady Magdalene de Lancey published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (2015)
- The Campaign of Waterloo: a Military History published by Forgotten Books (2012)
- The Waterloo Companion: The Complete Guide to History's Most Famous Land Battle published by Aurum Press Ltd (2001)
- Waterloo Battlefield Guide published by Pen & Sword Military (2014)
- Waterloo: A New History of the Battle and its Armies published by Atlantic Books (2014)
- Waterloo: Four Days that Changed Europe’s Destiny published by Abacus (2015)
- Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles published by William Collins (2014)
Tour Review
Take a look at some independent reviews of this tour by previous participants here