Walking Waterloo

Walking Waterloo

The Campaign on Foot

Military History and Battlefield ToursWalking Tours

27th - 30th September 2024
(4 Days)

Expert Historian : Major General Ashley Truluck CB CBE BA

Tour price: £1,595

click here to book

Walking Waterloo

The Campaign on Foot

Military History and Battlefield ToursWalking Tours

Your Holiday Essentials

27th - 30th September 2024
(4 Days)

4-star hotels, meals as indicated,

drinks with dinner, all entrance fees,

tour manager and expert historian

throughout, all internal travel,

optional travel from UK.

Activity Level: 3

Expert Historian: Major General Ashley Truluck CB CBE BA

Prices:

Standard price: : £1,325

Incl. travel from UK: £1,595
Room sole occupancy supplement: £150
Non-refundable deposit: £275

Booking open

click here to book

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.

click here to register your interest

Tour Introduction

Waterloo is a fascinating but subtle battlefield. Wellington’s eye for terrain and talent for drawing his opponent onto ground of his own choosing allowed him to observe enemy dispositions and approach routes whilst concealing his own troops thus achieving tactical surprise which was key to his success. Under the guidance of Ashley Truluck, former soldier and past chairman of the Society for Army Historical Research, you will gain that same insight. 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. These will be a series of country walks, not a route march, during which 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 what this tour really offers is fresh air, a fresh perspective, and a chance to enjoy the surprisingly peaceful and pretty Belgian countryside in the convivial company of fellow walkers.

Background

The Waterloo Campaign in June 1815 ensured 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.

Highlights

  • With Maj Gen Ashley Truluck
  • View battlefield from the soldiers' perspective
  • Understand the lines of sight and communication challenges
  • Feel the ground and appreciate its challenges
  • A day and half walking Waterloo
  • A full day walking Ligny and Quatre Bras

What's Included

  • Expert historian throughout providing a daily variety of talks, presentations and Q&A
  • Buffet breakfast each morning
  • Dedicated Tour Manager
  • Dinner parties hosted by your expert historian and tour manager
  • Entrance fees for sites included in itinerary
  • Return Standard Premier Eurostar from London (optional)
  • Helpful and friendly travel advice
  • Modern, comfortable, air-conditioned coach
  • The company of like-minded travelers
  • Two drinks i,e wine or beer at each dinner and a welcome drink on first evening

"Guides were excellent, and there was a good balance between military history and local sightseeing"

Itinerary

Day 1 – Brussels & Waterloo Town

Depart London St Pancras by Eurostar to Brussels in time for a stroll into and around the magnificent Grand Place and Royal Park where the story of the Waterloo campaign begins. On to Waterloo town to visit Wellington’s headquarters opposite our comfortable hotel in the centre of the town and our base for the tour. Welcoming 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 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 to Cherry Wood on the British 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 will take dinner in a local restaurant.

Day 3 – Waterloo

After surveying the battlefield from Napoleon’s command post at La Belle Alliance, we start our 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 Napoleon’s flank at Plancenoit where we stop for refreshment in the picturesque village square. Dinner tonight will be in a friendly bistro on the battlefield itself.

Day 4 – Finale

We return to the battlefield to walk the route of the Imperial Guard’s famous final attack to the very site where they clashed with Wellington’s elite guards and light troops. The story of the battle will unfold as we go along. 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.

Recommended Reading List

Major General Ashley Truluck CB CBE BA

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. He is now Chairman of the Army Society for Historical Research and leads a number of popular tours to Belgium, France, Portugal, Spain and Malta.

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Your Holiday Essentials

27th - 30th September 2024
(4 Days)

4-star hotels, meals as indicated,

drinks with dinner, all entrance fees,

tour manager and expert historian

throughout, all internal travel,

optional travel from UK.

Activity Level: 3

Expert Historian: Major General Ashley Truluck CB CBE BA

Prices:

Standard price: : £1,325

Incl. travel from UK: £1,595
Room sole occupancy supplement: £150
Non-refundable deposit: £275

Booking open

click here to book

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.

click here to register your interest

Tour Review

Take a look at some independent reviews of this tour by previous participants here

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