After the Battle of Salamanca in 1812 the French were always on the back foot in Spain and they never regained the strategic initiative. They were still a formidable enemy however. Following his success at Salamanca (July 1812) Wellington liberated Madrid before moving north to besiege Burgos (19 September) He had underestimated the task however and abandoned the siege after five weeks. He retreated back into Portugal with the French on his heels, “the worst scrape I ever was in”. Burgos was one of Wellington’s few reverses. He settled in Ciudad Rodrigo over the winter, to prepare for a full scale offensive in 1813. This began in May. Wellington made a wide sweep north-east, forcing King Joseph to abandon his positions until, in mid June, the king gathered his Army round Vitoria and prepared to make a stand. The French were completely out-manoeuvred; Wellington’s Army achieved a great victory at the Battle of Vitoria and King Joseph fled east, abandoning the enormous baggage train of plunder and 150 guns. Now the French retreat began. It was a fighting retreat and we will follow the armies across the Pyrenees, look at Marshal Soult’s counter offensives, discuss importance of the passes through the Pyrenees, the river crossings, the sieges of San Sebastian and Bayonne and the final actions in south west France leading to the French surrender at Toulouse, prior to Napoleon’s abdication in 1814.

This tour travels through the spectacular Basque countryside, beautiful today,but in 1813 the mountains and rivers added greatly to the difficulties faced by the armies of both sides. You will follow these armies and learn what happened in final eighteen months of the war.

ITINERARY
Day 1 (Saturday): Fly London - Madrid. Introductory talk, dinner and overnight in Madrid.
Day 2: To Burgos to study the Siege, visit the hornwork, the castle and cathedral. Lunch break In Burgos. Drive to Vitoria. Dinner and overnight.
Day 3: The Battle of Vitoria. King Joseph’s army disintegrates and the French retreat begins. Picnic lunch. To Pamplona for own dinner and overnight.
Day 4: The Battles of Roncevalles and Col de Maya; the opening battles of Soult’s counter offensive across the Pyrenees. The battle of Sorauren which checked French advance to Pamplona. Lunch break in Maya. Afternoon visits include Lesaca and the bridge at Vera. Dinner and overnight Pamplona.
Day 5: We study the siege of San Sebastian, captured on August 31st. the same day that Soult attacked across the Bidassoa, his last attempt to defend the frontiers of France. We will visit the battlefield and discuss why he failed and how Wellington successfully crossed the Bidassoa and captured the Greater Rhune. Lunch break San Sebastian. Dinner and overnight, Bayonne.
Day 6: Pamplona surrenders and Wellington breaks through the French Lines. The crossing of the Nivelle and the Nive in November and December 1813. The Siege of Bayonne April 1814. Own dinner and overnight Bayonne.
Day 7: The Battle of Orthez. (March) Lunch break in Pau. The Battle of Toulouse (10-12 April) and the end of the war. Dinner and overnight, Toulouse.
Day 8: Free time. Fly Toulouse - London.