Waterloo was Wellington’s last battle. After it, he never fought another – but then he didn’t need to. Waterloo was the culmination of twenty-three years of almost continual warfare, with seven coalitions formed to fight the French, and with only one constant: Britain. It was British ships, British money and British men that consistently opposed French ambitions of world domination, while the other nations of Europe vacillated between being Allies of the French, being occupied by the French and fighting against the French. Waterloo was not Wellington’s most skilful battle; nor was it his most difficult, but politically it was his most important, for Waterloo changed the course of history, and there are very few battles that do that. To fully understand any battle – how it was fought and why it was fought in the way that it was – you have to look at the ground, and there is no better way of examining the ground than by walking over it. This tour aims to study the Waterloo campaign – the two pairs of linked battles, Ligny and Quatre Bras on 16 June 1815 and Wavre and Waterloo on 18 June - but walking over and between the scenes of the action. Accompanied by military historian Major Gordon Corrigan we will discuss the men, the tactics and the weapons with relation to the ground over which the armies fought, and we will visit parts of the battlefield not often examined by other tours.

We will be staying at the Grand Hotel, Waterloo. Perfectly situated to give you maximum time on the battlefield, it is one of our favourite hotels, with a stylish atmosphere, good food and pleasant, professional service.

ITINERARY
Day 1 (Friday): Depart Victoria Coach Station, London 08:45. Dover – Calais ferry. To the Grand Hotel, Waterloo for dinner and overnight (3 nights). Lecture ‘The Background to Waterloo’ and introduction to map reading.
Day 2: Morning: The Battle of Ligny 16 June 1815. Walk the route of Napoleon’s advance, and Blucher’s retreat, although unlike General d’Erlon, we will not cover the same ground twice. Lunch break Charleroi. Afternoon: The Battle of Quatre Bras 16 June 1815. Walk the ground of Picton’s advance, and charge with Kellerman’s Curraissiers; arrive in the nick of time with the Guards’ Division (although unlike them it will not be necessary to double the last five miles).
Day 3: The Battle of Waterloo 18 June 1815. Walk in the steps of the soldiers of Wellington and Napoleon and really find out what it was like to attack up a False crest with infantry waiting on the reverse slope. Lunch break in Waterloo.
Day 4: The Prussian advance. Follow the Prussian infantry from Wavre to Plancenoit, and walk the ground over which they fought Napoleon’s Imperial Guard behind the French lines. Visit Wellington’s Headquarters in Waterloo. Lunch break in Waterloo. Calais – Dover ferry. Arrive Approximately 18:45 Dover and 20:30 London.