waterloo battlefield (1 Viewer)

[joeylew]

Not sure if this is the right spot to post and if covered before sorry but I will be in Belgium next week and wondered if anyone had been to waterloo battlefield before? Is bus the easiest access? Any general suggestions on visit will be greatly appreciated.

 

[UKReb]

Not sure if this is the right spot to post and if covered before sorry but I will be in Belgium next week and wondered if anyone had been to waterloo battlefield before? Is bus the easiest access? Any general suggestions on visit will be greatly appreciated.

I have been quite a few times and each time I have stayed in Brussels and have drove to the battle-site as it's not very far. But I'm sure there are bus routes-your hotel would be able to furnish the details

Visitors center is found at The Lion Mound -also has a museum and a continuous film of the battle is shown (mostly taken from the Russian 1970 movie) Special battle buses take you on a guided tour of the whole battlefield. Your visit might be a little early to catch one of the re-enactments (brilliantly staged) as they normally pitch them the week-end closest to 18th June for obvious reasons. But the visit as a whole is really worth your while as the field is almost unchanged and has been perfectly preserved so what you see is what someone would have seen 200 years ago.

Also don't miss The Wellingtom Museum in the town of Waterloo just a couple of miles from the battlefield-great artefacts.

Reb

 

[Rob]

I have been quite a few times and each time I have stayed in Brussels and have drove to the battle-site as it's not very far. But I'm sure there are bus routes-your hotel would be able to furnish the details

Visitors center is found at The Lion Mound -also has a museum and a continuous film of the battle is shown (mostly taken from the Russian 1970 movie) Special battle buses take you on a guided tour of the whole battlefield. Your visit might be a little early to catch one of the re-enactments (brilliantly staged) as they normally pitch them the week-end closest to 18th June for obvious reasons. But the visit as a whole is really worth your while as the field is almost unchanged and has been perfectly preserved so what you see is what someone would have seen 200 years ago.

Also don't miss The Wellingtom Museum in the town of Waterloo just a couple of miles from the battlefield-great artefacts.

Reb

Its also worth the climb to the top of the memorial where you get a great view of as Reb said an unchanged battlefield.

Rob

 

[joeylew]

Thanks for all the guidance. I'm travelling with a group and hopefully will have the time to get a good tour in. I'll post my thoughts when I'm back.

 

[HistoryfortheAges]

I visited about 25 years ago as a young University grad. It was a great experience for me to say the least! I stayed in a hotel in Brussels near the main train station and took an early train to the town of Waterloo where you can visit the Wellington HQ museum. I can't recall how long the train ride was but, I can't imagine it being too much more than an hour. From the town of Waterloo, there are regular local buses that take about 15 minutes to the battlefield. Great memories for me and a must for Napoleonic enthusiasts!

 

[Mister Dave]

I am envious, as this is something I've been wanting to do for years. Please take some photos for us when you are there. Apparently there is at least one Trappist monastery nearby selling fantastic beer that is not to be missed if that is your thing. I clipped an article about the place from an airlines magazine a while ago, but cannot track it down at the moment, so sorry.

Have a great trip.

MD

 

[forlornhoper]

i have read somewhere recently,that due to the building of the lion mound and the amount of earth used in positioning the mound ,200 years of farming on the land and recent changes to the road infrastructure,has altered the look and topography of the battleground of Waterloo therefore it cannot look unchanged since 1815,like all things in life nothing remains the same,including battlefields,that said,iam sure it would still be great to visit the site,enjoy.If my info is incorrect please feel free to correct me.

 

[Mardasson]

I am envious, as this is something I've been wanting to do for years. Please take some photos for us when you are there. Apparently there is at least one Trappist monastery nearby selling fantastic beer that is not to be missed if that is your thing. I clipped an article about the place from an airlines magazine a while ago, but cannot track it down at the moment, so sorry.

Have a great trip.

MD

Hi Dave,
I'm not sure if one of the 6 Belgian Trappist beers is produced close to Waterloo.
Of course for someone coming from the USA, everything in Belgium will look close
Another good thing is you don't need to be in the monastery to enjoy their beers !
Santé !
Michel

 

[Mardasson]

Thanks for all the guidance. I'm travelling with a group and hopefully will have the time to get a good tour in. I'll post my thoughts when I'm back.

Will you also visit other area of Belgium ?
Michel

 

[DMNamiot]

Hi Joeylew,

Waterloo is certainly worth the time and effort to get there. I think you will realy enjoy the museums etc. I have been there and even though they had to change the slope of the field to construct the mound its still a great site to see. I also recommend a side trip to Verdun if you have time. Thats a battlefield and a half with plenty of the WWI works and forts to see.

Enjoy the beer as well they brew some really amazing beer there and of course the chocolate is about as good as it gets.

Dave

 

[arnhem44mad]

I have been quite a few times and each time I have stayed in Brussels and have drove to the battle-site as it's not very far. But I'm sure there are bus routes-your hotel would be able to furnish the details

Visitors center is found at The Lion Mound -also has a museum and a continuous film of the battle is shown (mostly taken from the Russian 1970 movie) Special battle buses take you on a guided tour of the whole battlefield. Your visit might be a little early to catch one of the re-enactments (brilliantly staged) as they normally pitch them the week-end closest to 18th June for obvious reasons. But the visit as a whole is really worth your while as the field is almost unchanged and has been perfectly preserved so what you see is what someone would have seen 200 years ago.

Also don't miss The Wellingtom Museum in the town of Waterloo just a couple of miles from the battlefield-great artefacts.

Reb

Are all the destroyed cannons and things still there?

And bits of battlefield debre?

 

[arnhem44mad]

i have read somewhere recently,that due to the building of the lion mound and the amount of earth used in positioning the mound ,200 years of farming on the land and recent changes to the road infrastructure,has altered the look and topography of the battleground of Waterloo therefore it cannot look unchanged since 1815,like all things in life nothing remains the same,including battlefields,that said,iam sure it would still be great to visit the site,enjoy.If my info is incorrect please feel free to correct me.

You really live up to your Forum name

Kidding on mate

 

[UKReb]

Are all the destroyed cannons and things still there?

And bits of battlefield debre?

I best not answer that as there's another member on here who knows much more about everything than I do.

Reb

 

[forlornhoper]

Arnhem44mad how long have you been MAD on ARNHEM?,it was one of the first battles i got into,30 years ago now and have you been there ? When i was at oosterbeek i visited the Hartenstein and bought a small paperback called " it was like this ",dont know if you can still buy it,do you know the book? PS i am originally from Glasgow,C,mon the jocks LOL.

 

[nshighlander]

Hi
I had the chance to visit this battlefield in 2001.The group I was with gave me a total of 1 hr to visit everything.I think it takes 1 hr to climb the monument.I did pick up some books on the battle and some great pictures.
Cheers
Dave

 

[arnhem44mad]

Arnhem44mad how long have you been MAD on ARNHEM?,it was one of the first battles i got into,30 years ago now and have you been there ? When i was at oosterbeek i visited the Hartenstein and bought a small paperback called " it was like this ",dont know if you can still buy it,do you know the book? PS i am originally from Glasgow,C,mon the jocks LOL.

Since I first saw 'A Bridge Too far', and saw the Arnhem sets on www.toysoldiersusa.com

I had always bought American sets from King and Country, and I wanted to know if I could get British ones

AWW COOL! Where abouts you stay?

When I was at Oosterbeek I bought a 1/32nd scale jeep that is in one of my Arnhem dioramas

 

[aujj65]

Not sure if this is the right spot to post and if covered before sorry but I will be in Belgium next week and wondered if anyone had been to waterloo battlefield before? Is bus the easiest access? Any general suggestions on visit will be greatly appreciated.

I was there in 1984 and took some photos but of course these are the old style - glossy paper type, but I will dig them out and scan them. Hopefully they will be of a decent enough quality to post later

Jeff