More than two centuries have passed since Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo, on this day (18 June) in 1815.
You might have expected every trace of the battlefield to have disappeared under roads and suburban houses. But the battlefield is a protected monument which means it has survived virtually untouched.
The best way to explore the battlefield is on foot. You can set off on a 14 km hike that takes you right across the battle site from the high ground where the Allied army dug in to the fields where Napoleon’s cavalry charged.
Start at the crossroads where the Rue de la Croix meets the N5. The route is easy to follow. You soon find yourself walking down cobbled lanes in the footsteps of troops from France, Britain, Prussia and the Netherlands.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
