The Worshipful Company of Butchers and City Livery Events

WCB Battlefield Tour 2026

After trips to the iconic Ypres Salient in 2024 and the Somme Battlefields in 2025, we return to Belgium for a three-night trip this coming 22^nd to 25^th October 2026 (Thursday to Sunday). Once again, our guide will be Mark Smith of Antiques Roadshow fame along with his business partner at Barbed Wire Tours, Peter Whapshott.

Our tour will take in the Waterloo campaign of June 1815, and we will spend two days on and around the battlefield of Waterloo, scene of Napoleon’s final defeat by the Allied forces led by the Duke of Wellington and Field Marshall Blucher. The site is very well preserved with memorials and modern museums including the impressive Butte du Lion which provides panoramic views of this historic place.

The famous locations of Hougoumont Chateau, La Haye Sainte and the battlefield itself are all accessible on this 2 square mile field which saw 45,000 casualties.

From Waterloo, we will travel to nearby Mons, the scene of the first British action in WW1 and by strange coincidence also the last shots fired in the Great War. This famous action held up the German advance in 1914, and two VCs were won during this action. The first and last British casualties are buried a few yards apart in the same nearby cemetery.

This will be an amazing weekend. The Battle of Waterloo is Mark Smith’s favourite battle, and he is therefore going to make this another trip to remember.

Cost

£775 per person sharing and £875 for solo bookers.

Deposit £200 per person is required at the time of booking to secure the hotel, coach travel and the tour company. 

NB. 1.This pricing is dependent on achieving a minimum number of travellers. We plan is to cross to the continent by Le Shuttle and stay in the comfortable 3* Ibis at Waterloo itself. 2. All travellers will need their own travel insurance and passports valid for at least three months beyond the travel date, and also less than ten years old.

Included in the price:

• Coach travel from Ebbsfleet International
• Le Shuttle Crossing,
• Hotel accommodation
• Bed and Breakfast
• Tour guides

Note: The itinerary is subject to change in the event of unforeseen issues or weather.

Timings:

22 October 2026: 0700 Pick up at Ebbsfleet International

25 October 2026: 1900 Return to Ebbsfleet International

Interested in joining the tour? Use the booking link below and send us your details.

Your Tour Guide:

Mark has been interested in military history all his life. He has been visiting the battlefields since 1986 and has led tours for over 20 years. For 14 years he was the curator of the Royal Artillery Museum in London and now directs the medals department of AH Baldwins and Sons Auctioneers located in the Strand, London.

He is one of the medals and militaria experts on the BBC’s long running programme the Antiques Roadshow and has appeared on many other programmes, such as Who Do You Think You Are, and Bargain Hunt.

He has written five books on WW1 and genealogical military research and appears in many associated magazines.

He has been a member for over 25 years of the Orders and Medals Research Society and the Western Front Association.

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