Walking Northern Spain

Summary of our Tour of Northern Spain

2010-04-07T05:53:00.000-07:00

This was our most ambitious tour so far. We had gained a lot of confidence from self drive holiday of the previous year to Portugal and Spain. Many of the battlefields we explored then were return visits to ones we had seen with Holts Tours. However this time it would all be new

Burgos was the only one which was really easy. The castle overlooks the city, and is easy to find. From the castle it is easy to walk the area of the siege.

Vitoria was easy to find, but difficult to explore. A large new motorway through the centre of the battlefield makes it difficult to find Arinez hill, the French first line. But once found the layout of the field was clear and obvious.

Roncesvalles was easy to find, the modern main road goes over the pass and there is a large car park and monument to Roland. Some of the original paths are not so easy to find.

Maya is similar to Roncesvalles. Easy to find the pass, and again a car park. From the pass it is easy to see the direction of the French attack, but very difficult to find the actual area of fighting.

I could not find Sorauren on my modern road map, but passed through it on the way to Pamplona. It would be easy to miss were we not looking for it. Once out of the car it was a delight. The ridge was obvious, and easy to explore. But my favourite was the small café we found within sight of the bridge where Wellington wrote his orders.

Vera was less impressive, except for the bridge where Cadroux and his riflemen held the French division at bay. We never did find the ridge over the village which was the scene of the light division assault on the Rhune.

Fuenterabbia is now a lovely seaside resort and a nice place to spend a few days. But it is greatly expanded from the village of 1813 and impossible to locate where Wellington forded the river into France.

We covered 30 miles trying to find the battle of the Nivelle and largely failed. But we did find Sare, and promised to return to do it properly.

We were luckier with the 50 miles to cover the battle of the Nive. The church at Arcangues and the hill of Monguerre helped to make sense of the large area covered by this battle.

San Sebastian has grown to cover all the area of the siege, and the town is very modern. But the castle was easy to find, and cannot have changed much since Wellington laid siege to it.

So a busy and rewarding tour. I feel that we have done justice to Burgos, Victoria, Sorauren, the Nivelle and San Sebastian. But the Pyrenees was just too big and too difficult to do in the short time available.

We had already decided before we finished that we would return again to explore the Pyrenees, and in particular the battle of the Nive. It would require at least a week, and we would base ourselves in the lovely little French village of Sare.

San Sebastian

2010-03-27T03:56:00.001-07:00

On the last day of our holiday we drove the 20 miles along the coast from our base at Fuenterabbia to the popular holiday resort of San Sebastian. There is no sign of the 1813 siege works as you approach the town, which has the feel of a very modern Spanish town. The road runs along the river towards the dominating mass of Mount Orgullo with the Castle of La Mota on the top. We parked immediately below the castle, and climbed the steep path to the castle keep, passing the site of the Mirador Battery on the way. Unfortunately the small museum was closed, but with the help of Jac Weller’s “Wellington in the Peninsular” we were able to follow the various stages of the siege.

Looking towards Isle of Santa Clara from the Castle of La Mota. The island was occupied by the Royal Navy to establish a siege battery, but also to prevent the constant coming and going of small French ships which took in ammunition, stores and reinforcements, and evacuated wounded.

Jan enjoys the views across the bay from the Castle Keep.

The Battle of the Nive

2010-03-19T03:09:00.000-07:00

The Battle of the Nive was fought between 9 and 13 December 1813. It covers a wide area south of Bayonne. Marshal Soult held that city with 67,000 men and Wellington was determined to take it with his 64,000 men. Wellington’s plan was to close in on Bayonne from the east as well as from the south, because this would threaten Soult’s line of withdrawal. However this meant that the allied army would be divided by the river Nive, and Soult would take full advantage by moving his army from one bank to the other via Bayonne.

It is a large area to cover, even in a car. It is also very difficult to get an overall view of the battle area. Perhaps the best place to start is at the village of Mouguerre. On a steep hill overlooking the village is the Croix de Mouguerre, a memorial to Marshal Soult and defence of Bayonne. In the map above the village is on the extreme right just below the name Byng.

The monument is obviously a favourite picnic site with locals. We visited on a Sunday, and the car park was full and families spread around enjoying the sun and the view.

The first French attack was on the left, or west, of the river Nive. It caught the allied army by surprise, and isolated bodies fought desperately to allow for reinforcements to be brought up. The light division played an important part in this battle, as did the village of Arcangues. This was to be the scene of the most desperate fighting as the French were held and then driven back. The church and graveyard would play a vital role in the battle.

On 10 December 1813 the church was held by the 43^rd regiment, part of the famous light division. The light division had been pushed back by four French divisions. The French deployed a battery about 400 yards from the church. The defenders were deployed behind the church wall and inside the church itself both on the choir gallery and the tower. The church was hit about eight times, but the fire of the defenders was so accurate that the enemy gunners were forced to flee and abandon their 12 guns. The photograph was taken from the artillery position looking towards the church

The church is a very popular tourist attraction, and on the day we were there the large car park was full. However I am not sure whether that is because of the events of 1813 or simply because it is a very beautiful and well preserved old Basque church.

San Marcial

2010-03-12T06:31:00.000-08:00

On 31 August 1813 Marshal Soult made a final attempt to raise the siege of San Sebastian before the city fell to the British. The bridge over the river Bidassa at Behobie had been burned, but there were many good infantry fords nearby. A mile south of the river there is a long hill called San Marcial and here Wellington posted three Spanish divisions under General Freire. Soult attacked with two divisions, who were disordered as they climbed the hill. At the crest they were met by the Spanish lines and a firefight developed. Freire requested British reinforcements, but Wellington refused as he could see that the Spanish had already won the battle. By 10am the French were in full retreat back over the Bidassoa into France.

Jan is sitting on the crest of the San Marcial hill in the centre of the Spanish positions, looking towards France. The French infantry advanced up the hill towards this point, and were thrown back by the Spanish defence.

The San Marcial hill with the chapel on the skyline on the right, as seen from the French bank of the Bidassoa immediately downstream from the bridge at Behobie. The Spanish were deployed on the crest of this hill, and the French infantry disordered in climbing towards them.

The chapel of San Marcial was the scene of fierce fighting during the battle, but was held by the Spanish throughout.

From the western edge of San Marcial hill is an impressive view of La Rhune and the road into France.

The French defeat at San Marcial would cause General Vandermaesen to retreat towards Vera with his division and result in the gallant defence of the bridge by Captain Cadoux and his company of the 95th Rifles.

Fuenterrabia

2010-03-04T12:57:00.000-08:00

In 1813 the Bidassoa river was the border between France and

Spain

. On the Spanish side was Wellington’s army. On the French side Soult and the French army. The river was considered not fordable as it joined the sea at Fuenterrabia. However local fishermen confirmed that it could be forded at low tide. At first light on 7 October 1813 the British 1^st and 5^th divisions crossed the wide estuary and the water came up only as far as the men’s waist at most.

Fuenterrabia today much expanded, and is a thriving Spanish seaside holiday destination. We could find no memorials or other reminders of 1813. Nor could we find any bars or café’s which spoke English, an ongoing problem with our complete lack of spoken Spanish!

To explore this area we spent two nights in the very impressive Parador. These are state run hotels, and this one is a converted 10^th century Moorish castle. No expense has been spared in the conversion, and we have fond memories of the large dining room with a glass roof so that you can admire the castle walls. There is also a large collection of weapons, cannon and armour which decorate the castle.

From the bedroom window we had an excellent view of the river and of France beyond.

This peaceful garden, with the castle behind, was useful for sitting in the evenings and reading up on the next battlefield on the agenda.

At the end of a long promenade is this rocky breakwater. From here there are good views of La Rhune Mountain, the site of the famous light division engagement. The Rhune is the largest peak surrounded by low cloud.

Taken from the castle gardens looking across the river towards France.

Vera

2010-02-26T06:18:00.000-08:00

Vera is a small village on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees. It played an important part in Wellington’s 1813 campaign as it has one of the few bridges over the Bidassoa river. The 20 miles journey from Maya is through the river valley through impressive mountain scenery. It is very similar to Scotland, but with more sun than is usual there.

On 13 August 1813 about 10,000 French troops crossed this bridge as part of an offensive to raise the siege of San Sebastian. The attempt failed and they returned in heavy rain, which dramatically raised the level of the river, making the river unfordable. When they reached the bridge they found it defended by 80 men of the 95^th Rifles under the command of a Captain Daniel Cadoux. He held the bridge for two hours, but died in the action along with 16 of his men. The French forced the bridge, but lost 231 casualties in the process.

I first heard about this gallant action when I read a battle report in Wargamers Newsletter in the early 1970’s. I always remembered it, because my Vera is also my sister’s name. So when I saw a sign for the village I was determined to find the bridge. It proved very difficult to do so, and we were lucky that we found a local who spoke a little English and pointed out the direction of the bridge. It is still in use, but not part of the main road and you would not find it unless you were determined to

Sorauren

2010-02-18T07:22:00.000-08:00

The village of Sorauren is easy to find, just drive six miles north on the road to Roncesvalles and you are there. The battlefield is equally easy to locate. The village consists of just one street, with the river Ulzama on the left and “Cole’s ridge” on the right. Jan is sitting on the by the road which leads to the river. Ahead is the French position of “Clausel’s ridge”

Jan is sitting on the left of “Cole’s ridge”. To her right the road to Roncesvalles, along which Cole retreated and Soult arrived. Sorauren is out of sight below the ridge on her left. This position was held by a Portuguese brigade, and when Wellington arrived their welcoming cries of “Douro! Douro! Douro!” caused the cautious Soult to delay his attack and allowed British reinforcements to arrive.

Another photo of Jan on “Cole’s ridge”. This was the scene of the main French attack by six divisions. The French reached the crest of the ridge but were driven back by the familiar British two deep lines which could bring 1200 muskets against the 300 forming the head of the French column.

This photo was taken on the extreme left of “Cole’s ridge”, over looking the village below and the road behind along which the British reinforcements would arrive. The French captured this area, but lost it again to a British counter attack.

This is the bridge over the river Ulzama, with the village on the far bank. The building to the right beside the bridge is where we would later have lunch. The French position of “Clausel’s ridge” is on the left and the British “Cole’s ridge” on the right. It was also where Wellington’s arrived and wrote his famous dispatch.

Jan stands in the same spot where Wellington wrote his hasty orders. The village is not much changed since 1813 and the bridge not at all. The dusty track is no longer a main road, but is easy to find and follow.

We were delighted to find a comfortable inn on the village side of the bridge, beside the river and within sight of the bridge itself. Throughout this holiday we found communication difficult. We spoke no Spanish at all, and none of the locals we met spoke any English. The inn owner was no different. We thought we had ordered an omelet, but were bemused to be served a plate of soup with a fried egg floating in the middle, and a plate of chips. However after our scrambles over the hills we were very hungry and enjoyed the strange meal.

Maya

2010-02-09T05:40:00.000-08:00

On 25 May 1813 Marshal Soult attacked the passes of May and Roncesvalles with 80,000 men, with the objective of raising the allied siege of Pamplona. Maya is 25 miles of winding mountain roads from Roncesvalles. The pass (now called Olsondo) is easy to locate and has a good car park. Mount Alcorrunz dominates the whole area, but a wide modern road makes it difficult to orientate modern maps with battle maps.

The Pass of Maya was defended by 6,000 men under the command of Sir William Stewart. He placed Cameron’s brigade at the pass itself and Pringle’s brigade a mile further east. Pringle posted a piquet on Mount Gorospil but most of his brigade was two miles further south in the village of Maya.

He was attacked by 21,000 men under the command of General d’Erlon.

From the pass there is a modern road which runs in the same direction as the Chemin des Anglais, however the original road winds through a wooded area which is quite difficult to find. There are a number of forest tracks which lead through this wooded area, but unfortunately we picked the wrong one to follow

We had spent a very hot day exploring the area, and unfortunately wasted part of the effort following the wrong track through a densely wooded area. We then had to retrace our steps back to the pass and were too tired to try again. This was not due to lack of research prior to our visit, but an example of how difficult it can be to reconcile a modern map with a diagram of a battle.

Roncesvalles

2010-01-31T08:14:00.000-08:00

I have always found it difficult to visualize the battlefields of the Pyrenees. The area is so large, and the accounts make it sound so wild and extensive. Furthermore many of the battle’s themselves were confused and affected by the quickly changing weather conditions you find there. So as well as recounting our visit there, I hope to explain the area a little. This map is a good place to start. It shows the main battlefields in relation to each other and gives some idea of what a large and difficult area it is.

Its about 90 miles from Vitoria to Roncesvalles, and it pretty well covers the same route that the French did during their retreat following the battle of Vitoria. However it now be completed in about two hours, though most of the journey is on very boring modern roads. The last few miles from Pamplona to Roncesvalles are more interesting.

The village of Roncesvalles is worth visiting for the 13^th century Augustinian abbey and the 12^th century chapel. It also has two small restaurants, and we broke our journey for a welcome cup of coffee at one of them.

This second map shows the five main areas of fighting. Bottom right marked XIV is Roncesvalles which was the scene of the first French attack in the Pyrenees, which was to raise the siege of Pamplona. Above and left marked XV is Maya, attacked at the same time as Roncesvalles. Bottom marked XVI is Sourauren where Wellington stopped the French just in front of Pamplona. Centre left marked XVII is Vera where the French launched their second attack to raise the siege of San Sebastian. Finally top marked XVIII is the area around Bayonne the scene of the last French attack in the Pyrenees

One mile beyond the village of Roncesvalles is the Pass. This was the scene of the famous last stand by Roland who died here in 778 commanding the rearguard of Charlemagne’s army against the Basque army. The monument is to Roland, not to the deeds of 1813. However there is a convenient car park and extensive views both ahead into France and behind to Spain. Although the roads have changed since 1813 it is easy to identify the original paths.

This is the view from the Pass of Roncesvalles looking south, or back into Spain. The road leads to Pamplona and was used by the British during their retreat in 1813. It gives a good idea of what the terrain is like in this area. In addition to the unfriendly terrain the weather is also very changeable here and a clear summer day with extensive views can quickly be replaced with a thick mist when it is difficult to see 20 feet.

The path behind the car is the Roman road over the mountains. In 1813 this was the main road from St Jean Pied de Port in France to Pamplona in Spain. Wellington positioned Sir Lowry Cole with 13,000 men. On the morning of 25 July 1813 he was attacked by 40,000 Frenchmen.

This map shows the two pronged French attack. Clausel commanded the main attack on the right. This was then the main road, and is now part of the pilgrim way to Santiago de Compostela. Reille led the attack on the left. This was along minor paths, even by 1813 standards, and he experienced much delay due to the condition of the paths. The main battle was fought on the right at Redoubt de Chateau Rignon and Altobiscar.

We walked a short distance from the monument and found a spot near the Roman road to sit and read. Once again Jac Weller provided the tale of this desperate and very confused battle.

Although it was mid June when we visited, it was bitterly cold on the Pass. Having spent a couple of summer holidays walking in Scotland we had come prepared. We were fortunate that on this visit we had clear weather, we would not be so lucky on a subsequent visit.

This simplified diagram shows the two French columns. It is much less clear on the ground, but this diagram helps to make the terrain clear. The new road runs right through Val Carlos to join the old road at the chapel (also the site of the monument). We tried to follow the path towards the Altobiscar mountain, but quickly lost the path. There are a lot of forestry tracks in this area, and it is easy to take the wrong one. On our later visit we joined the path in France and walked towards the Pass, which is much easier to follow.

Leaving the car behind we walked along the Roman road. The section nearest to the pass is easy to follow, but the path is more difficult to follow when it enters a wooded area.. We did find a path which seemed to go in the right direction, but it turned out to be a forestry track which did not relate to the battle. By the time we discovered our mistake we had walked a couple of miles to the north west when we should have gone north. After a busy day we were too tired to make any further efforts. Present day maps are not much use in this area, and this knowledge convinced us to start in France on our next visit, and we found all of the locations with ease.

This is the roman road from the Pass of Roncesvalles. This is the road used by general Clausel and his 20,000 strong corps. Byng's brigade of 2,000 held them up for four hours, aided by the terrain which is well suited for defence.

Vitoria

2010-01-12T01:28:00.000-08:00

The battle of Vitoria

On 21 June 1813 Wellington defeated King Joseph at Vitoria and drove the French from Spain.

King Joseph has been forced to abandon three strong positions and finally concentrated his army of 66,000 men at Vitoria. This is a large battlefield, 8 miles by 10 miles. The French expect Wellington to attack from the west and are deployed in three lines of defence, Gazan, D’Erlon and Reille, all facing west. In addition there is a reserve, part of Reille’s command, to the north of the city.

Wellington has divided his 79,000 army into four columns. Hill would attack on the allied right and take the Heights of Puebla. Wellington would command the centre and would attack Arinez from Nanclares. Dalhousie would attack the French right flank through Mendoza. Finally Graham would attack the French rear at Durana. However these four columns were widely separated and would be difficult to coordinate over such a wide distance.

The battlefield from the Heights of Puebla

The village in the centre at the foot of the heights is Subjiana and the road running left to right is the main road to Vitoria. To the north of the road, on the left of the picture, is the wooded area which hid the Light Division prior to the battle. The village to the right of this area is Villodas and Tres Puentes is just visible beyond that. The hill of Arinez is on the right of the picture to the north of the road, with the village of Arinez itself on the extreme right edge of the photo.

Wellington’s command post in front of Nanclares

There have been a lot of changes to the battlefield since 1813, and it is very difficult to orientate yourself with either a historical map or indeed a modern one. In particular the new road makes it difficult to travel around the field by car. However it is relatively easy to find the first viewpoint – Wellington’s command post. It is on a small knoll just to the left of the main Burgos to Vitoria road and offers an excellent view of the hill of Arinez which was the location of the French first defence line.

Tres Puentes bridge over the river Zadorra

As the battle started a Spanish peasant informed Wellington that his bridge was not only unguarded, but was also out of sight of the main French position due to a tall slope between it and Arinez. Wellington immediately ordered Kempt’s light brigade to cross the river and take up position on the French side. They crossed with little trouble, only two cannon shots being fired at them. However one of them killed the unfortunate peasant who brought the vital intelligence to Wellington

Tres Puentes bridge

Standing on the bridge with Tres Puentes in the background. We crossed the bridge and explored the far (French) side. We climbed a steep hill and could clearly see the hill of Arinez, which was where the first French line was posted.

Tres Puentes bridge

This photo is taken from the French side. We followed the road for a short distance on the French side towards Villodas. However the road soon turned away from the river and we were unable to follow the river bank any further.

Tres Puentes bridge

Vandeleur's brigade of the light division cross the bridge in support of Kempt’s brigade

Tres Puentes picnic site

There is a picnic site, with convenient parking, just beside the bridge. As well as a snack, we also read the appropriate chapter from Jac Weller’s “Wellington in the Peninsula”.

Nanclares from Arinez hill

This would have been the view from the French first line and Joseph’s command post. The French expected Wellington to attack in this area. His main advance would be over this area. Hill would attack the Pubela heights to the left. Graham would attack the French right. Dalhousie well behind the French right north of Vitoria. The road on the left is the main road from Burgos to Vitoria. The river Zadorra is on the right . The bridge of Tres Puentes is to out of the photograph to the right.

Arinez village from the hill

King Joseph commanded the French army from the hill of Arinez. This was the centre of the first French line, and the scene of the most decisive fighting of the battle. We could find the village quite easily, but not the nearby hill on which the French had deployed. The new road goes between the two, and we could not find anyway to reach the hill. Eventually a local gave us directions to a farm track, which led to the top of the hill. The deep cutting of the new road can clearly be seen on this photo taken from the hill looking towards the village.

Arinez hill

The commanding views of the surrounding area make it clear why this was such an important position for the French, and why King Joseph set up his command post here. There are excellent views towards the Heights of Puebla and Nanclares.

Arinez hill

The battlefield seen from the hill looking north east. From here Joseph Bonaparte could survey the entire battlefield whilst if he had peered to the west he would have been able to see Wellington himself at his command post in front of Nanclares. In the photo are the villages of St Margarita and La Hermandad whilst the course of the river Zadorra is indicated by the line of trees from left to right. It was from the direction of the hills in the distance that Dalhousie approached the battlefield with the 3rd and 7th divisions. Although large areas remain untouched there has been much building upon it as well as a main road and a motorway that cross it.

Arinez hill

We spent an hour here plotting the course of the battle and reading about it. We did not see anyone else during this time, perhaps because it is so difficult to find the path. Unlike Waterloo it is very difficult to find your way around this battlefield, and no attempt has been made to make it easy for visitors. Throughout our day here I did not see one single memorial or sign relating to the battle.

Heights of Puebla from Arinez hill

The village of Subijana is dwarfed by the Heights of Pubela. At 8am on 21 June the battle opened when Hill’s corps advanced along these heights from right to left to attack the left flank of the French under Gazan, gradually pushing them back and causing the French to draw much needed troops from the centre to support the flank. Morillo’s Spanish division performed particularly well during this part of the battle.

Subijana de Alava

The village was attacked by O’Callaghan’s brigade of the 2^nd British division and was the scene of fierce, if brief, fighting. This attack protected Hill’s advance along the heights behind. The village is little changed since 1813.

Subijana de Alava and the heights behind from the Subijana to Arinez road

We tried to explore the northern area of the battlefield between Gamara Mayor and Durana, but could not find anywhere suitable to part to explore the extensive area of fighting which took place there. We used Julian Padget’s “Wellington’s Peninsular War – battles and battlefields”, which is the best practical guide I could find to the battlefields. It covers Vitoria in some details, and greatly helped us to find many of the best viewpoints. However it does not recommend a viewpoint for the northern area. Whether this is because there is not a suitable one or not I do not know. We did drive around the area, but it seemed to be very overdeveloped and we could not find a suitable view point.

Burgos

2009-12-16T03:33:00.001-08:00

Our first visit was to the city of Burgos, capital of Old Castile. This was the scene of one of Wellington’s few failures in the Peninsula. 1812 saw victories for him at Cuidad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca and his liberation of Madrid. Yet by late October his army would be in retreat back to the Portuguese border. The cause was his siege of Burgos from 19 September to 21 October.

The cause was a mixture of a very strong castle, a determined garrison commander, a lack of siege materials and a large relief army. But whatever the cause, it must have been a bitter disappointment for him after his brilliant campaign.

We left Santander at 0900 and drove the 100 miles to Burgos, where we arrived just before midday. We managed to find the castle without having to drive through the city. The castle is now a ruin, but overlooking the city as it does, it is easy to get your bearings from a map of the siege. The city is very much on the tourist route, and many of them make their way to the castle. So parking is easy and the ruins well signposted. There was a collection of works of art scattered around the ruins, including this rather strange one behind us on the castle wall.

This simple diagram is just to give you an idea of the layout, there is a much more detailed one below. We approached the castle along the heights of San Miguel, and we stopped to have a look at the Hornwork. Then to the castle itself, which we spent a couple of hours looking and reading.

The siege opened with a successful assault on the Hornwork. But despite four separate attacks, including major siege and mining operations, the garrison held their own and Wellington’s eventually had to give up and retire to Cuidad Rodrigo.

The siege of Burgos is well documented, and we came well prepared with photocopies from books dealing with the siege, and of course we had Jac Weller’s “Wellington in the Peninsula”, our regular companion during all of our visits in Portugal and Spain. We were blessed with a warm, sunny day so it was easy to find a convenient corner and settle down to read of the “daring deeds”.

This photograph shows how close the city is to the castle. The gothic building is the cathedral with the tomb of El Cid. We then walked down the hill to the city, which was crowded with tourists. We were unable to visit the cathedral as it was closed and therefore could not see the tomb of El Cid. The city is well worth a visit in its own right, though we only had time for a short half hour walk around the centre.

The castle survived Wellington’s siege of 1812, but was destroyed by the French themselves the following year when they had to retreat to in the face of Wellington’s advance to Vittoria. On our walk down the hill to the city we looked for any signs of the siege works, but could find none. It was not difficult to identify where the parallels would have been, but the area is now covered in trees making.

This more detailed map of the siege shows the siege works in much greater detail. The siege opened with the capture of the Hornwork, which protected the castle from attack from the rear. After our visit to the castle we returned to the heights of San Miguel to explore the area of the Hornwork.

Unlike the siege works around the castle itself, it is easy to find ditches and redoubts which formed the Hornwork. We had the area to ourselves and settled down to a picnic lunch whilst we read about the light division attack on 19 September 1812 which was led by Major Somers-Cocks, one of Wellington’s most promising officers. Unfortunately he died a few days later taking part in one of the assaults on the castle itself.

Back to the castle for a final look around, and then off on the road to Vittoria.

Preparation is Everything

2009-12-11T14:08:00.000-08:00

We returned from our first solo visit to the Portugal and Spain in September 1994 and we started planning for a return visit immediately.

We had pretty well done all we wanted to do in central Portugal and Spain, and wanted to explore Northern Spain and the Pyrenees. We had gained a lot of confidence on our last battlefield tour, and were keen to try new fields.

On our previous trip we had mostly visited the same battlefields as on our earlier Holt’s Battlefield Tour, so we knew what to expect. This time we would be exploring an area we had never visited before, although it all seemed very familiar from reading so much about it. I spent hours on the map working out the best route and trying to estimate how long we would need to travel and then to explore. Then I went to our local travel agent who was very helpful arranging accommodation. This was before your could easily book on-line, and I was disappointed to discover that it would not be possible to book accommodation on or near the battlefields. So once more I had to consult the maps to see which of the available hotels were best situated. But by far most of the preparation was in reading about the battlefields we planned to visit and photocopying extracts from all the books I had at home or could borrow from the local library. It involved a lot of hard work, but it was very enjoyable and rewarding research.

Our last tour had been a fly-drive, but this time we would travel by Brittany Ferries from Plymouth to Santander and take our own car. Again we would stay in Paradore’s (state run hotels), as they were the only type of accommodation we could easily book from UK.

We would drive the 95 miles from Santander to Burgos and explore the castle and surrounding area before driving 50 miles more to Vittoria, where we would spend two nights. Then 70 miles to Pamplona to explore Roncesvalles and Sourauren. This would be followed by a 60 miles drive to Hondarribia where we would spend three nights to explore the Pyrenees. This would include Vera, Bidassoa, San Marcial ridge, The Rhune the battles of the Nivelle and the Nive. We would then drive the 140 miles back to Santander, stopping at San Sabastian to explore the castle and the siege area. It was going to be a very busy 10 days.

The morning of 12 June 1995 was sunny and warm as we left Salisbury to drive to Plymouth to catch the ferry. We planned to travel 1100 miles and visit 13 battlefields and the whole trip would cost £500.

Once more our guide would be Jac Weller’s “Wellington in the Peninsula”. Indeed we had planned our trip largely on the battles covered in this excellent book. And again we would be using the photographs and maps to get our bearings on site.

Julian Paget’s book “Wellington’s Peninsular War – Battles and Battlefields” would again be our main aide in finding where to park and what to look for. This book had proved its worth during the previous tour and we were confident it would do so again.