With the obvious exception of the villages themselves, which have grown and developed over the last three centuries, and the waterways, which have been drained to suit local needs, much of the battlefield remains as it was in May 1706. Thanks to the many local roads, much of the battlefield is accessible to the visitor and the NGI 1:50,000 scale map for Wavre is an indispensable tool for planning a battlefield trip, which can be accomplished in a single day. However, the author recommends that a two- or three-day visit would enable a more relaxed excursion, with the added option of following in the tracks of each of the combatant armies as they made their way to the battlefield.
As for accommodation, with the battlefield situated almost equidistant between the cities of Brussels, Louvain and Namur, each of which has its own historical attractions, the visitor is relatively spoilt by an excess of riches, although for the purposes of researching this book the author and photographer stayed at, and at the pension Au Temps de Cerises in Autre-Église (www.autempsdecerises.be) which is situated on the Rue Armand Guerlache, near to ‘La Mêlée’ where the Régiment du Roi and Churchill’s– Mordaunt’s regiments met in the initial combat.
Until the 2006 tercentenary of the battle, this small roadside chapel that lies on the Rue de Fodia – astride the Allies’ attack routes to Ramillies, Offus and Autre-Église – was the sole monument to a battle which almost ended the War of the Spanish Succession. (Photo and copyright Seán Ó Brógaín)