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200-year anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo

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Waterloo1The keenly-awaited bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo is being marked with a series of high profile events in both Belgium and England.

The first Duke of Wellington commanded the allied army in the Battle of Waterloo in what is now modern day Belgium and British and Prussian forces defeated the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the battle on 18 June 1815.

On the Waterloo battleground where Wellington led Allied troops to victory, a brand new, multi-million-euro underground memorial opens next month.

At Apsley House, which was the London home of the first Duke of Wellington, visitors will be able to see the Waterloo Gallery with a table laid out as it was when the duke hosted annual banquets to commemorate the battle. Wellington's handwritten orders from the conflict will also be featured.

Elsewhere, the newly-restored Wellington Rooms, and other Waterloo-related displays, opens at Walmer Castle in Kent on 5 June – the anniversary month of the battle.

Wellington spent 23 years at Walmer Castle and visitors can see how the room would have looked when he lived there, including the armchair in which the war hero died. The expo also covers Wellington's career, life story and the iconic 'celebrity' status he attained during and after his lifetime. A pair of original "Wellington Boots" will also be on display.

English Heritage said the events would explore the battle's significance. A spokesman said, "We've brought together a fascinating collection of surviving objects from the 19th century's most important battle, the 'Great War' of its age."

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But, arguably, the most ambitious and innovative Waterloo-themed event is the "New Waterloo Dispatch"  at Viking Bay, near Margate, starting on 20 June.This will re-create the events of one famous night in June 1815 when a young Major Percy came ashore in a small rowing boat, fresh from the Battle.

He had set off from Ostend on Royal Navy sloop HMS Peruvian aiming for Ramsgate but the wind dropped and Percy, with the ship's commanding officer and four sailors, took a small boat and rowed the remaining 18 miles across the Channel, bringing breathtaking news - Napoleon was beaten!

The Duke of Wellington's dispatch went swiftly on its way to London. The Prince Regent found out that evening when Napoleon's Eagles were laid at his feet, famously interrupting his dinner - and Europe was never the same again. Today, a replica of one of the Eagles can be seen on Eagle House at Broadstairs seafront.

The "New Waterloo Dispatch," in commemoration of the bicentenary, is a four-day event on an international scale, involving royalty, European governments, armed forces and civil representatives. It includes a dramatic re-enactment of the arrival and departure of the dispatch, with naval ships, post-chaise, horses and a 20-mile Channel Challenge for pilot gigs that will celebrate Percy's epic row.

This, and other bicentenary-linked events are expected to attract tens of thousands of people, including many from Belgium, both Belgians and expats who want to be part of the historic commemorations.

If you find yourself in the area, on-the-up Margate is a great place to stop for a short break. Back in 2013, the town had already featured in Rough Guide's top attractions to visit worldwide but, at the start of this year, the imminent re-opening of Margate's famous seafront Dreamland amusement park appeared in the travel guide's  "Nine New Attractions to Visit in 2015" list - right up there with China's Shanghai Tower and an Icelandic glacier!

The new but wonderfully vintage Dreamland, restored through a  Heritage Lottery Fund grant, is owned by the Dreamland Trust and operated by a local team put together by businessman Nick Conington.

Nick is real Margate enthusiast who also owns the nearby Sands boutique hotel which makes for a fantastic base from which to explore the whole area.

He bought the property in 2011 and his original plan was to turn the building into luxury apartments. But, after discovering that the property had originally been a hotel at the end of  the19th century he decided instead to turn it back into a hotel. Over a two-year period, the Sands has been lovingly restored to its former splendour, using the truly magical seascape it enjoys as inspiration.

It has 20 guest rooms, each fitted to a very high standard, and a restaurant overlooking Margate sands.

June is notable not only for the Battle of Waterloo bicentenary but as the month when this fine, four-star hotel, recipient of several awards for its culinary excellence, celebrates its second birthday since its reopening.

After all the excitement of the historical and ceremonial events at nearby Viking Bay, you will be in need of refreshment and it doesn't come any better locally than the cafe at Margate's wonderful Turner Contemporary Art Gallery which has just celebrated its fourth anniversary. The reasonably-priced cuisine, professionally overseen by its Brazilian-born manager Marcio Morali, draws on fine, local seasonal products, including cheeses, vegetables and lamb. On Friday and Saturday evenings, two and three-course meals are available and served in a more formal setting.

For those from Belgium with young families who are attending the bicentenary celebrations there are some lovely visitor attractions in Kent, including Diggerland, near Chatham, a construction-themed adventure park where kids and their families drive, ride and operate earth-moving machinery under the guidance of trained staff - with no driving licence required!

Admission includes all day access to as many rides and drives as you can manage and Diggerland, one of four sites across the UK, really is the perfect place to take your kids for an action-packed family day out.

Not far away in the scenic surroundings of  Leeds Castle is the fabulous Go Ape, one of 58 forest adventure sites in the UK. It includes the "Tree Top Junior" where your Mini Tarzans can swing through the trees in a fun-filled hour of tree-to-tree crossings, finishing with a zip wire finale.

Nearby is Kent Life, a heritage theme park and working farm where visitors can acquaint themselves with the homes and lifestyles of the county's rural past.

Another must-see visitor attraction is the Port Lympne Reserve near Ashford, home to over 700 rare and endangered animals. Famous for its wide open spaces and stunning scenery, it also houses the largest herd of black rhino in the UK. These beasts are being killed at the rate of four per day, mostly by hunters who turn their horns into ceremonial daggers.

The site also boasts some award-winning accommodation including, and this is for those looking for something a little different, the new Treehouse Hotel.

After expending all that energy digging, feeding animals and swinging through trees, a nice place to sate your appetite is Zarda, at Yalding.Just over a year ago major flooding threatened the livelihoods of many locals, including Kajol Miah, a former accountant who runs this excellent, award-winning Indian restaurant. Happily, Zarda, located in a historic listed building, survived the flood which is good for those lucky enough to enjoy its fine mix of traditional and modern Indian cuisine.

From Brussels (and the rest of Belgium), Kent could not be easier to reach and P&O Ferries offers the most comfortable ferry crossing from Calais-Dover. Fares for this pleasant 90-minute crossing start from as little as €45 per car and passengers (one way).  If you want to travel in style, it costs just €14 per person (one way) for club class (including champagne, tea/coffee and soft drinks) and, for €14 per car (one way), you benefit from priority (first on first off).

Just down the road from Dover is the old lighthouse at Dungeness, a historic, grade 2 listed building which survived two world wars before decommission in 1960. For 56 years it provided a welcome landlight to vessels negotiating the perils of the English Channel.

It was an experience the aforementioned Major Percy and his brave crew encountered back in June 1815 as they eagerly brought news of Wellington's famous victory on the bloody battlefields of Waterloo.

If you are looking for a pleasant Spring break - and a taste of those famous events a couple of centuries ago - you'd do well to give Kent, the "Garden of England", a try.

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