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Visiting Salamanca is rewarding whether you self-drive and explore, or go with a battlefield tour company.

• The current major operator is Holts Tours Ltd., HiTours House, Crossoak Lane, Salfords, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 4EX.

• Specializing in arranging small, personally-designed visits is Cooper’s: Waterloo Tours, Cooper’s Court, Morton, Ongar, Essex, CM5 0NE. 01 277 890 214, and

• Chris Scott, 174, Ermin Street, Stratton St. Margaret, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN3 4NE. Also available as a guide.

• There are others, so choose whichever suits your needs.

Hire car companies are plentiful in Spain if you wish to fly-drive. You can book from home, fly into Madrid or Bilbao and be on the road in 30 minutes with most international companies. UK-based travellers can car-ferry from Plymouth to Santander. From either Bilbao (E805-E05-E80) or Santander (623), the roads go via Burgos and Valladolid (620-A62/E80), and from Madrid through L’Escorial and Avila (505-501) – all places well worth visiting. The university town of Salamanca lies on a major route to Portugal and a visit can be linked to see the siege sites of Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida, the battlefields of the Coa and Fuentes d’Onoro and the ruins of Fort Conception.

Salamanca boasts an array of hotels ranging from the inexpensive, even on the Plaza Mayor, to the Salamanca Parador, which is modern and recently refurbished. Out of the city, Santa Martha has a camping site behind the Hotel Regio. The Spanish Tourist Board www.tourspain.co.uk will help with almost everything. The regional tourist information office is in Valladolid www.jcyl.es/turismo; and contacted on sotur@sotur.cyct.jcyl.es. Road maps are available from garages and hotels and European atlases are stocked by AA shops or Halfords. Detailed maps of the area can be ordered from Stanford’s in Covent Garden, London.

SALAMANCA TIMELINE

(Approximate as very few time references exist)

22 July 1812
Daybreak	Allied troops occupy ground overlooking the Pelagarcia Valley.
12:00	Marmont deploys Foy and Ferey to face Allies across the valley.
13:00	Skirmishing begins and both sides try to seize the two Arapiles hills; Wellington realigns his army facing south behind the ridge.
14:00	Marmont orders a left hook and Thomières to threaten the Ciudad Rodrigo road. Thomières outstrips Brennier, his support.
15:00	Wellington is informed of the gap in the French line of march.
16:30	Pakenham strikes the head of Thomières’ division.
17:30	Wellington’s central attack, consisting of Leith, Cole and Cotton, goes in; Le Marchant breaks Maucune’s and Brennier’s divisions.
18:00	Clausel counterattacks.
18:10	Sarrut stems Allied attack and Ferey forms reserve; Cole is driven back, and Clinton replaces him.
19:00	Clausel’s and Sarrut’s divisions collapse and an Allied general advance is ordered.
20:00	Ferey stems the onslaught but gets outflanked and finally breaks.
22:00	Pursuit called off.