Britain’s geographical barrier

The French refer to the English Channel affectionately, and with less of a hint of nationalism as La Manche. Translated into English, this expression means ‘the sleeve.’ Only 21 miles separates England and France where the stretch is at its narrowest, between Dover and Calais – but it still provides a formidable geographical barrier.

There have been a number of notable crossings of the channel which are certainly worth noting. On 7^th January 1785, shortly before the French Revolution kicked into gear, Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jefferies piloted a balloon over the water and ninety years later (the aforementioned) Matthew Webb successfully managed to swim the straights.

1959 saw the first hovercraft crossing and perhaps most bizarrely of all was the record set on 26^th June 2006 when an open-top sports car completed the distance in 194 minutes.

Meanwhile a trip on a P&O Ferry will last for a more conservative 90 minutes, allowing you the time to relax and watch the White Cliffs of Dover melt into the distance before you can step off the gangplank onto French soil.

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