Manche:The English Channel
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La Manche/The English Channel: (in brief)
A trip from east to west along the southern coast of England and the northern coast of France, and some islands in between. We look at the sometimes testy, sometimes friendly, relationship between these two great cultures. La Manche, the sleeve, is the French name for the Channel.
From the White Cliffs of Dover to the craggy limits of Land's End; from the Alabaster Coast of Normandy (pictured at right Etretat), to the Emerald Coast of Brittany, "The English Channel" is a journey along the facing shores of France and England. Sometimes friendly, often confrontational, the historical relationship between these two great cultures has always been intriguing. The Channel can be a barrier, or it can be a link. Join us on a unique voyage of discovery along the North Coast of France, the South Coast of England, and some islands in between.
La Manche Video Clip
Part I: Sussex & Kent: England's South East
Dover and Folkestone. Ferries, Channel swimmers and trains: how to cross the Channel. Martello Towers: defending against Napoleon. Camping at Little Switzerland. The Battle of Britain memorial. Fishing in Hastings, battling in Battle, Romans in Pevensey: the Norman Invasion of 1066. Eastbourne: what to do on the beach on a cloudy day. Beachy Head: the highest cliff on the south-east coast. The Long Man of Wilmington, the dinosaur of Brighton, and Jerusalem in Bognor Regis. Part II: Upper Normandy's Alabaster Coast. Dieppe: the closest beach to Paris. Watching sunbathers and eating moules. The story of the disastrous Dieppe Raid of 1942. Claude Monet's coastal Normandy. Evening in St. Valery. The arches of Etretat. Outdoor cafes in lively Rouen, where the English burned Joan of Arc. Rouen Cathedral. Part III: Around the Isle of Wight
Portsmouth & historic ships: Nelson's flagship "Victory," and "Warrior," an early iron-clad. Exploring the Isle of Wight: a scary chair lift at the Needles. Queen Victoria's Osborne (country) house. Birth of the Hovercraft: another way to cross the Channel. "Pickled in history is Poole." Recent and ancient history. Brownsea Island, birds, and the birth of the Boy Scout Movement. Part IV: The Normandy World War II Beaches
Calvados: the department and the drink. The story of Pegasus Bridge: at Sword Beach. Caen, rising from the ashes of WW II: the Museum for Peace. The Canadians at Juno Beach. The British at Gold Beach: the Mulberry harbor. Chatting with a British Vet. War Museums. English school children studying the Norman AND Normandy Invasions. The Bayeux Tapestry. War Cemeteries Ceremony: the playing of the "Last Post." Omaha Beach, St. Lo, & sunset at Cherbourg. Part V: England's South West Coast: Dorset, Devon & Cornwall Part VI: Brittany: Westernmost France Part VII: Guernsey and Sark: Channel Islands
Original music by Kermit Poling.
The SouthWest coastal path. Morris Dancing at the Square and Compass. The Jurassic Coast: fossils and dinosaurs. Portland Castle and Lyme Bay: rehearsals & tragedies on the way to DDay. Dartmouth, Plymouth and the Pilgrim Fathers. Sloe gin on the trail. Cornwall: Minack Theater, St. Michael's Mount (below), and Land's End.
From St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall to Mont St. Michel in France: a magical & spiritual connection. St. Malo, Jacques Cartier, and the privateer Robert Surcouf. Sailboarding at St. Lunaire. Cap Frehel lighthouse. Roscoff: a beautiful port with an English Connection. The French Market in London and in France. Granit Rose, spectacular coast; riding two horses at once. It's all part of Brittany's coastal grandeur.
Guernsey: not just an island, also a cow and a sweater. Nestled near the coast of France, the Channel Islands were the only part of Great Britain to be occupied by Nazi Germany. St. Peter Port, the French-style capital. The German Underground Hospital. Sand sculpture. A boat trip to Sark: no horseless carriages here! It's the last remnant of feudalism. Ducks and flower gardens. Magical moments with the Grandmother Stone, a tiny church and the Entrance to the Land of the Fairies.