The virtual trip has got underway, but had a few issues when my wife banned me from taking the car. Apparently, she will need to use it for real while I’m away!! So I’m going in style in a virtual VW campervan. Always wanted one, so why not now. It can be whatever I want it to be! This may turn out to be a better decision in the long run, as petrol is probably more readily available than diesel. The camper van is also air-cooled, which eliminates one thing to worry about.
An hours drive to Folkestone gets me to the check-in for the Channel Tunnel.
 I'm getting excited now. |
 Into the depths of the Earth. |
This is not the first planned tunnel across the English Channel. In 1802, French mining engineer Albert Mathieu proposed to tunnel with illumination from oil lamps, horse-drawn coaches, and an artificial island mid-Channel for changing horses. At 23.5 miles (37.9 km) long, that would have been a lot of tired horses! Five more schemes were proposed through the 1800′s. In 1919, David Lloyd George, the British Prime minister, pressed the French with the idea, but it was largely ignored.
In 1979, the French discussed the idea with the newly elected Conservative Government headed by Margaret Thatcher. From this, the idea of a privately funded project was given the go ahead and a working group was set up. After lengthy development, the tunnelling started from both the English and French sides. The 1985 cost put the project at £4.650 billion. The two tunnels met and were joined in a ceremony on 30 October 1990.
I’m about to go through the channel tunnel, so will update you all on the other side.