It’s just a short hop across the channel either by ferry or by train. You can take the ferry from Dover to Calais, Dunkirk and Boulogne, and just a little bit further down the coast at Folkestone you can drive onto the train in the Eurotunnel and be in Calais in thirty-five minutes. For information on things you can get up to, visit Opal news.

And if you’re looking for the ideal places in France why not visit some tried and tested Coastguard favourites?

La Vieille Maison is a lovely family run hotel set in the heart of the Dordogne.

Au Manoir de Bois en Ardres is an ideal place to stop when you touch down in Calais or a stop off before returning to the UK.