Calais Hoverport
Calais Hoverport (1969 - 2000)
Costing £600,000 and opened on the 1st April 1969, Calais hoverport was located just north-east of the ferry terminal at Calais, France. The Dover to Calais cross channel route is the quickest way to cross the channel between two populated and easily accessible areas, at 24 miles (40 km). Dover to Calais is not the shortest distance between England and France, however, as (with the exception of the Channel Islands), the closest points to each other in England and France are the tip of the Admiralty Pier, Dover and Cap Gris-Nez respectively, just south-west of Calais, with a distance of 19.91 miles (32.04 km). However, Cap Gris-Nez is merely a headland, and therefore not accessible for traffic.
Interactive Google Maps view of Calais Hoverport and the hoverpad as it is today. The site seems to have been integrated into the workings of the Port of Calais.
Calais Hoverport Photos
Kindly sent by Nicholas Levy.
Aerial shot from south-west showing Seaspeed N500 and SRN4 Mk III and Hoverlloyd SRN4 MkII alongside each other. |
Aerial shot from the south-east showing N500 on the pad with SRN4 Mk II beside her. |
As seen from the hoverpad |
|
Vehicle entry gates |
|
Page updated Monday, August 29, 2011