The Channel: The Remarkable Men and Women Who Made It the Most Fascinating Waterway in the World

I've read most of Charlie Connelly's books, even the ones about cricket and football which aren't sports that interest me much, but his style of writing is always interesting and appealing. This book might seem like a slightly weak or tedious subject matter, after all, it's about a bit of Narrow Sea between England and France, and unless you're a mariner or sailor, it might seem like it wouldn't have much to interest you.I am not a sailor or mariner, and I live about as far away from the coast as it's possible to live in England, but I found this book really enjoyable reading, interesting history bits, sad pieces about shipwrecks and their victims, amusing pieces about early balloon and aircraft crossing attempts. It really has it all. I learned quite a bit too. Which is always a good thing. It's wittily written, and the descriptive passages of sky and sea and waves are poetic. As I follow Charlie Connelly on Instagram I'm well aware of his madman sea swimming in the Channel's waters every day throughout the year, but even his writing of his experiences doing this on both sides of the Channel are fun to read. I would highly recommend this book. Especially if you want to read about the bloke with buttered lint wrapped round his head, inflated pigs bladders tied to his legs and a mouthful of olive oil, trying to obtain geological samples from the bottom of the Channel in the hope of a tunnel (for steam trains) being dug one day. Go on, get this book. I bet you'll like it.

Absolutely fascinating and highly entertaining, this is packed with the kind of information which is largely irrelevant yet strangely essential to know.Meandering back and forth across this great expanse of water, the author gives us insights into the colorful characters and histories which bring it to life and give The Channel a rich and vibrant personality - and this book tremendous warmth.A great read which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Full of unusual and captivating stories about this key waterway of the UK. The podcast by Charlie Connelly, Coastal Stories, is also a good listen and supplements the book with weekly additional stories.

Like many other reviewers, I have read most of Charlie Connelley's books and enjoyed them immensely. This is just as good and is a natuaral successor to his shipping forecast book. The section on the Hotel Dessin in Calais is worth the price alone.

This book is absolutely wonderful to read with many reports of fascinating lives of people connected to the Channel in many different ways be it swimming or working.Charlie Connelly is always a good read and also good at recommending other books. He is my go to author.

Absolutely fascinating.

Loved it - very informative and entertaining.

I bought this as the perfect gift for my sister who just swam the Channel! Having lived in Dover all my life I knew very little about it. A fascinating read which brings the history of it to life.The author kindly dedicated a copy to my sister too.First class!🏊‍♀️👏