• The White Cliffs of Dover were not far from where James lived.

• They are famous for their beauty in the English Channel.

• The Cliffs stretch for 8 miles along the coast.

• The white is made of chalk

• On a clear day the cliffs can be seen from France, approximately 20 miles (32 km) away.

Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
Psalm 139:4

• It would take a good swimmer from 7 to 27 hours to swim across from England to France

• There are sharks and stinging jellyfish in the Channel

• From 150 to 300 swimmers set out to swim the English Channel each year, but only about half of them succeed.

• In 1988 Tom Gregory swam the Channel in 11 hours. He was only 11 years old and the youngest to ever swim across. He will always be the youngest because no one under the age of 16 is allowed to try now. Tom had a lot of support as he swam across, which is why he was successful.

• Ferries were once the only way across, but in 1994 the Channel Tunnel was opened, connecting France and the UK. The Eurostar train carries passengers back and forth.

Swimming the Channel

1.30 mins

Q: What did the ocean say to the swimmer?

A: Nothing. It just waved.

Colour in ...

Print and colour in the children at the beach.