The Concorde of the English Channel - Hoverspeed

Comments · 189

• MO

  @Mounhas · 1 year ago · pinned

  Another brilliant video with no ads or promotions, thank you Ruairidh.

  111

• GR

  @gryff8400 · 1 year ago

  They were marvellous. Rode only once on a cross channel hovercraft in 1984. Physically - like sitting on a washing machine. <br>Personally - amazing, such a change from the 75 minute Townsend Thoresen /Sealink shopping and booze &quot;experience&quot; 😊

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• PA

  @papps44 · 1 year ago

  Got to ride the hovercraft before they were decommissioned on the service to Calais. It was an amazing trip. So glad I experienced it.

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• LL

  @lloydcollins6337 · 1 year ago (edited)

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWg5Xmi5BSc&amp;t=70">1:10</a> well played sir!

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• IS

  @isla.W.S · 1 year ago

  The Hovercraft Museum at Lee On Solent is well worth a visit. The volunteers are fantastic too.

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• LA

  @LadySophieofHougunManor7325 · 1 year ago

  Very awesome and informative video as always ❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉

  10

• MI

  @mikeyratcliff3400 · 1 year ago

  Brilliant as ever mate! I come from East Kent, between Pegwell bay and Dover, we saw it as a noisy bus, that you couldn&apos;t see out the windows, &nbsp;but meant you could get yer duty free quickly!

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• ST

  @stevenclarke5606 · 1 year ago

  I traveled to France and back to the UK in 1981 , it was described as a flight, and was extremely smooth and speedy, such a shame they no longer exist

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• LY

  @lyndalljohnson9376 · 1 year ago

  Yes my husband and I made the trip many years ago, we were very impressed as it roared across the water.

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• AT

  @atomic32205489 · 1 year ago

  I &quot;flew&quot; from Paris to London in 1982 on a single ticket. Train-coach-hovercraft-coach-train. It was amazing and so professional.

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• BE

  @Ben-xe8ps · 1 year ago

  I travelled several times from England to France aboard these large hovercraft as a teenager in the 1970&apos;s. There were two routes - Hoverspeed (owned by British Rail and SNCF - French Railways) from Dover and Hoverlloyd (a private company) from Ramsgate. The services were operated as &apos;flights&apos; with flight numbers and airline style tickets. Seating on board was similar to economy class aircraft seating (but without seat belts) with two seating areas one on each side of the hovercraft with the cars in the middle. The average crossing time was around 30 minutes. <br>I liked the hovercraft but, unlike the ferry which took around one and a quarter hours on the shortest crossing (Dover to Calais), you had to remain seated on the hovercraft like on an aircraft with no walking around or sitting outside on the deck, no bars or restaurants or duty free shops to wander around. If you take away the thrill and excitement of travelling on a hovercraft, I think I have a preference for the ferry.

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• RU

  @RussellJamesStevens · 1 year ago

  Travelled on it many times..BRILLIANT😊😊

  1