Wintering in the Riviera: With Notes of Travel in Italy and France, and Practical Hints to Travellers — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Wintering in the Riviera: With Notes of Travel in Italy and France, and Practical Hints to Travellers
John Stuart Mill · en
And now, having accomplished the preparations for the journey, the
next question is as to the route. It will always be found that there
are greater facilities in travelling to and from a capital city, such
as London, Paris, or Edinburgh; and in going abroad towards France,
the voyager has generally to select one of the routes from London to
Paris. The four great leading steamboat passages across the Straits
are—Southampton to Havre, advertised to take in crossing six and a
half hours; but on the only occasion on which I have gone by that
route, which was in 1854, the voyage occupied in a calm night eleven
hours, though possibly more powerful boats are now laid on. Newhaven
to Dieppe, five and a half to six hours in good weather: I have
been nine hours in a storm. Folkestone to Boulogne, ordinarily two
hours, although one fast boat (by which our last crossing was made)
accomplishes the passage in an hour and a half. Dover to Calais,
one hour forty minutes; but in a storm I have known it to have taken
four hours. As an inducement to travel by the longer crossings, the
fares are proportionately lower. Fares by night service trains are
considerably less than those by day trains. The routes by Newhaven
and Folkestone are tidal, and the hours of sailing vary according
to the state of the tide, which is troublesome, and infers to most
people, when the boats sail at an early hour, sleeping at the port
of departure, which we repeatedly have had to do.[6] The passage by
Folkestone and Boulogne is by many preferred to that from Dover to
Calais, because there is less groundswell. Getting into the pier
at Boulogne is sometimes, owing to the state of the tide, tedious;
but from a statement in the newspapers, it would appear that the
authorities are contemplating the improvement of the harbour by an
outlay of £680,000. In proceeding to Paris from Calais or Boulogne, one
may stop at Amiens and see the town and fine old cathedral; but the
routes from Havre, and from Dieppe to Paris through Normandy, are far
more interesting by the way, and pass picturesque Rouen, which is well
worthy of a visit, the stoppage of at least a night to explore it amply
repaying the visitor.
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