Ceuta to Gibraltar - Crossing the Straits

... There is some corner of a foreign field that is forever England.

Rupert Brooke

We had a great time in Ceuta with Mike and Marg, capped off with a beautiful fine day when we took a tour of the whole enclave, with awesome views of the Straits of Gibraltar from each of its peaks. Looking west from the border, the mountains take the form of a reclining woman:

During our five day visit I think we managed to take in all the attractions in this fragment of Spanish territory on the tip of Morocco – a massive fort with a real moat, right in the centre of the city; a good museum built on an archaeological dig of a Roman necropolis; dozens of interesting statues, buildings and monuments and excellent cheap food.

But now it was time for the big crossing: the massive limestone Rock wasn’t visible when we set off into the mists, but there was no doubt Gibraltar was there, just 12 nautical miles across the Straits at this point. It was quite a challenging passage as there is a lot of shipping traffic as well as some interesting currents because of the different water levels and temperatures between the Atlantic and the Med. It was fascinating to think of all the vessels that had passed this way over the centuries, from Phoenician triremes to Roman galleys; tall ships of England, Spain, France, Holland and Portugal; the great cruise liners; military ships and submarines during the wars, and vast amounts of cargo. Our crew handled the trip extremely well, enjoying the sight of dolphins and the great variety of ships and yachts passing by on all sides. The sun came out right on cue, lighting up the beautiful Bay of Algeciras and the majestic Rock as we entered the harbour. Terry and the crew did a great job of berthing Common Sense neatly stern-to in Queensway Quay Marina.

Going ashore in Gibraltar, there was not the slightest doubt that this was a little corner of Mother England. The main street looked just like any village high street, complete with red post boxes and telephone booths, and posters celebrating the Queen's diamond jubilee. Gone were the flamboyant Spanish fashions in favour of sensible shoes and beige knitwear. Sadly, lovely cheap Spanish food was also off the menu: the previous day I had a huge plate of perfect fresh grilled sole in Ceuta for about 6 euros; today, 'fish and chips' meant overcooked, over-battered frozen something for about twice the price. This is obviously one reason why so many people (Spanish, British, Moroccan and others alike) live in Spain and cross the border every day to work in Gibraltar.

It's easy to see why the Rock has been a site of conflict over the centuries. From the top (reached by chairlift, car or SAS-style exertions - option A in our case) the view of the Strait and the approaches from the Atlantic, the Med and the land are almost limitless. The first Neanderthal skull was discovered here, so there was probably a prehistoric skirmish or two before they succumbed to us sapiens. Greeks, Phoenicians, Carthaginians all left traces. For the Romans, it was the limit of Mare Nostrum (Our Sea) until the Moors conquered it in 711AD and named it Jebel Tarik (Tarik's Mountain) after their leader. This is where the name 'Gibraltar' originates. Arabs and Spanish took turns to be kings of the hill for a few hundred years, with Spain taking firm control in 1462. British Admiral George Rooke seized an opportunity to capture the Rock in 1704, pounding it with 15,000 rounds until the Spanish surrendered. The Rock was beseiged by the French and Spanish for four and a half years during the American War of Independence, and, after the victory of the English over the French at Trafalgar, Lord Nelson's body was brought here, preserved in a barrel of rum (hence the saying 'tapping the Admiral' for partaking of your daily rum ration.) A wander around the beautiful old cemetery reveals that many men who fought at Trafalgar were brought here, only to die of their wounds or a fever brought on by infection. The Rock was a major strategic site during both world wars.

This violent history is on display everywhere when you walk around. Huge bastions and fortified walls line the streets, while the labyrinth of tunnels constructed by the Royal Engineers during the Great Seige of 1779 - 83 still astonish with their scale - over 30 winding miles inside a rock that only covers about 2 square miles in total!

Nothing beats the view from the top, however - along with the colony of placid 'barbary apes' (macaques that came over from Morocco with the Moors) and the endless comings and goings of ships in the bay and through the Straits.

                                                           Model pose

After three days of exploring Gibraltar it was time to bid farewell to Marg and Mike as they set off on the bus to Seville, while we prepared for our long haul to Tunisia. It's been fantastic having them aboard Common Sense and we hope that other friends will follow their lead and join us for part of the journey.