MOST people take a ferry across the English Channel – but Sophie Gasson plans to swim it.

The 54-year-old from Alton will attempt the epic 21-mile journey from Dover to Calais some time between August 29 and September 5.

This week-long slot was allocated to her three years ago because the neap tides will be more favourable for swimming. Weather conditions will dictate precisely when Sophie takes the plunge.

She is doing it in aid of Move Against Cancer, which runs 5k Your Way at Alice Holt, and The Alexa Trust, which helps parents whose babies are in neonatal intensive care.

Sophie said: “I’ve been swimming all my life but not seriously. I came to open-water swimming in the past ten years after discovering it through friends. I started in a wetsuit but preferred a swimming costume.

“I met some amazing people and trained for a couple of years to do a six-person relay across the Channel. It was just an amazing experience to start in England and finish in France.”

The relay in 2018 – in which Sophie swam for The Alexa Trust – saw the six swimmers in the water for an hour at a time and then rest in the supporting boat. But there will be no such luxury on a solo crossing.

Sophie said: “I’m attempting to do it in one go. I will have a boat alongside me but I can’t touch it or get in it. I will get fed by a tube with a carbohydrate mix – and the odd bit of chocolate!”

Sophie started training when she applied for a slot and is working with open-water coach Deb Phillips, also known as The Sunny Mermaid.

She began in a pool before going in the sea to work on stamina and cold resistance. The sea will be 17 degrees Celsius – a pool is 28 degrees.

Sophie will depart from Shakespeare Beach or Samphire Hoe near Dover and aims to arrive west of Calais 17 hours later.

She said: “I’ll swim front crawl all the way at a steady pace – just get your head down and crack on, really. One of the most crucial things is to keep your mind occupied.

“I’ve just basically got to keep swimming and smiling and telling everyone I’m having a great time. Hopefully that will be the case.”