Gibraltar has, or had, great strategic military significance and has been under siege 14 times since 1309. Reading the local paper and all the National Day banners you would think it still is.

The British like to think of the French as the great historical adversary. More recently it has been the Germans. This trip has brought into focus our strained relations with the Spanish and Portuguese. Come to think of it we have had strained relations with any other country that got in the way of British trade, politics and empire - which is the rest of the world really. Why can’t we just relax and give up these old notions?

Our friends Leslie and Roy Adkins have written a very good book on the Battle of Trafalgar that I recommend and will read again. Sadly Cape Trafalgar is not much to look at from seaward, being low lying with the only notable feature a large white lighthouse. In haze from five miles away the resulting photo is disappointing to say the least - see below. However, Cadiz is wonderful, the old part being much as it was when re-built in the 1750’s (following an earthquake rather than the earlier destruction by the British after the Armada). The streets are narrow, the buildings typically Spanish, the frequent plazas and small parks tranquil and very few cars. Nothing spectacularly interesting but well worth a weekend break. 

The Spanish are not blameless in the historical legacy of relations with the British of course. It was a bit presumptuous to plan an invasion in the 16th Century and prompt our old friend Drake to singe the King of Spain’s beard in Cadiz before the attempt. As previously reported Drake returned after the Armada and repaid the insult with interest.

The Spanish soon forgot the lesson of the Armada and in the early 19th Century teamed up with Napoleon to support another invasion attempt. After a brief jaunt to the West Indies with Nelson in hot pursuit the French fleet holed up In Cadiz. It is easy to not appreciate that the fleet that sailed out of Cadiz in 1805 was as much Spanish as French; a wall plaque in Cadiz dedicated to the Spanish seamen that died in the battle reminded me of this. Those British sailors that were injured but didn’t die in action were brought to Gibraltar and if they died subsequently were buried here.

And so here we are in Gibraltar where relations with the Spanish are again strained and minor skirmishes at sea are ongoing (largely between patrol vessels and fishing boats). We have, however, smelt a strong whiff of Spanish hypocrisy as the lonely Planet guide has revealed - to us at least - that the Gibralta-like peninsular of Ceuta on the northern tip of Morocco is still in Spanish hands…….

Things haven’t always been adversarial and the Portuguese had the good fortune both to ally with the British against Spain and to produce full bodied red wine favoured by the Brits and that could be made to travel with the addition of brandy when heavy French wines were no longer available from Bony’s France (or so I seem to recall). This of course after Britain and Portugal had been slugging it out over the Spice Islands. However, you may be disappointed to learn that the oldest port wine producer in Porto is in fact Kopke of German origin.

Gibraltar seems to be economically important to this part of the Iberian peninsular and a lot of people work here but live just across the border in Spain where the housing is cheaper. The World Trade Centre is building a an outpost here. There were probably as many Spanish speakers dressed in red and white yesterday and celebrating into the early hours with reggae favourite Maxi Priest as English and apparently the Gibraltarians go across into Spain for the big fiestas. Local feelings are clearly strong but the sovreignity issue makes for good politics though.