Sangatte and Blériot Plage are two towns 4 kilometres apart that form a single commune. According to one historical hypothesis, Sangatte is the former Roman port of Portus Itius used by Julius Caesar and his legions when they embarked for Britain in 56 BC. What is certain is that a Roman road connecting Thérouanne to the coast arrived in Sangatte.

In the Middle Ages, Sangatte was an enclave of the county of Guînes, located between Wissant and Calais, which belonged to the county of Boulogne. The Treaty of Brétigny, signed by France and England in 1360, ceded the town to the English King Edward III. When Calais was reconquered in 1558, Sangatte became French once and for all.

A hutment was built in Les Baraques, present-day Blériot-Plage, in 1624 to provide shelter for plague victims from Calais. The hamlet was gradually transformed. Les Baraques made the history books on 25 July 1909 when Louis Blériot took off from this beach to make the first crossing of the English Channel by aeroplane. After the death of the famed aviator in August 1936, the hamlet changed its name to Blériot-Plage.

During the Second World War the Germans deployed three very powerful guns aimed at the Channel and England, which constituted the Lindemann Battery, in the hills of Sangatte. The ruins of this battery are currently buried due to the construction of the Channel Tunnel, which started in Sangatte in 1985.

From Louis Blériot to the Channel Tunnel: the extraordinary geographical position of Sangatte – Blériot-Plage and the region as a whole was demonstrated in the 20^th century. This strip of coast also boasts a yacht club and a hiking trail and is ideal for beautiful walks and various aquatic sports.