Sunday 6 November 1966 · Paul McCartney · Travel · By Beatles Fabdom
On 6 November 1966, Paul McCartney travelled from Lydd Airport in Kent to France on an air ferry, taking his dark-green Aston Martin with him. He was beginning a driving holiday away from the attention that accompanied his life as a Beatle.
McCartney travelled alone at first, with plans to meet The Beatles’ road manager Mal Evans in Bordeaux on 12 November. A disguise helped him move around without immediately being recognised, while a small cine camera allowed him to experiment with film during the journey.
The departure: key facts
| Date | Sunday 6 November 1966 |
|---|---|
| Traveller | Paul McCartney |
| Departure point | Lydd Airport, Kent, England |
| Destination | France |
| Transport | Air ferry carrying McCartney and his Aston Martin |
| Purpose | A private driving holiday |
| Disguise | False moustache, clear-lensed glasses and altered hair styling |
| Planned meeting | Mal Evans, Bordeaux, 12 November |
| Creative work during the trip | Experimental 8mm filming |
An Aston Martin aboard the air ferry
Lydd’s air-ferry service carried cars and their occupants across the Channel. Vehicles were driven into the aircraft’s cargo compartment, while their owners travelled in the passenger section.
In Barry Miles’s Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, McCartney recalled the pleasure of seeing his car unloaded on the other side. The account describes a dark-green Aston Martin DB5; some later retellings identify a DB6.
The crossing allowed him to continue the holiday in his own car. Paris and Bordeaux formed part of the French journey, with Evans due to join him farther south.
Travelling in disguise
McCartney arranged a false moustache through Wig Creations, the film cosmetics company that had worked with The Beatles on A Hard Day’s Night. Clear-lensed glasses and a different hairstyle further changed his appearance.
His recollection in Many Years From Now includes a long blue overcoat and hair slicked back with Vaseline. Away from the familiar Beatles image, he found he could walk around without the usual immediate recognition.
The disguise was a temporary way of travelling privately. It was separate from the moustache he would wear openly during the subsequent Beatles period. Explore our feature on McCartney’s moped accident and The Beatles’ moustaches for that wider story.
A camera on the road
McCartney took a cine camera on the trip and used it to make experimental films. His account in Many Years From Now describes the possibilities offered by reel-loaded Kodak 8mm film, which he could rewind and expose again.
By filming one scene, rewinding the reel and recording another over it, he could combine separate images on the same strip of film. He also experimented with reversing footage and contrasting night-time points of light with daytime scenes.
These were personal films made during the holiday, rather than a Beatles production or a commissioned travel documentary. The descriptions come from McCartney’s later recollections.
The traffic policeman film
One sequence McCartney remembered began with a view from a hotel window in a French city. A gendarme was directing traffic below, using gestures to stop one stream of cars and release another.
McCartney filmed the scene, rewound the film and recorded the traffic again. The double exposure made cars appear to pass through the policeman’s body.
He later added Albert Ayler’s performance of “La Marseillaise” as a soundtrack. In his recollection to Miles, McCartney said he did not know what had happened to the finished film.
Long takes and Andy Warhol
McCartney’s film-making also included prolonged shots in which the camera remained on one subject. He associated this approach with Andy Warhol’s Empire, the extended film of the Empire State Building.
Among the other scenes he remembered from France was a Ferris wheel whose shape was difficult to identify in the footage. His interest lay in what the camera and repeated exposures could do to familiar subjects.
The planned meeting with Mal Evans
Before leaving, McCartney had arranged to meet Evans in Bordeaux on 12 November. The rendezvous was to take place beneath the clock at Saint-Éloi.
McCartney travelled independently during the first part of the holiday. The later meeting with Evans marked a further stage of the journey, which continued beyond France.
The wider November travels eventually took McCartney to Kenya. His later account connected the journey home with the idea of an imagined band that developed into Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Two Beatles travelling on 6 November
McCartney’s departure belonged to the same autumn break in which the other Beatles pursued separate activities. John Lennon had been acting in Richard Lester’s How I Won the War in Spain.
Read about John and Cynthia Lennon’s return from Spain, including the Almería residence associated with the early development of “Strawberry Fields Forever”.
Lydd Airport, Kent
The departure airport is now also known as London Ashford Airport. Its address is Lydd Airport, Romney Marsh, Kent TN29 9QL, England.
The map identifies the airport from which McCartney began the air-ferry crossing.
Open Lydd Airport in Google Maps.
Explore Paul McCartney designs
Browse the Paul McCartney and Wings collection for designs spanning his recording career.
The McCartney Photo T-shirt features the familiar photograph associated with his first solo album.
Frequently asked questions
When did Paul McCartney leave for France?
He departed from Lydd Airport on 6 November 1966.
How did he take his car across the Channel?
He used an air ferry, which carried his Aston Martin in the aircraft’s cargo compartment.
Why did McCartney wear a disguise?
He wanted to travel without attracting the attention he normally received as a Beatle.
What did the disguise include?
A false moustache, clear-lensed glasses and altered hair styling. His recollection also mentions a long blue overcoat.
When was he due to meet Mal Evans?
They arranged to meet in Bordeaux on 12 November, beneath the clock at Saint-Éloi.
What kind of films did McCartney make in France?
He experimented with 8mm film, including double exposures, reversed footage and long takes. One remembered sequence showed a traffic policeman with cars apparently passing through him.
0 comments