I wasn't paying all that much attention but it looks like the streets were roughly N-S. So not all that great for crossing the channel.
Then again, I haven't been more than 5km from home base yet, so who am I to tell you whether you could cross the channel or not?
I do have my first written glider exam this Saturday though, so it may not be too long before I start doing x-countries without the benefit of a fan up front.