The separation of England from mainland Europe is a result of geological processes that occurred over millions of years. The separation process can be traced back to the breakup of the supercontinent of Pangaea around 200 million years ago.

At that time, a rift started to form between what is now North America and Europe. Over time, this rift extended to the south, separating the landmass that is now the British Isles from mainland Europe.

Around 60 million years ago, during the Paleocene epoch, the tectonic plates underlying the region began to shift, causing the land to rise and fall. This process created the highlands and lowlands of what is now Great Britain.

The final separation of England from mainland Europe occurred around 8,000 years ago, during the last ice age. At this time, the sea level was lower than it is today, and a land bridge called Doggerland connected Britain to continental Europe. However, as the ice sheets melted and sea levels rose, the land bridge was gradually flooded, and Britain became an island.

The separation of England from mainland Europe is ongoing, as the tectonic plates underlying the region continue to shift and move. However, the process is occurring at a very slow rate, with the English Channel widening by just a few centimeters per year.

there were land bridges and ice sheets that connected England to Europe until relatively recently. The most recent land bridge was called Doggerland and existed between Great Britain and continental Europe during the last ice age, which ended around 10,000 years ago.

Doggerland was a vast low-lying area that stretched across what is now the North Sea, connecting Great Britain to mainland Europe. It was home to a variety of flora and fauna, including mammoths, bison, and humans. As the ice sheets melted, sea levels rose, and Doggerland gradually became submerged beneath the North Sea.

In addition to land bridges, there were also ice sheets that connected England to Europe during the last ice age. The ice sheets extended as far south as the Midlands, covering much of modern-day England in a thick layer of ice. As the ice sheets melted, they left behind features such as drumlins, moraines, and glacial valleys that can still be seen in the landscape today.

It's worth noting that while there were land bridges and ice sheets that connected England to Europe in the past, these were all relatively short-lived in geological terms. The separation of England from mainland Europe has been an ongoing process that has occurred over millions of years.

The first humans arrived in Britain around 800,000 years ago, during the Paleolithic period. These early humans were likely Homo antecessor or Homo heidelbergensis, both of which were early human species that existed in Europe at the time.

However, it wasn't until around 40,000 years ago during the last ice age that modern humans (Homo sapiens) arrived in Britain. These early humans likely migrated to Britain from mainland Europe, following the retreat of the ice sheets that had previously covered much of the region.

As for Neanderthals, it is believed that they did inhabit Britain at various times throughout their history. Neanderthals were a close relative of modern humans and lived in Europe and parts of Asia from around 400,000 to 40,000 years ago.

Archaeological evidence suggests that Neanderthals likely inhabited Britain on multiple occasions, with the most recent evidence dating back to around 40,000 years ago. However, the exact nature of the relationship between Neanderthals and early modern humans in Britain is still a subject of ongoing research and debate among archaeologists and anthropologists.