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Mont Saint Michel, Normandy - Take a guided walk across the bay at low tide for a unique view of France's second most popular tourist attraction.

 

Take any road around the Bay of Mont Saint Michel and it won't be many minutes before you catch a glimpse of the iconic outline of Mont St Michel, a rocky island that rises from the waters like a granite wedding cake. Tucked in the angle between Brittany and Normandy, the Mount is officially part of the Manche department - or county - and therefore Norman, although most Bretons will put forward a strong case for ownership.

 

I took Brittany Ferries' overnight service from Portsmouth to Saint-Malo in neighbouring Brittany, less than an hour's drive from the Mount, but the area is also easily accessible from the Norman ports of Cherbourg and Caen.

 

With more than 3 million visitors a year, this UNESCO World Heritage site comes second only to Paris in the visitor popularity stakes, which means you need to visit early or late to avoid the bulk of the tourists.  Access is free to the Mount although there's a charge for the abbey and museums.

 

It's definitely worth climbing the single winding street to the hilltop church and cloister, but for an alternative - and altogether less crowded - experience, cross the bay on foot at low tide.

 

Guided groups

 

Walkers are strongly advised not to attempt the crossing without an experienced guide and there are plenty to choose from. I booked with Chemins de la Baie who offer a choice of walks, the daily calendar depending on the timing of the tides which are second highest in the world after Canada's Bay of Fundy.

 

I chose the 7km Chemin du Marquis circuit starting from the car park at Mont St Michel and skirting the Mount to the smaller island of Tomberlaine. Once home to another monastic community and later a garrison, it was destroyed in the 17^th century under Louis XIV. Today Tomberlaine is a protected nesting site for seabirds.

 

The round trip takes 3.5 hours and is a good choice for first-time bay walkers.  From April to October, walkers are advised to do the crossing barefoot and in shorts - with top layers appropriate to the weather conditions. From November to March, you need long rubber boots and warm clothing.

 

But as Carole, our excellent young guide, explained, 7km over sand in bare feet is equivalent to almost double in shoes, and your feet and ankles will certainly feel the workout afterwards, so give this a miss if you have joint problems in the feet.

 

 

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Walking conditions

 

The bay walks cross several different types of sand and Carole frequently stopped to explain the area's complicated eco-system as well as the mysteries of the tides. The dry sand and coarse vegetation of the sheep pasture, for instance, is covered by water only during high spring tides, whilst the firm, rippled sand further out is washed twice-daily by the sea. Then there are the pockets of quicksand which Carole graphically demonstrated by immersing herself up to the knees. Suddenly the importance of having a guide becomes very clear.

 

Most of the tours are in French but there are selected departures in English - details from the website.   There was no real wading to be done en route, though we were invited to walk ankle-deep in the shallow water at times - a spot of free thalassotherapy treatment thrown in.

 

Each walk is tailored to the abilities of the group.  Babies and toddlers in backpacks are welcome but if they are not carried, children must be 6 or over and capable of walking the whole distance independently. Our group included three toddlers in back packs, so we did a simple about-turn from Tomberlaine and returned by the same route rather than cross a channel with some deeper water in the middle.

 

Island status

 

But it didn't matter. Every few minutes, the view of the Mount changes, giving walkers a chance to see the 'backside' of the rock, away from the causeway which currently leads to the car parks outside the main gate.

 

All this is set to change over the next two or three years with the completion of a major engineering project which will replace the solid causeway with a causeway on stilts in order to restore the Mount to its island state and re-establish the free flow of water around the bay. Visitors will park on the mainland and either walk or catch the shuttle bus.

 

If you want to stay in the area, my advice would be to avoid the anonymous tourist hotels at the approach to the Mount and opt for something a bit more atmospheric like the Jardin Secret chambres d'hôtes - or B&B - in nearby Avranches.

 

Getting there: www.brittanyferries.com

 

Bay walks: www.cheminsdelabaie.com    The Chemin du Marquis route costs €9 for adults and €5 for children 6-12 from April to October; €7.50 and €5 Nov to March.

 

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