C002-ECO  The Mont St Michel Bay

Tucked between Granville and Cancale lies the Bay of Mont Saint Michel, home to one of the greatest gems of western Christian art. Resolutely flat, at first glance the bay is nothing more than a sandy marsh covered by the sea at high tide. But what a marvelous playground for those who take the time to wander through it and look around!  From the top of the granite cliffs of Champeaux you will have a magnificent view of the bay. At the Collines de Saint Jean le Thomas you will walk in the footsteps of ancient and modern pilgrims, whose journey to the Mount begins here at low tide. Originally, Mont Saint Michel was nothing more than a huge rock of granite. But it was here that great imagination and boldness helped in the construction of the abbey, which was to become so recognized as a masterpiece that it would find itself on the UNESCO’s list of the 10 monuments of the world to be protected. Turning your back to the abbey, you will follow the shoreline to the seawall of the Duchesse Anne. This embankment allowed men to conquer the surrounding land to the cliffs of Roz. You will arrive in the oyster port of Cancale where you will be awed and charmed by the tranquil beauty, the wild vegetation unique to the region and by the thousands of birds nesting and gliding across the bay.

Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrival at GRANVILLE. Visit of the old city, a military fortress built on a rocky promontory which ends at the Roc headland. Encircled in ramparts lie a number of granite houses and the austere church of Notre Dame.  Lodging and breakfast in a 2-star hotel

Day 2 – GRANVILLE – ST. JEAN LE THOMAS (20 km). You will leave Granville by the Herel sailing resort and the Gautier cape. You will flow the coast, crossing the beaches of St. Pair-sur-Mer, Kairou, Jullouville, and Carolles. You will continue along the Champeaux cliffs, the only points of height which dominate the bay and offer splendid views of Mont Saint Michel. You will then descend to St. Jean le Thomas, a very popular seaside resort in summer. Half-board accommodation in a guesthouse in the centre of the village

Day 3 – ST. JEAN LE THOMAS – AVRANCHES (18 km). Flowing the coastal line, you will cross vast beaches and sand dunes, punctuated by sparse vegetation, until – drawing nearer to Mont Saint Michel – you reach Bec d’Andaine. For a pleasant detour, head to the small village of Genêts, where you’ll find a beautiful 12th-14th century church, and to the headland of Groin du Sud. You will walk up the mouth of the Sée, which cuts a path through the vegetation. This stretch of grassy land, where sheep graze at low tide, will be covered entirely by the sea at high tide. Half-board accommodation in a family–run hotel

Day 4 – AVRANCHES – LE MONT ST. MICHEL (26 km). You walk down to the mouth of the Selune river and continue along the bank up. You will begin your hike by walking across the bridge of the Sélune, the same bridge that played a strategic role in the advancement of American troops many years ago. You will follow the coast across vast prairies toward the Pointe de Roche Torin. From here, you will see Mont Saint Michel in all its splendor. Once beyond the Pointe de Roche Torin, continue along the seawall which protects the polders and their culture. Here, you will be fascinated by the obsessive beauty, unable to bring your eyes from it. Half-board accommodation in a 2-star hotel on the Dyke

Day 5 – : LE MONT ST MICHEL – ROZ SUR COUESNON (16 km). The day begins with a tour of Mont Saint Michel and the abbey. The abbey stands as an architectural masterpiece. Technical daring, finesse and elegance combine and make it worthy of its title of “The Wonder of the Western World”. The visit of the city holds its own charm with high ramparts, narrow and twisting streets, hidden corners and a small church. Then you leave the Mont St Michel pushed outside by the daily people stream coming to discover the Mount. You’ll cross over the Couesnon River, limit between Brittany and Normandy and will walk to Roz sur Couesnon along the dyke. Half-board accommodation in a two-star hotel

Day 6 – ROZ SUR COUESNON – ST BENOIT DES ONDES (20 km). From the village you will walk through the fields conquered over the sea to the Chapelle Sainte Anne, which sits beside the long Dyke de la Duchesse Anne. The seawall dates to the beginning of the 11th century and has been reinforced many times over to protect the nearby villages and to transform the once-marshy land into a vast zone of fertile soil. A few windmills remain, leaving evidence of their vital role in draining the waters from the surrounding earth. You continue on or along the dyke to Le Vivier sur Mer – Half-board accommodation in a family-run hotel at the seaside

Day 7 – ST BENOIT DES ONDES – CANCALE (18 km). Today you will enjoy a hike full of contrasts. You will start out along long, fine-sand beaches and pass through small villages that specialize in the raising of muscles and oysters, villages such as Hirel, Vildé la Marine. Beyond the cape of Château-Richeux, the landscape changes, granite boulders appear, the coastline becomes more jagged, and the coastal path rises and descends all the way to the port of La Houle and Cancale. Lodging and breakfast in a two-star hotel

Day 8 – CANCALE. End of the tour after breakfast

Season

From middle of April to middle of October but be careful this area is very crowded in summer time and we recommend you (if you can) to come outside this period. Nevertheless this area attracts a lot of tourists and you have to reserve earlier to get the best rooms.

What’s included?

• 7 nights’ accommodation in selected  hotels
• 7 breakfasts – 5 dinners
• Hotel to hotel luggage transfer
• Taxi transfers
• A set of maps (1/25 000 scale) with the route marked on and detailed route notes
• A daily itinerary together with information about facilities and places of interest along the trail.
• Emergency assistance.

Accommodation is normally in large bed or twin-bedded rooms, with en-suite facilities (al least shower, washbasin and toilet) when available, which is 95% of the time. However, you can stay in remote spots or small villages where there is little or no choice of accommodations and where facilities may be limited. In this case, you will share a bathroom or shower room and toilets with some other people on the same storey.
Picnic lunches are not included in the tour but are available from the hotel on request the previous evening, alternatively picnic materials can be bought at the stop village or at each of the towns and villages along the route. We indicate in the route notes where there are suitable restaurants or cafés for lunch stops. We recommend you to carry food and drinks if there are none convenient to the trail.

Getting there and away

By train : Direct trains from Paris Montparnasse rail station to Granville in less 4 hours. To return, taxi or bus from Cancale to the St Malo train station, where you’ll take a train to Paris Montparnasse

By car : From Paris take the Paris-Caen highway (A13). Continue on A8 you leave at Villedieu les Poêles (exit 37) for D924 to Granville.

Where to park : paid guarded car park, available in Granville. Taxi from Cancale to Granville or train from St Malo to Granville with 2 changes (3 hours journey)

Walk difficulty

Grade 2 – walks of 4 to 6 hours a day. Some stages could be more 20 km (13/15 miles) and rolling uplands, ascents mainly gradual than steep of up to 500 m. In some areas you will walk on sand. An average level of fitness or some experience with walking is recommended.