En route to the Mont Saint Michel !
The island commune of Mont Saint Michel lies about half a mile off Normandy’s north-western coast, and attracts more than three million visitors each year. We’ve made you a list of 5 things to know before you visit on your next Northern France HomeCamper holiday.
- The island town gets its name from the monastery which has been on the site since the 8th century AD. Historically, Christian pilgrims would make the long walk there at low tide.
- Both the island of Mont-Saint-Michel and the bay are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but at one point the abbey’s isolated position meant that it was used as a prison!
- Parking is two and a half kilometres to the South of Mont St Michel, with the option to either walk as the ancient pilgrims used to, or to take a shuttle bus to the island! If you really feel like doing something different, take a horse-drawn carriage from the La Caserne Tourist Office.
- The bay has one of Europe’s highest tidal variations. The water can come rushing in at astonishing speed, filling up the difference of 15 metres between high and low tide. To see this watery spectacle, check the tide times online before you visit.
- During the Summer holidays, there are illuminated nocturnes (night-time visits) from Monday to Saturday, with live chamber music from 7pm to midnight.
The closest three HomeCamper sites to Mont St Michel are this rural garden in ROZ-SUR-COUESNON, a simple site at SAINT-GEORGES-DE-GRÉHAIGNE which guests have cycled to Mont St Michel from, and this established guest house in the bay of LE MONT-SAINT-MICHEL itself.
As usual we’d love to see your photos and hear your stories if you’ve visited Normandy on your HomeCamper holiday. Hashtag #homecamper or message our Facebook page to share with the community!
