Mont St. Michel's Guided Bay Hike
Tips for Six K Barefoot Walk to L'Ile de la Tremblaye
Aug 14, 2009
Many visitors to Mont St. Michel don't realize that more, slightly risky sightseeing lies just outside of the winding medieval streets and sacred abbey walls. A view from the curving ramparts highlights the vast windswept khaki colored mud flats that surround the granite rock on which 8th century Mont St. Michel is perched. Dangerous, yet beautiful, the bay can be hiked with a guide during low tide.
Recommended Itinerary: Mont St. Michel Guided Tour and Guided Bay Hike
A hike through the bay is particularly enjoyable after a guided tour of Mont St. Michel. After a shuffle through dark Gothic rooms, a breath of fresh sea air always comes as a relief. More importantly, a profound understanding of the architectural wonder, which took 1,300 years to build, makes viewing it from all angles that much more meaningful. Therefore, taking newfound knowledge of the abbey's history into the bay makes for an extension of the tour inside and a more complete visit.
Mont St. Michel Guided Bay Hike Tips
- First and foremost, it's strongly advised to hike the bay with a guide, particularly for those with no knowledge of the area, prone to rapidly changing weather. Many a tourist has needed helicopter rescue after becoming stranded. Guides lead visitors safely around quicksand and strong water currents.
- It's absolutely necessary to research bay hike times before going as only two groups (no reservation needed) leave per day. Visitors should plan far in advance for night hikes in the bay. There is only one per month in the summer. A full-fare ticket costs 10 EUR / 14 USD.
- For more flexible times and the freedom to choose one's own guides, the above link (in French) provides a list of private guides (reservation necessary).
- The guide takes visitors to L'Ile de la Tremblaye, an isolated island/bird sanctuary in the bay which is a 3 km / 1.86 mile walk one-way from the base of Mont St. Michel. This makes a 6 km / 3.73 mile hike roundtrip, lasting roughly 2.5 to 3 hours. Hikers should be in the right physical condition to walk this far barefoot.
- Guides may take visitors through water that can creep up to knee-level at times, therefore it's essential to wear shorts or pants that can be rolled up and are okay to get wet. A backpack with raincoat, warm clothes, and sunglasses serve many hikers well as weather changes at the drop of a hat. Because of the wind, umbrellas are mostly useless.
- A camera is a must. Views of Mont St. Michel from the bay are stunning.
Mont St. Michel Guided Bay Tour on Horseback
Guides, well informed on the region, explain that nowhere in France are there more horses than in Normandy. The mud flats are perfect for horse-racing competitions as the terrain is neither too hard or soft on the horses. For those who would rather ride across the bay, guided horseback tours are available. It's even possible to bring one's own horse.
Hikes in Mont St. Michel's Bay are Endangered
Hikes in Mont St. Michel's Bay may not last forever. A plan to eliminate the causeway and surround the rock with water, making it more aesthetically pleasing and peaceful, is currently underway. Exactly when this will happen is not known, therefore visitors still have a few years to see their footprints in the mud flats of the bay, just not forever.
Travelers should not miss out on a hike in the Bay of Mont St. Michel. If a tour through its abbey isn't sufficiently cleansing, the therapeutic feeling of mud between one's toes will certainly do the trick.
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