The Mont Saint-Michel Bay
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The exceptional Mont-Saint-Michel Bay has been listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Life along the vast shoreline of the Bay is regulated by the highest tidal range in Europe and as the hours and seasons pass by, the unveiling of its splendour beneath the perpetually changing sky is watched over by the proud silhouette of the famous Benedictine Abbey. The mussel beds also keep vigil over the beauty of this timeless landscape, a silently fragile kingdom through which your tourist wanderings will be transformed into a spiritual quest. From the "Pointe du Grouin" headland to Couesnon, passing over Cancale or the Mont-Dol, the views over the Bay are stunning. Little by little, the resplendent landscape opens out for you to explore on foot or driving along the road by the Duchess Anne's medieval seawall.
Discover the natural treasures held by the Bay in the company of a local guide and try to appreciate the true dimension of its intense landscapes. An experienced guide with intimate knowledge of this exceptional maritime environment will be able to lead you through the mud flats and quicksand and if you take along a pair of binoculars or a telescope, you may even catch a glimpse of the last remaining seals living on our coast.
Cupped or flat? If you like oysters and fine food, you must stop off at the Port de la Houle in Cancale. Then there is Saint-Meloir, which, apart from its fresh fruit and vegetables used to garnish the region's best tables, is also well known for its glass-blowing workshops. After the oyster beds come the mussel beds. Hirel, Vivier-sur-mer and Cherrueix, who reign supreme in mussel farming, can pride themselves with being France's leading producers. If you would like to find out more about the Bay's natural heritage, make sure you pay a visit to the Maison de la Baie at Vivier-sur-Mer.
Lying against the sea wall, Cherrueix has learnt to overcome the wind, as its line of three fully intact mills can testify, leftover from an era when there were about one hundred such mills in the Bay. The quality of the never-ending shoreline has made it a popular venue for land sailing. Stretching out from Broladre, you will see the Bay's polders, land claimed back from the sea for agriculture and salt marshes. Here, the fate of the sea wall and the Chapel of Saint-Anne, the protector of flood lands and a well known pilgrimage centre, is closely linked to the moods of the sea the wall is intended to contain. Roz-sur-Couesnon, perched on its natural headland, is rightly considered as the balcony over the Bay. Enjoy the pleasure of an unforgettable view over the horizon from Cancale to Granville, taking in the polders and the Mont-Saint-Michel.
Between Easter and Christmas, you may come across the flocks of sheep who pace over the salt meadows between Roz-sur-Couesnon and Saint-Georges-de-Grehaigne under the watchful eye of the last remaining shepherds in the region. Since the fresh air will most certainly build up your appetite, why not make the most of your trip to try salt meadow lamb, the local speciality.
At the heart of the Mont-Saint-Michel Bay, Dol-de-Bretagne is one of the oldest cities in Brittany. From the slender towers of its cathedrals, it keeps watch over the marshland behind the Bay.
