Some people choose to leave for three days, others for one or more weeks.

Some will be satisfied with a crossing of the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel to start with, but the next time they will perhaps do a few more stages, and who knows if one day they will decide to go from Mont-Saint-Michel to Santiago de Compostela...

This text is aimed more at the latter, but day-trippers can also find ideas here.

Experienced hikers will always tell you that if they have an accident, it's because they made a mistake, either through carelessness or negligence: their attention wandered as they made their way along the path, whether on foot, bicycle or horseback, or their equipment was unsuitable.

Accidents are rare, but incidents linked to poor preparation are numerous. So we're going to try to make you think about as many things as possible, without claiming to offer you an exhaustive list.

Preparing your trip

Once you've decided on the tricky question of whether you're going alone or accompanied, with or without a mobile phone, decided on the date of departure, and possibly negotiated a leave of absence with your employer (try to anticipate the work you'll be doing when you return), you'll also need to organise your absence.

To do this, remember to :

• Home surveillance
• Empty letterboxes, remove advertising, transfer urgent mail
• Arrange payment of invoices
• Pet-sitting
• Possibly water the garden and mow the lawn
• Make arrangements for those staying at home (laundry, ready meals, checking the car or equipment, etc.)
• Consider having someone close to you pass on some of your belongings along the way
  -*Plan the daily budget (not forgetting the return journey and a reserve in case of unforeseen problems).

Luggage transport on the Chemins du Mont

There are two main solutions to meet the needs of different walkers:

In La Manche, on the GR 223, which largely corresponds to the coastal sections of the Chemins de Cherbourg and Barfleur (Chemins aux Anglais), there is the Postal trunkcreated with the support of Latitude Manche. Accommodation providers must be partners in the programme.

The Visit'Ouest travel agency has just developed a system of carrying luggage with taxi companies, regardless of the accommodation chosen

Physical preparation

It goes without saying that you don't set off for days and days of walking without prior physical preparation (hikes once or twice a week).

A short check-up with your doctor or cardiologist is a wise precaution.

Always carry

• Identity card
• Credit card
• Carte vitale
• Medical treatment form
• Carnet du Miquelot

Recommended equipment (indicative, non-exhaustive list)

Choosing the right backpack and shoes

The success or failure of your career depends on these two factors.

Between 2 suitable bags, choose the lightest, so avoid unnecessary gadgets, but check the quality of the seams and zips.

The bag should not touch your buttocks or the back of your neck, and it's easier to move around when the bag is no wider than your back.

The weight of the rucksack should never exceed 1/5 of the weight of the walker, which means that you must gradually eliminate the "reassurance weight".

• 3 pairs of walking socks
• A hat for sun or rain
• 3 body changes
• Walking shorts or trousers
• Shorts or dress trousers
• Sandals or light rest shoes
• A rain cape (poncho)
• Rain trousers
• A warm jumper (even in summer)
• A lightweight jacket with pockets
• A multi-purpose penknife
• A bumblebee to help you walk and protect you from dogs
• A torch
• A whistle to wear around your neck. Some whistles have a cartridge that can be unscrewed to insert emergency information (name, address, telephone number, people to contact in the event of a problem).
• A lighter
• A pen
• A small notebook
• Sunglasses
• A small camera
• A few lumps of sugar
• A day's food in advance (depending on your route)
• A quarter in aluminium
• Aluminium fork and spoon
• A can opener
• Needle and thread
• String
• An antiseptic
• An analgesic and anti-inflammatory ointment
• A few aspirin and anti-diarrhoea tablets
• A roll of plaster
• Double skin" for light bulbs
• A small, light, quick-drying towel (terry towel)
• Soap for washing and washing clothes
• A comb or hairbrush
• A mini tube of toothpaste
• A mini toothbrush
• Sun protection cream
• An alarm watch
• Mini tweezers
• A pair of folding mini scissors for nails and sewing
• A mini bicycle stretcher to attach the k-way to the outside of the rucksack
• Sleeping bag (if you plan to sleep under the stars)

The crossing requires special clothing and equipment. You must go barefoot and wear shorts. You are also strongly advised to protect yourself from the sun and wear warm clothing and rain gear.

We would draw your attention to the difficulty of this walk for children under the age of 7. A good level of fitness is advised.

The 7km crossing (one way) takes around 2 hours and requires an experienced guide.

To consult the list of approved guides :

https://www.ot-montsaintmichel.com/fr/traversees-baie-msm.htm

 You can also contact the Genêts Tourist Information Office on 02 33 89 64 00

 

There are several ways of getting to Mont-Saint-Michel:

 Via the footbridge

 Crossing the Bay: several departures are possible (Saint-Léonard de Vains, i.e. the Grouin du Sud), but most leave from the Bec d'Andaine to the north of Genêts (this crossing is 7 km one way and can present difficulties for young children).
See the section on crossings by clicking here

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AT MONT-SAINT-MICHEL :

WHERE TO GET YOUR PIKEMINNOW BOOKLET STAMPED?

• • At the Siloé bookshop

Opening hours :

September to June: daily except Sunday mornings: 9.30am - 11.45am / 2pm - 5.45pm

July and August: daily from 9 am to 6 pm

• • At the pilgrim's house

• • at the Tourist Information Office

Opening hours :

October to March: 9am - 12pm / 2pm - 6pm

Sunday and public holidays: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. / 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Closes at 5.30 p.m. in January

April to September: 9am - 12.30pm / 2pm - 6.30pm

Sunday and public holidays: 9 am - 12 pm / 2 pm - 6 pm

July and August: 9am - 7pm (including Sundays and public holidays)

Every Friday: opens at 9.30 a.m.

Closed on 25 December and 1 January

SLEEPING AT MONT-SAINT-MICHEL :

As Mont-Saint-Michel is an island, accommodation options are not limited.

Intra murosIn addition, there is a wide range of hotels and campsites at the entrance to the dyke.
consult our lists of accommodation in click here

WELCOME MIQUELOT

• • At the Pilgrim's Housein the main street:

Please note that the Maison du Pèlerin is only open to walkers with a miquelot booklet, for one night only.

Maximum capacity of 9 people

To book, contact the Mont-Saint-Michel sanctuary (BP1, 50170 Le Mont-Saint-Michel) - tel :07 48 10 98 13 - e-mail : sanctuaire.saint.michel@wanadoo.fr

 Beware, the Mont is very busy, whatever option you choose, so we strongly advise you to book ahead!

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RELIGIOUS WELCOME

If you would like a special welcome or a meeting with the team at the pilgrim's house, it is essential to give advance notice by telephone, as pastoral requirements may mean that pilgrims will not be welcomed.

Tel: 07 48 10 98 13

Just next door is the Siloé bookshop (part of the pilgrim's house) where you will find religious works, devotional items, postcards, etc.

THE OFFICES :

• In Saint-Pierre church :

• • • Mass: every day at 11 a.m. except Saturday at 6 p.m.

• • • Sunday, mass at 11am (in July and August, mass at 5.30pm)

If you wish, you can ask the priest to bless the pilgrim at the end of the mass.

• In the abbey church :

The services are celebrated by the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem.

Access to the abbey church during services is free for the faithful, but visitors have to pay to enter. For the abbey to function properly, it is essential to be present at the entrance gates:

• • 10 minutes before Lauds and Vespers
  • 15 minutes before mass

• • • Mass: Tuesday to Saturday: 12.15pm

(Free access to the Abbey for the faithful: meet at 12 noon at the entrance gates)

Sunday: 11.30 a.m.

(Free access to the Abbey for the faithful: meet at 11.15am at the entrance gates)

• • • Lauds: 7 a.m. weekdays, except Mondays; 8 a.m. weekends

• • • Vespers: 6.30pm every day except Sunday and Monday

(Free access to the Abbey Church for the faithful: meet 10 minutes before the wooden door, the Abbey being closed at these times, a brother or sister will come to open the door for those wishing to attend the services)

If you wish, at the end of the service you can ask the brothers for a pilgrim's blessing and ask to have your miquelot booklet stamped.

If you wish to meet members of the Fraternity, please let them know in advance:

• • • Contact brothers: 02 33 60 14 47
    • Contact sisters: 02.33.58.31.71

For further information: Monastic Fraternities website

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VISIT TO THE ABBEY (fee payable) :

A listed site owned by the French state, the abbey is managed by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux.

Timetables and prices are given for information only and may change during the year.

2 May to 31 August: 9am to 7pm (last admission at 6pm)

1 September to 30 April: 9.30am to 6pm (last admission at 5pm)

24 and 31 December: last admission at 4 p.m.; closes at 5 p.m.

Closed: 1 January, 1 May, 25 December

Every day, you can visit the abbey freely, or take a guided tour (approx. 1 hour).

At weekends and during school holidays, you can also choose to attend a 2-hour lecture tour.

Prices :

• • • Individuals :
      Over 25s: €8.50
      18 to 25 year olds: €5
      Under 18s: free of charge

• • • Groups (20 adults or more): €6.50

• • • Conference supplement :
      Over 25s: €4
      12 to 25 year olds: €3

Tickets can only be purchased at the abbey entrance

Dogs are not allowed in the abbey.
 For security reasons, it is no longer possible to enter the abbey with a rucksack. Luggage must remain in the accommodation.

For further information:

• • • The Centre des Monuments Nationaux website
    • Mont Saint Michel Abbey

BP 2250170 Le Mont Saint MichelTel.: 02 33 89 80 00

• • • Mont-Saint-Michel Tourist Office website

A LITTLE HISTORY: A FEW CENTURIES AGO...

Before leaving the Mont, pilgrims were sure to buy souvenirs of their journey from one of the many merchants set up in the village.

These "small goods for pilgrims" were very varied and often very modest: ribbons, rosaries, medals, terracotta horns, lead signs to hang on clothing or garlands of shells. In 1517, the secretary of the Cardinal of Aragon, visiting Mont-Saint-Maurice, noted that the people of Mont-Saint-Maurice "have no other trade than to paint in all sorts of colours the seashells that are collected on the shore. They paint them either red, yellow or grey and sell them to the pilgrims, who wear them crosswise like a stole".

Although T-shirts and postcards have now replaced the lead signs, the Mont's main street has retained its appearance as a shopping street where souvenir shops have always been located.

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The return journey by public transport is always complex, and timetables change depending on the season, day of the week, etc.

The Le Mont Tourist Office offers a clear summary of the possibilities with the Keolis offer to Pontorson and above all Rennes 1 hour 10 minutes to catch a TGV train and, of course, the regional Nomad bus network.

Return from Mont-Saint-Michel to Caen :

Take the Keolis bus to Pontorson
then take the train from Pontorson to Granville then from Granville to Caen
TER Normandy

Return from Mont-Saint-Michel to Rouen:

Take the Keolis bus to Pontorson :

Then take the train [from Pontorson to Granville then from Granville to Caen-
Finally, taking the train from Caen to Rouen TER Normandy

Return from Mont-Saint-Michel to Cherbourg :

Take the Keolis bus to Pontorson

Then take the TER from Pontorson to Lison, then from Lison to Cherbourg. TER Normandy

From Mont-Saint-Michel to Barfleur :

Take the bus to Pontorson :
Then take the TER from Pontorson to Lison, then from Lison to Cherbourg. TER Normandy
Finally, take the regional bus Nomad

Return from Mont-Saint-Michel to Paris, Verneuil-sur-Avre, L'Aigle, Argentan ...along the Way from Paris to Mont-Saint-Michel

Take the Keolis bus to Pontorson

Then on to Avranches. There are two ways of doing this:

 Take the TER from Pontorson to Avranches TER Normandy

 Take the regional bus Nomad

Finally, taking theIntercity Granville to Paris
Alternatively, and this is quicker if you have a connection, you can go via Rennes and take a TGV to Paris.
From Le Mont, take the Keolis bus which arrives at Rennes TGV station in 1 hour 10 minutes. Direct bus information

Return from Mont-Saint-Michel to Chartres, Nantes, Angers, Le Mans, Tours... or Paris:
You can go to Pontorson by bus and then take the TER to Rennes, but the quickest and easiest way is to take the Keolis bus from Le Mont to Rennes TGV station in 1 hour 10 minutes. Direct bus information
This bus ticket can be combined with an SNCF ticket.
From Rennes, take the train to Nantes, Angers, Le Mans, Tours or Paris (TGV) SNCF ticket