A major event for an exceptional Saint-Michel in September 2008
Several groups of walkers from different European regions will converge on Mont-Saint-Michel on 27, 28 and 29 September for three days of festivities along the way.
These different steps will all be placed under the theme of FriendshipTo recall all the encounters that have enabled us to restore these paths and bring them to life.
Several groups of miquelots (Saint Michael's pilgrims) will be walking simultaneously along different routes.
Each group will prepare its walk in collaboration with the communities it passes through and the partners with whom the Association has forged links in previous years.
Along the way, the walkers will be regularly welcomed by local residents, and their passage will be the occasion for many meetings and events.
The groups will carry a pennant bearing the label of the 13th centenary of the Fondation du Mont, the logo of the Association "Les Chemins du Mont-Saint-Michel" and a logo illustrating the group's region of origin.
Each path will have its own blog, regularly updated by the group of walkers, who will be able to share their day-to-day adventures along the way.
These blogs can be viewed online from this page.
From Winchester in England
From 17 September to 29 September, a group of 10 French and 8 English walkers will cover the route opened in 1999 from Winchester Cathedral to Mont-Saint-Michel. This operation will be carried out in close collaboration with Hampshire County Council.
She will be celebrating the friendship that the Association is forging with its English partners, and announcing the project that it hopes to develop over the coming years in England, including the opening of a new route linking St Michael's Mount (Cornwall) to Winchester.
So, by following the paths of Saint Michael opened in 1999 from Winchester, Cherbourg and Barfleur, the three Finisterres (Cornouaille, La Manche and Galicia) will be linked by paths along an Atlantic arc.
The group of French miquelots will join the English on 16 September to start their journey from Winchester Cathedral.
Passing through Owlesbury, Southwick and Porchester, they will reach Cherbourg on 19 September before continuing on to Mont-Saint-Michel via Montebourg, Carentan, Périers, Coutances, Cérences, la Haye-Pesnel, Saint-Jean-le-Thomas and Genêts.
To be continued on : http://cheminauxanglais.blogspot.com
of Rouen
A group of 6 walkers from Normandy will set off from Rouen Cathedral on 16 September on their way to Mont-Saint-Michel. They will pass through the Bec-Hellouin abbey, Bernay, Orbec, Vimoutiers, Falaise, Vire, Avranches and Genêts.
Over the last 10 years, the Association, supported by the Basse-Normandie Regional Council and the Normandy départements, has worked closely with many local players, such as walking associations, heritage protection associations, local authorities, communities of communes, tourist offices, etc.
The Chemins de Saint Michel have been able to exist and develop thanks to the volunteers, hosts, residents and walkers who keep these routes alive and use them.
By following this route through the two regions of Normandy, our group will be celebrating the collaboration between the association and its Norman partners.
To be continued on : http://cheminderouen.blogspot.com
of Caen
A group of 9 miquelots will set off on their walk on 21 September, starting from the church of Saint-Michel de Vaucelles and joined on several stages by visually impaired people. They will pass through Evrecy, Bény-Bocage, Saint-Sever-Calvados, Villedieu-les-Poêles and Genêts.
The road is a place for sharing and encounters that are often among the richest and most sincere...
Along the way, preconceived ideas fade away, and certainties about others and about oneself fade: solidarity and tolerance take on a life of their own.
Visually impaired people, with the help of their families and sighted volunteers, have chosen to get involved by setting up their own association, organising activities and taking part in various projects.
Our associations have decided to work together to spread a message of solidarity and openness along the way.
To be continued on : http://chemindecaen.blogspot.com
de Lonlay-l'Abbaye
A small group of 5 walkers will be taking part in this new Grand Chemin de saint Michel. They will set off from Lonlay-l'Abbaye on 24 September. This walk will be used to announce the publication in 2009 of a new guidebook describing the Way of Saint Michael and the GR 22, between Paris and Mont-Saint-Michel.
Watch this space: http://chemindeparis.blogspot.com
from Anjou, Brittany, Touraine and Sarthe...
Several members of the Friends of Santiago de Compostela associations with which the Association works will also be setting off. They will set off from Le Puy-Notre-Dame, Tours and Le Mans to reach Mont-Saint-Michel and join the pilgrims of Saint Michael to celebrate with us this rich friendship that unites us.
Our associations share the same ideas and objectives, such as the study, inventory and promotion of the cultural heritage linked to pilgrimages; the research, identification and rehabilitation of the routes taken by pilgrims and the consideration of an intellectual and spiritual demand linked to walking and peregrination.
So it was only natural that we should want to work together on the routes, with two ambitious and unprecedented projects in particular: linking the two major sites of Compostela and Mont Blanc, and double signposting the routes.
In practical terms, this double signposting means that Jacquets setting off from Le Mont can reach Saint-Jean-d'Angély and the Tours route by following the Compostella signposts, and conversely, Miquelots coming "from the south" can reach Le Mont by following the Saint-Michel signposts along the same paths.
To be continued on : http://www.lesjacquetsdanjou.blogspot.com