Mont St Michel ?

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
Angstrom
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Joined: 21 Nov 2018, 6:57am
Location: Montpellier, France

Re: Mont St Michel ?

Post by Angstrom »

The access to the Mont St Michel is highly regulated since a couple of years (the whole area has been deeply reworked in order to ensure the island remains one for the years to come). Bikes must be parked in a area and the Mont itself cannot be reached other than by foot or by shuttle.
"A cycle tourist doesn't have a track record. Just memories". Jean Taboureau
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Tigerbiten
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Joined: 29 Jun 2009, 6:49am

Re: Mont St Michel ?

Post by Tigerbiten »

You can still cycle out to the Mont.
But the times are a bit restrictive during the summer.
But you cannot legally park your bike at the end of the causeway while you go inside anymore.

Luck ........... :D
simonhill
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Re: Mont St Michel ?

Post by simonhill »

Yes, the times, etc are detailed in my post on page 1. Quoting direct from the official website.

Does anyone know what happens if you park your bike illegally? Do the authorities do anything?

I've never heard of any (many?) draconian measures being used in Europe, but in Japan they take your bike away or if they can't remove it, they lock it to a large lump of concrete.
francovendee
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Re: Mont St Michel ?

Post by francovendee »

We went there last year and it's worth a visit. Go at lunchtime as it's at it's quietest then. The French, being creatures of habit, are having lunch. :D

Masses of school parties from all over France visit the site but again lunch time they sit down somewhere to eat.

We cycled to the wall but there were a number of officials about and they made it clear not to leave the bikes.

We walked over the wooden causeway but there is a frequent free shuttle bus.

There is bike parking in a couple of place and we secured the bikes and ran a bike lock through the panniers and frame as well.

Lot's of French cycle tourists there who just locked their bikes.
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Morzedec
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Location: Cornwall/Deux-Sevres

Re: Mont St Michel ?

Post by Morzedec »

May I confirm Brian Leach's post? Things are exactly as he says.

Suggest you pick a quiet day if you can, because it can get silly busy at times when the hordes descend from their coaches.

Like many 'attractions' the Mount looks more impressive from a distance than close by; the perspective gets lost. Perhaps worth a visit, just once, to say that you've been there, but there is so much more of France to quietly enjoy.

Happy days,
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Looking towards Mont St Michel rom the aire at Roz-sur-Couesnon.jpg
Looking across the bay towards Mont St Michel.jpg
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mercalia
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Re: Mont St Michel ?

Post by mercalia »

A lot of these places look better from a drone video? There are some great drone videos on YouTube.
Seeing many places on foot is a real drag ? The heat, the flies, the crowds, the overbearing sun, the dusty narrow roads, the sweat, and not as if you can see much from an ants view?


[youtube]i6uQuFNcszg[/youtube]


[youtube]Z9C-CQcOOhY[/youtube]

Do you still need to visit? :wink:

even if you dont mind all these negatives, drone videos are a good way to do researching a visit?
Angstrom
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Joined: 21 Nov 2018, 6:57am
Location: Montpellier, France

Re: Mont St Michel ?

Post by Angstrom »

Morzedec wrote:May I confirm Brian Leach's post? Things are exactly as he says.

Like many 'attractions' the Mount looks more impressive from a distance than close by; the perspective gets lost. Perhaps worth a visit, just once, to say that you've been there, but there is so much more of France to quietly enjoy.


I suppose everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion.

Mine is quite different from the above.
Mont St Michel is a unique place, not an "attraction". No other word could be further away from what Mt St Michel represents than "attraction".
Yes indeed, going along hordes of tourists will ruin the visit. But that does not mean it's best looked a from the distance. For sure it is nice from the distance, but there is so much more to Mont St Michel than picturesque sights and photogenic vistas. The history of the place, the view one has from high above the water, the spirit of this 1000 years old place.
I have walked (with a guide) across the bay then visited the abbey in the late afternoon (after the hordes had left) and let me assure you that it is a memorable experience.

I do agree with the above messages that picking the right time to visit is crucial.
Last edited by Angstrom on 6 Feb 2020, 1:21pm, edited 1 time in total.
"A cycle tourist doesn't have a track record. Just memories". Jean Taboureau
Mike Sales
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Re: Mont St Michel ?

Post by Mike Sales »

Angstrom wrote:Mont St Michel is a unique place


I have always been struck by the similarity of Mont St. Michel to that other St. Michael's Mount across the Channel.
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
Angstrom
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Location: Montpellier, France

Re: Mont St Michel ?

Post by Angstrom »

Mike Sales wrote:
Angstrom wrote:Mont St Michel is a unique place


I have always been struck by the similarity of Mont St. Michel to that other St. Michael's Mount across the Channel.

Ok then; it's not "unique". Sorry. Ignorance.

Too bad I missed Mount St Michael when I was sailing and did a stop over in Penzance many decades ago, en route to the Scillies ... (from Noirmoutiers, France)
Last edited by Angstrom on 6 Feb 2020, 1:22pm, edited 1 time in total.
"A cycle tourist doesn't have a track record. Just memories". Jean Taboureau
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vsmith1
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Re: Mont St Michel ?

Post by vsmith1 »

I was on the Tour de Manche back in Sep 2019, I was heading from Ducey to St Malo and so had a brief stop at MSM. I found that there was restrictions on the access to the causeway as others have stated. There are bicycle racks and several bikes locked onto them when I arrived.

I really did not want to hang around, catch a shuttle bus, clump about in my cycling shoes, though I did grab a coffee in one of the places at the start of the causeway. So my stop was fairly brief. I agree that the views as I approached the area were stunning. It was like some sort of alien mountain spacecraft (see Krull).

I will return. Maybe in full tourist mode.
Mike Sales
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Re: Mont St Michel ?

Post by Mike Sales »

Angstrom wrote:
Too bad I missed Mount St Michael when I was sailing and did a stop over in Penzance many decades ago, en route for the Scillies ... (from Noirmoutiers, France)


Aren't the Scillies magic? A slowly sinking granite dome, the partly tidal flats between islands scattered with prehistoric walls. The legendary associations with Arthur. I was struck by the inches-thick hairy lichen, due to the pure Atlantic air.
The stories of wrecks, like Sir Cloudesley Shovell.
Submarine rocks, charted as "breaks in heavy weather".
They are a liminal place, beyond and separate from even Cornwall, more belonging to the ocean.
Almost no traffic, but not a favourite place for cycling even so!

We approached from the north, so missed Mount Saint Michael too.
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
Angstrom
Posts: 179
Joined: 21 Nov 2018, 6:57am
Location: Montpellier, France

Re: Mont St Michel ?

Post by Angstrom »

Mike Sales wrote:
Angstrom wrote:
Too bad I missed Mount St Michael when I was sailing and did a stop over in Penzance many decades ago, en route to the Scillies ... (from Noirmoutiers, France)


Aren't the Scillies magic?


Yes indeed.
I find islands always special.
"A cycle tourist doesn't have a track record. Just memories". Jean Taboureau
geocycle
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Re: Mont St Michel ?

Post by geocycle »

Back in 2014 I did the Tor de Manche and stayed at Hotel Verte, Rout de Mont Saint Michel, Le Mount St Michel. Location was good and I used the shuttle to the Mont itself. I went in the evening and got some great views. Seem to remember the hotel was OK and had a mix of camping an motel style accommodation.
tomsumner49
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Joined: 4 Aug 2008, 3:33pm

Re: Mont St Michel ?

Post by tomsumner49 »

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but we visited by bike last week so thought I'd post here in case useful to anyone.

It is currently possible to cycle across the road bridge at any time and there is a bike parking area through the arch to the left of the main entrance. This is apparently a trial scheme until the end of September 2022:

http://www.bienvenueaumontsaintmichel.c ... by-bicycle
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