The tide here is one of the great shows of Europe. In the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel the sea can retreat for kilometres and return with a speed that has caught out many walkers, and at the biggest tides the difference between high and low water is around fourteen metres. On those days the mount, a rocky island crowned with a Benedictine abbey, can be surrounded by water, or stand alone on a plain of wet sand, depending on the hour. The causeway that used to link it to the shore has been replaced by a bridge so that the water can flow freely again.
The abbey, which took shape over a thousand years, is a mix of Romanesque and Gothic, with a spire topped by a golden statue of the archangel Michael. Its great medieval buildings on the north side are called La Merveille, the marvel. Pilgrims have come since the eighth century, when, according to tradition, Bishop Aubert founded a sanctuary after the archangel appeared to him in a dream. The border between Normandy and Brittany runs along the Couesnon river, a few kilometres away, and local people like to say that the river, in its mad moments, put the mount in Normandy.
Riding to the bay is easy, along flat roads through polders and fields where sheep graze on salt meadows, the origin of the prized pré-salé lamb. Wind and rain from the Channel can blow in fast, so keep a waterproof close, and avoid walking onto the sand without a guide, because the quicksand and fast tide are dangerous. Motorbikes are normally directed to their own parking area, and from there you walk or take the shuttle.
Pontorson, with about four thousand people, is the nearest town with fuel, supermarkets and hotels. The village at the foot of the mount has restaurants serving the famous omelettes, though they are expensive, and the local cider and calvados are much better value. Go in early morning or at dusk when the crowds thin and the light on the sand turns pink, and the ride to the D-Day beaches beyond makes a fitting contrast.