La Manche by car, on foot, on horseback or by bicycle
La Manche, a very authentic department in Normandy, sheltered from major seasonal tourist migrations, apart from Mont-Saint-Michel, attracts walkers, velocipedes and horse riders. Part of the GR223, customs trail, links Mont-Saint-Michel to Granville via Avranches, Genêt, Carolles, and vice-versa in three days.
The small departmental roads are suitable for cycling and, by reconciling strike, path, path, the horse can trot well. By car or motorbike, the departmental roads and the four lanes recently redone, protect vehicles and passengers. Walk in six stages.
The privileged Mont-Saint-Michel
On May 11, the limit of 100 km out ... The only idea in mind, to link Mont-Saint-Michel, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to find it as in our childhood memories, almost without tourists. For thirty years, 3 and a half million visitors have invaded each year its narrow cobbled streets where the souvenir signs are lined up. This time, jackpot: empty parking lots and shuttle! Foreigners, Asian and American in mind, fanatics of the place, will not return for many months. A time suspended, a time apart, a boon, to climb quietly to the abbey built in the 10th century by the Benedictines and visit it.
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Today, a religious community of fourteen nuns and monks, from the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem, still lives there and a priest performs the services. An hour, excluding religious service, allows you to fully understand the places and their history. Leaving this jewel, take the ramparts which reveal the tiled roofs of the houses from the 15th to the 17th centuries and the infinity of the bay. On the side of the Tombelaine rock, the salt meadows feast on grass full of sea water the black-headed sheep. On the other, the sand stretches endlessly to Brittany, jealous of having lost the Mont by the whim of a coastal river which, during one of its floods, drew a bend in the bay. The spell was cast: "The Couesnon in its madness put the Mount in Normandy but when it takes back reason, the Mount will become Breton again". Whatever the hour, whatever the weather, rain or shine, whether the sun is shining or not, one suffocates with emotion before the flawless osmosis between the building wanted by men and the unique palette blues, sands, similar to a watercolor. And, when, at high tide, the sea rushes "at the speed of a galloping horse" encircling the mountain, one remains blown away by this phenomenon, unique in Europe.
The Couesnon in its madness put the Mont in Normandy but when it takes back reason, the Mont will become Breton again…The Mont, otherwise
Granite island with an area of 3.8 hectares and a height of 45 meters, Tombelaine is located in the middle of the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel. Anne-Marie Cattelain Le Dû
WALKING TO TOMBELAINE AND BAY
Tombelaine, a granite islet 3 km from Mont-Saint-Michel seems very accessible. Attention, the heights of the tides, their speed, the quicksand surprise walkers every year. Better to leave accompanied by a naturalist guide who knows the terrain by heart. Tombelaine is a sanctuary, refuge for rare sea birds: Belon shelduck, oystercatcher, ox-heron heron. Mallards, troglodytes, speckles, melodious linnet, etc. nest there. The seal seals there. Two reliable and competent naturalist guides offer interesting itineraries: Julien Avril (gambettes-enbaie.fr, 06 64 28 54 40) and Ludo (lestraverseesdeludo.com, 06 75 45 72 16).
Spend the night intra-muros at La Tête Noire, on the rampart, the oldest residence on the Mount dating from the 14th century, classified as a historic monument. View of the bay and the top of the village. 2 bedrooms, from € 200.
La Tête Noire Bed and Breakfast, Grande Rue, 50170 Le Mont-Saint-Michel. Phone. : 06 87 19 94 05.
See him full of bed: by reserving either Saint Michel or Oval, two of the five rooms that account for the Château de Chantore in Bacilly, in the bay. A rare privilege to wake up in such a setting! You can even, by reservation, dine by candlelight. Isolated cottage in addition to the rooms, orangery and park open to visitors, by appointment. From 180 €.
Château de Chantore, 50530 Bacilly. Phone. : 06 74 30 66 64.
Aléas du Mont : no restaurant to recommend, even Mère Poulard which has become a factory. Here we eat, we don't savor! Target the surroundings, Genêts for example.
Tourist office : ot-montsaintmichel.com. Phone. : 02 336 014 30.
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Broom, planted in the Bay
At the edge of the shore with a breathtaking view of Mont Saint-Michel, the Ecomuseum of the Bay is an interpretation center allowing you to discover the functioning of the natural environments of the Bay. Manche Tourism
This tiny town (450 inhabitants) opposite the Mont, lives almost in osmosis with it. Most of the hikes in the bay start from its strikes. Its Ecomuseum , known as the Bay, is a natural extension of the visit to the Mount since it tells its history, its evolution, its legends, its flora and fauna.
Ecomuseum of the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, Route du Grouin du Sud, 50300 Vains / Saint-Léonard. Phone. : 02 33 89 06 06.
Sleep in peace , in the village in one of the four rooms of the old water mill, restored, labeled Gîtes de France. Great for hikers. From € 50 with breakfasts.
Le Moulin , Mme Daniel, 50530 Genêts. Phone. : 02 33 70 83 78.
Two unfussy tables. Chez François near the Town Hall, special carnivores. Homemade dishes, wood-fired grills in the fireplace, classic desserts, efficient service and a nice room. From € 20. Phone. : 02 33 70 83 98.
La pause des Genêts, in the village. For lovers of seafood, but also sweetbreads. In an old inn, revisited by its owners Laurent and Manu, with garden and heated terrace. Original decor, perfect cuisine, menu from € 22, menu approx. € 35. Phone. : 02 33 89 72 38.
Avranches, the "big city"
The basilica is located in the heart of Avranches, along rue Saint-Gervais. It is built according to a Latin cross plan, and ends with a rounded chevet to which is attached a chapel. Observatory of Religious Heritage / Christian Guibout
With its 10,000 inhabitants, its shopping centers, its hustle and bustle, it plays on the urban, but not only. Perched on its granite hill, Avranches overlooks the Mont and its bay. On the road of the English invasions, it has a nice defensive heritage : keep, ramparts, old bishopric it has remarkable churches.
The Saint-Gervais basilica , listed as a Historic Monument, dating from the 17th century, hastily renovated in the 19th century should, after this failed facelift, regain its authenticity thanks to a restoration, started 10 years ago, currently curbed by lack of background.
The Garden of Plants
Very beautiful botanical garden created in 1800 by two gardeners, Jean Le Chevalier and René Le Berriays, who planted hundreds of species including the first rhododendrons imported from Java.
Place Carnot, 50300 Avranches. Phone. : 02 33 89 29 40.
Green stopover
Le Jardin Secret , house and table d'hôtes in a beautiful 19th century residence in the heart of a magnificent park ensures restful sleep. The decoration is a little present but the calm, the serenity, the song of the birds and the sea view, for two of the five rooms, the rubber almost. We like to stroll in the living room, dine in the pretty dining room, by reservation with Martine, the owner. From € 70 with breakfast. 33 51 92 47
Jardin Secret, 42 route de Granville, 50300 Marcey-les-Grèves. Phone. : 02 33 51 92 47.
An
Obione locavore table by chef Sébastien Godefroy favors local producers, organic, seasonal products with vegetables and fruit in abundance. Its market menu at 19 € is a bouquet of freshness, and its Signature Obione three-course menu, at 35 €, worthy of the great. A delight !
Obione restaurant, 8 rue du Docteur-Gilbert, 50300 Avranches. Phone. : 02 33 58 01 66.
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Carolles: if Manchotte!
Carolles beach stretches as far as the eye can see until Granville. Adobe stock
Pure juice, pure Manche, this big, lively market town. At the top, traditional houses and shops nestle around the church. Then, by borrowing the steep coast, the opulent villas of the 19th and early 20th century appear in their garden. At the bottom, butting left on the rocks, the beach stretches as far as the eye can see until Granville changing its name: Edenville, Jullouville-les-Pins, Kairon, Saint-Père-sur mer. It is the kingdom of families with beach clubs, tide back and forth, shore fishing, sandcastles, waffles and marshmallows. But Carolles is also the deep Lude valley leading to the sea, the Vauban hut, planted on the cliff, a smuggler's bench, watchtower to monitor the Channel to Cancale, and the secret Valley of Painters. As many hikes as possible, botanical and historical discoveries. Carolles is the France of always, nothing obsolete, almost unchanging. carolles.fr.
A real inn, in the first sense of the term
In the old presbytery, the Auberge de Carolles , establishment classified three stars, displays no other claim than to pamper its guests. Seven large rooms, from 90 € in peace, very well equipped; a restaurant with 24 covers around a fireplace and a charming garden terrace with 24 covers. Laurent Beltoise mixes local products and spices from elsewhere.
Auberge de Carolles, parvis Saint-Vigor, 50740 Carolles. Phone. : 02 33 69 16 05.
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Granville, stronghold, gentle town
Granville is built on a rocky promontory which closes the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel. Anne-Marie Cattelain Le Dû
Granville, by losing its barracks, has gained in lightness, in the art of living, in joyful animation. The city of Corsairs, Newfoundlanders, as quick to fish for cod as to fight the English, in the name of the king, the garrison town where until 1984 the first regiment of marine infantry occupied the immense barracks stuck on the Pointe du Roc, lowered their arms. Today, Granville, beyond its ramparts, plays with grace the charming bourgeois, the summer a little frivolous to whom it tames. For actor Jacques Gamblin, attached to his hometown where his parents owned the large hardware store, it is obvious: “The rhythm of water imposes its presence, its strength. Granville selects those who will stay for a day, a week or a century. Swept from the north, it elegantly watches over the survival of a unique art of living. »What to add? Nothing ! If not to cross the city starting from the port with, coming from Mont-Saint-Michel, the turret of the Wolf signaling to the sailors the rocky dangers. Fishing boats, fewer and fewer, yachts, shuttles to Chausey share space.
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Along the quays, you climb towards the Pointe du Roc topped with the semaphore and the lighthouse of Cap Lihou classified as a historic monument. It has enlightened and guided navigators for over 200 years. Le Roc, a veritable lookout, reveals the sandy, soft coast, the long beaches to Carolles and on clear days, the Chausey and Cancale islands, the lighthouses of Guernsey and Jersey. At the bottom of the vertiginous cliff, on the Donville-les-Bains side, the turret of the Fourchie, faces the blows of furious waves without blinking. The wind shamelessly trumps the rough, violent sea, strewn with reefs. Below, directly above the Casino, on high tide days, teenagers stroll on the pier at Plat Gousset as close as possible to the railing. They watch for big waves, then retreat, before they explode in powerful sheaves. Very often, the foaming rollers gain speed, shower them or even, if they are in bathing suits, shamelessly undress them. Huge laugh, nothing risky.
Granville branded Dior
The Christian Dior museum is located in the couturier's childhood home in Granville. Alain Le Bot
It is a pink house clinging to the hill, bordered by the Chemin des Douaniers which unfortunately crumbles, preventing access to the place, sea side. A house, at the end of the 19th century, the Rhumbs, which looks out to sea and the flowers of the garden. “The house of my childhood, I have the fondest and most amazed memory of it. What did I say ? My life, my style, owe almost everything to its location and architecture, ”wrote the designer. The house has become the Christian Dior museum, entirely dedicated to the creator. The temporary exhibitions, always of high quality, mounted in close collaboration with the fashion house, testify to his talent, his inventiveness, his pioneering spirit. The garden, with its rose garden, its tea room under the pines projects the visitor into the intimacy of Monsieur Dior. Unmissable visit.
Christian Dior Museum, 1 rue d'Estouteville, Villa Les Rhumbs, 50400 Granville.
The good living of the markets
Unlike many medium-sized cities, with around 13,000 inhabitants, Granville trades, moves, delights. Its pretty signs, particularly in the mouth, line up rue Saint-Sauveur and rue Lecampion. Its three markets are in full swing. That of Cours Jonville, covered, extends outside. On Saturday morning, epicureans get their supplies there and feast on all the regional specialties and local productions. On Tuesday, organic fans find their happiness there. On Wednesday, place Saint-Nicolas, the victuals tempt the barges.
At table !
The quays line up, almost touch-to-touch, bars, crêperies, pizzas, various and varied restaurants. Difficult to test them one by one. For those who are content with a few frameless oysters and seafood, the P'tit Mareyeur , fishmonger on the port, with its oyster bar, fulfills the contract, fresh, relaxed. For example: 12 Chausey oysters n ° 3, with a glass of wine: € 13. poissonnerie-auptitmareyeur.com
Also on the harbor, La Citadelle fills the amateurs of sea dishes, classics, cooked with accuracy and served in a decor of a sobriety of good quality, not boring. Some meats coexist with oysters, lobsters, monkfish etc. From € 32. restaurant-la-citadelle.fr
Morpheus' hour
This is where the shoe pinches. Granville does not have any charming hotel. Otherwise, we reserve at the Hôtel des Bains , 3 stars, a bit outdated but well located on the beach, from 80 €, or at Marguerite and Madeleine , guest house with three bedrooms, perched in the old town , from € 80 for two with breakfast.
Hôtel des Bains, 19 rue Clemenceau, 50400 Granville. Phone. : 02 33 50 17 31.
Marguerite and Madeleine, 5 rue des Degrés, 50400 Granville. Phone. : 06 18 44 70 37.
Tourist office , 2 rue Lecampion, 50400 Granville. Phone. : 02 33 91 30 03, tourisme-granville-terre-mer.com.
