However you look at it, Mont Saint-Michel Bay is a marvel. The view embraces sand, salt meadows, the sea and the sky. Light plays with the elements in a changing landscape in which Mont Saint-Michel and the mussel stakes are reflected.
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Discover Mont-Saint-Michel Bay
“The Couesnon, in its madness, placed Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy”, but the bay is well and truly in Brittany. This exceptional site in the north of the region is a Unesco world heritage site. Many admirable phenomena are recognised here: a splendid maritime landscape, tides that hold the record in France with heights of 14 metres, a patchwork of polders, alignments of mussel farms, and a mythical architectural gem reflecting in the vast stretch of water.
Emerging from fields of sand, lines of 110 stakes are planted over 100-metre lengths. On these kilometres of stakes, where odd-looking boats on wheels move around, mussels are farmed. They attach themselves to these masts and grow in clusters. Thanks to this technique, introduced in 1954, and a particularly favourable environment, Vivier has become the leading mussel port in France. To learn more about the business of these fisher-farmers and the secrets of this magical place, Maison de la Baie proposes a permanent exhibition and outings on foot or on-board the Mytili-mobile. It’s a wonderful opportunity to have a change of scenery or to observe the Mascaret, a surprising wave that forms on the water’s surface during high tides.
Did you know
Do not venture far into the bay alone. When the tide rises, the water moves at the speed of a person walking at a good pace and the water can sometimes surround you.
At the heart of nature
In the middle of Mont Saint-Michel bay, Vivier-sur-Mer is moored on a coast that unfolds in splendour from Normandy to Cancale. The coastline, stretching over long beaches to the west, gets wilder heading towards Pointe du Grouin. This succession of sand, springy bays, and salt meadows where sheep graze offers some lovely walks and wonderful views.
