Ninety seconds on Chapelle Saint-Aubert
Walking out at low tide to this small chapel shows you Mont-Saint-Michel from its quiet northwest side. The chapel sits alone on the rocks, with the abbey straight above you.
Chapelle Saint-Aubert is a small chapel on the rocks of the northwest side of the island, directly below the abbey. It sits behind the abbey, out of sight of the side where you arrive, which makes it a forgotten corner of the Mont.
It is said to honour Aubert, the bishop of Avranches who, in the legend, was told by the archangel Michael to build a church on this rock.
The setting is the bay itself. It has one of the largest tidal ranges in Europe, and when the water drains away the rock stands in open sand.
Beside the chapel, the north face of the rock rises straight up to the abbey walls. It is a view of the Mont that the arrival side never gives you, with nothing between you and the rock.
Before you set out, find out when low tide falls that day, because the walk to the chapel only works with the sea out. If low tide falls in the afternoon, do the abbey first, then come down through the village to the base of the rock.
Walk round the base of the rock over the sand to the northwest side, where the chapel sits on the rocks below the abbey. Stay close to the rock the whole way rather than heading out into the open bay.
Expect to see the chapel from outside: the interior has no confirmed opening, so do not plan on going in. Take your photographs from the rocks, look up to the abbey, then walk back the way you came.
Guides lead every crossing of the open bay, all year round, and 67 are officially authorised to do it. A guide reads the wet sand and knows which surface hides quicksand.
Ask a guide whether the walk to the chapel can be part of the outing before you set out. Book one for anything beyond the base of the rock.
The tide in this bay comes back very fast and the currents can be strong, so start back to the village while the sand is still wide and dry. Quicksand appears and disappears out on the flats, which is why you keep to the base of the rock and never strike out across the bay alone.
Watch your footing on the rocks around the chapel. Bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen for the open sand.
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