Mont Saint Michel, France

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rise and fall (up to 14 m/45ft): at low tide it is possible to walk round the island, while at high tide the waves surge up to its very walls and may even wash over the parking lot at the foot of the hill. It is a particularly impressive sight at the spring tides (three days after the new moon or full moon). There are pilgrimages across the sands following the tide at the end of July and in September, the Sunday nearest to the 29th (the feast of the Archangel Michael).

Legend has it that Archbishop Aubert of Avranches founded an abbey dedicated to St Michael on the island in the year 708 after the Archangel had appeared to him in a vision. This followed the example of Monte Gargano on the southeastern coast of Italy, where the Archangel was said to have appeared in 492. Aubert obtained a relic from Monte Gargano, and Mont St Michel then became a place of pilgrimage. From then until the 16th C. a succession of buildings in Romanesque and later in Gothic style were erected on the island, though the inaccessibility of the site must have created difficulties in the supply of materials for the buildings. Thanks to the strength of its defenses the abbey, which became known as the "marvel of the West", was never taken by an enemy.

From the early medieval period onwards pilgrims flocked to the shrine, as they still do today. The monastery was dissolved in 1790, and in 1811 became a state prison. Finally in 1863 Napoleon III leased the abbey to the bishops of Coutances and Avranches, and thereafter it was gradually restored, making Mont St- Michel the major tourist attraction it is today.

Visitors should inquire when the tide begins to come in. Walking is best done in bare feet. A boat trip round the island, however, is much more rewarding, particularly at the spring tide.