For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
Hmmm, I can’t read that map. The battleground was near Esquay-Notre-Dame. I corrected it above to the correct: Hill 112Is that the battle site in the middle of the map?
View attachment 134916
What is MSM??This overlooked route is one that English pilgrims would have followed after crossing the channel to France. About 120 miles long, it’s a beautiful (and relatively flat!) walk across Normandy from one beach to another! The path starts at a D-Day beach and ends with a traverse across the tidal beach to MSM itself - definitely a thrilling end to a pilgrimage! If you had the energy, you could continue on to SdC from MSM, but we will end at journey there.
We have 11 days planned and I’ll update daily with a few remarks about the completed stage since there is very little in English about this route.
Shorthand for Mont-Saint-Michel.What is MSM??
DAY 1: Ouisterham to Caen (23km)
This stage isn’t listed on the official website ( www.lescheminsdumontsaintmichel.com ), but it’s where the ferry boats from Portsmith, England dock, both now and centuries ago! It’s easy to reach the beach here via a 20 minute bus ride from Caen (1.6€), a city which is a 2 hour bus or train ride from Paris. We took time to remember those who died at “Sword Beach” during the D-Day invasion and visited a few memorial sites before heading off on the Chemin. If you are a WW2 buff, this entire route is walking through familiar names of battles and key villages.
You leave Ouistreham via a paved bike path adjacent to the shipping canal, which you can follow all the way into Caen. We took an alternative route after a few miles which passed over the Pegasus Bridge and then followed along the bank of the nearby river, providing a natural walking surface rather than asphalt. Oddly, the way-marked path seems to purposefully avoid towns/churches/cafes, so one needs to detour off of it to find support services.
As we entered in to Caen, we went off-path to visit the Petite Lourdes church and the Abbey of the Dames (there is one for men on tomorrow’s stage) - both worth seeing. Stamps for our credential are hit-or-miss and we spend a lot of time exposing what exactly we are doing; for a significant pilgrim path, there seems to be little awareness, though everyone is quite nice about it. Our route ended at the remains of the Caen castle in the middle of the city. Caen has an abundance of restaurants and accommodations (none specifically for pilgrims), plus a world class WW2 museum.
Overall, a good stage: flat, easy to reach, and with much to see on it. Zero pilgrims.
Hi Vacajoe. Have a great Camino. I might join you on a stage or two.This overlooked route is one that English pilgrims would have followed after crossing the channel to France. About 120 miles long, it’s a beautiful (and relatively flat!) walk across Normandy from one beach to another! The path starts at a D-Day beach and ends with a traverse across the tidal beach to MSM itself - definitely a thrilling end to a pilgrimage! If you had the energy, you could continue on to SdC from MSM, but we will end at journey there.
We have 11 days planned and I’ll update daily with a few remarks about the completed stage since there is very little in English about this route.
Bring food!!!Hi Vacajoe. Have a great Camino. I might join you on a stage or two.
Hmmm. We know that "a pilgrim must suffer", but starve?Day 3: Near Evrecy to Near Hamars (26km)
Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Despite the beauty of the countryside we are crossing, it was a frustrating day due to the actual “official” route. What could have been a 15km walk ended up at 26km because there were ZERO places to get food on the way-marked route, resulting in a 5km detour to reach the only restaurant in the vicinity. Fortunately, we also found a baquette vending machine.
Truly an odd choice on how to route a walk and, even odder, the posted gps tracks don’t always follow the physically marked route.. Even odder, the route makes some very questionable choices (see below for one example), resulting in extra walking for no known reason. If it went by an important monument or church or unique landscape, then I would understand, but there was nothing different than what we had been doing. I don’t get it.
On the plus side, it was a gorgeous day of mixed walking surfaces and beautiful long-distance views. Even the road walking was okay as there are few vehicles out here. We passed a lot of livestock and villages, too. Really got a sense of the Normandy countryside.
Once again we had to walk past the stage endpoint and off the route to find an accommodation. Sadly, dinner is not offered, so we are sharing a vending machine loaf of bread and some “emergency” food we carry for this exact circumstance.
You will find that most cemeteries have a standpipe of drinkable water.Day 4: Hamars to St Jean Le Blanc (13km)
A short day, but a strikingly beautiful one! A mix of forest walking plus countryside and a village or two. It’s a rainy Sunday and there is a petrol strike on in France, so the roads were empty of traffic - perfect walking conditions! This section of Normandy is amazingly quiet - no trains or planes, few highways, etc - and the rolling hills provide long vistas to contemplate while walking. We passed a number of dairy farms and orchards, too, so the smells were very organic and a welcome change from the modern city.
There are NO restaurants/bars/stores on this stage, nor are there any water faucets. The hamlets you pass through MAY have a church and possibly a village center, but they have all been closed. With today being a Sunday, absolutely nothing is open. Sadly, we passed several storefronts which would have had food in the past but which are now permanently closed. You really get the sad feeling that village life in this part of Normandy is fading away.
Our route was so short, though, because we abandoned both the gps track and the marked Chemin in favor of reaching our accommodation before the rain arrived. As noted previously, the provided gps track was oddly routed along roads and in a path that made little sense given the abundance of farm roads and mountain trails available. I’m beginning to think it was done on a bicycle as it avoids some excellent hiking paths in favor of more bike-friendly routes. It also started and ended in country intersections away from anything - very odd!
View attachment 135014View attachment 135015View attachment 135016
On MSM? We are staying at the pilgrim accommodation here. Very plain, but I have a view of the bay(!) and a private bathroom(!!!), so it feels quite luxurious for an albergue!Out of curiosity, what was the name of your accommodation?
You got an upgraded room! But the twin room I had in the summer was fine with a shared toilet and shower.On MSM? We are staying at the pilgrim accommodation here. Very plain, but I have a view of the bay(!) and a private bathroom(!!!), so it feels quite luxurious for an albergue!. Officially it’s called, Maison du Pêlerin and is located at the very end of the lower street after all the shops and restaurants. MSM is magical at night after all the tourists leave - highly recommend being able to stay on the Mont.
The photos are the view from my room.
It is "Le Sportif"! I often feel on the French chemin (and the GRS) that I am being led up and over and round and about, when a flat short valley road would take me directly. Done in order to give me extra exercise and to avoid any contact with a bar or a shop or a chance to rest!Unfortunately, the Chemin bypasses this place about 3kms away, a true travesty yet one repeated over and over by whomever routed this modern pilgrimage.
Fortunately, I did locate the official guidebook here and finally possess the official route map which DOES vary from the gps tracks posted on the official website! Oddly enough, the book’s suggested stages also result in several endpoints without accommodation and bypass major cities enroute. I just don’t get it.
Even more so when the tide is in! That IS a fabulous shot of itThis image just appeared on Twitter when gives a bird's (drone's?) eye view of MSM. Amazing place.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?