In the incredibly flat plains of the Normandy coastline, Mont St Michel is stunning. This island of rock, topped by a monastery and ringed with a medieval village rises far above the landscape, visible for miles. It stands off the shore, surrounded by floodplains with nothing nearby to distract from its beauty.

The island has a history going back to the 6^th century, but the first incarnation of it as a place of worship happened in the 8^thcentury, when St Aubert received instructions (and a hole in his skull apparently) from the archangel Michael to build a church upon it. It appears in the Bayeux Tapestry, was repeatedly attacked, rebuilt, turned into a prison and received a constant stream of pilgrims over the centuries. The causeway joining the island to the mainland is a now permanent road, which has adversely affected the flooding of the area. The island is rarely fully surrounded by water these days, due to the silt build up from the causeway, but there are plans to replace this with a bridge which will bring back the island’s original isolation.

The Abbey at the top of the island can be visited for 8.50€. This includes a guided tour – highly recommended in a place with such a long history. The Abbey, balanced on the pinnacle of rock at the top of the island is built upon a series of crypts as foundations. These haven’t always been successful, and parts of it have collapsed in the past. The tour will take you through the church itself, the monk’s refectory, the crypts underneath and the hamster-wheel construction which was used to bring supplies to the top of the island.

Below the Abbey is the town. Tiny roads, tinier buildings and now full of tourist shops and plate glass. As with most things in such a tourist destination it is an expensive place, full of tacky souvenirs and horrifically crowded in the summer months. There are several hotels in the town if you would like to stay overnight, although ones back on the mainland are significantly cheaper, as are the restaurants which accompany them at the beginning of the causeway.

You can get to Mont St Michel by rail and bus, but the easiest is by car. There is a giant car park at the end of the causeway – it costs 4€ and signposts will inform you whether your car is likely to be swept away. Mont St Michel is a perfect day trip, requiring only a few hours to see it all, although you may want to take a bit more time to enjoy the view.