Our plans are to stay in Bayeux and then drive to MSM to stay overnight on the island. We are thinking of having lunch in between the two sites and wondered are there interesting stopping points between Bayeux and MSM... would love a spot for a picnic lunch... this would take place on Sunday in Aug
Posted by
Rockville, MD, USA
653 posts
I haven't been to MSM myself, but a recent post had these ideas: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/bayeux-to-mont-st-michel-8a866c17-4fcf-4e4e-93b6-96a5cede1070
Posted by
Middletown, RI
1229 posts
Not a picnic, but I stopped in Avranches once en route from Mont-Saint-Michel to Bayeux. It is really much, much closer to MSM, but I found it a nice town to visit, and had a wonderful lunch in a little restaurant there (PM if you want me to dig up the name). There is also a museum in town I didn't visit called the Scriptorium (sp?) if my memory still works? It houses many original manuscripts that were produced in MSM by the monks there. There was a wonderful little ruins of an old fortified section of the city up on a hill that I did visit which provided sweeping views. I spent maybe 2-1/2 to 3 hours in the town total.
If you're interested in WWII history, the battle towns of Saint-Lô and Périers are somewhat on the way. Although I have never visited them, and I hear Saint-Lô was mostly destroyed in the Battle for Normandy.
Posted by
IJzendijke, The Netherlands
2088 posts
You can look for a picnic spot near Abbye de Hambye north of Villedieu-des-Pouêles. From the hills around the bay of Le Mont-Saint-Michel you can have several beautiful panoramic views of the island and worth looking for a picnic spot. You can have those views in Avranches as PharmerPhil already remarks too, but it won’t be easy to find a good place for a picnic there.
In case you travel further west I enjoyed the view from the park in front of the “Mairie” in Roz-sur-Cuesnon a few years ago and to my opinion a good place for a picnic. A real nice spot is Havre de Rothéneuf just east of St-Malo. There is a walking trail from the car park at the southside of this little bay along the scenic D201.