![\"Chausey](\"http:\/\/universvoyage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/photo-1-Copier.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\"Chausey is the problem for us Granvillais...\", often jokes the sailors who venture out to this string of whimsical islands, just an hour from Granville. That's the magic of Chausey: a constellation of islets whose organisation changes constantly with the ebb and flow of the tide, and whose shallows - the grunes (pronounced greunes) - have taunted many a keel. Lunar at low tide, Venetian at mid-tide and finally maritime at flood tide, Chausey reveals a different silhouette and colours every hour of the day. Subject to the powerful tides that undress it, the Norman beauty is indomitable. Even the English have given up trying to take her from us. This marine labyrinth is first and foremost a paradise for sailors, and every boat can find an anchorage without giving the impression that the place is overrun ... at least for the time being! A natural reserve and heritage site in Lower Normandy, Chausey is a little jewel that can also be savoured by strolling along the damp paths of its undulating bocage or its fragmented foreshore. Tabarly loved these islands so much that he considered them to be one of the most beautiful archipelagos in the world! A stele is dedicated to him at the top of the street leading to the Grande Cale.<\/p>\n
Coastal tour<\/strong> We then make a short stop at Port Marie. Curiously, the word \"port\" is used here to designate certain beaches. In fact, it was originally used to refer to the precarious shelter formed by the coves that cut into the island.<\/p>\n Nature reserve<\/strong> Port Homard beach and Ch\u00e2teau Renault<\/strong> His majesty the elephant<\/strong> A miniature bocage<\/strong> Text and photos: Brigitte Postel<\/p>\n Tides<\/strong> Caution<\/strong> Weather<\/strong> Accommodation<\/strong> Flats in the old farmhouse Communal g\u00eetes in the former presbytery and school building Getting there<\/strong> Compagnie des Iles Chausey
\n<\/a>Battered by spring gusts and shrouded in mist, Chausey emerges from its winter torpor with the arrival of the first tourists and walkers. Right from the slipway, the presence of numerous lobster traps is a reminder of the island's speciality. Like its Anglo-Norman neighbours on the Minquiers plateau, Chausey and its pebble fields are a favourite haunt for this tasty crustacean. Chausey fishermen are gradually disappearing - there is only one fisherman left today - but more and more enthusiasts are trying their hand at sea bass or the famous \"bouquet\" with \"bichettes\". This is fishing to be enjoyed in the evening at anchor, in this dream setting, or at the H\u00f4tel du Fort et des \u00celes.
\nFor those who are not keen on sailing, the Grande Ile (as it is known, even though it is only 2 km long and between 200 and 700 m wide) offers a coastal path to discover the wild beaches that dot its shores. If you walk non-stop, it will take you three or four hours to complete the circuit. There are no roads here. Cars and bicycles too. The only things on the road are the tractor that collects the rubbish, the hotel's electric buggy and the islanders' carts.<\/p>\n<\/a>With the waves lapping and a light Norse wind, we set off to explore the island from the south and east, taking the seaside path that begins below the hotel. We pass two granite landmarks, the Baudry and Lambert towers, strange beacons erected in the mid-nineteenth century to put an end to the quarrels between fishermen from Granville and Cancalais.
\n<\/a>The alignment of these two landmarks separated the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel in two. On fishing days, an official boat would anchor on this demarcation line and ensure that the zones were respected. The towers bear the names of the two sworn guards who were part of the maritime commission responsible for defining this delicate alignment... and putting an end to the brawls between sailors.<\/p>\n<\/a>The path winds past a number of flower-filled houses, mostly occupied during the holidays and rented out on long leases, before leading to the island's lighthouse. It was first lit in October 1847. From its height of 39 metres, it still emits a white light every five seconds, visible from 22 miles away.
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\nNext to it, the fort received its foundation stone in 1859 under the reign of Emperor Napoleon III. It was completed in 1866. But the funny thing is that it was never used, because the wars against England were well and truly over. Decommissioned forty years after its opening, the fort housed 300 German and Austrian prisoners during the First World War - and a small garrison of the Third Reich during the Second. Today, it is home to fishing families who live year-round in the former vaulted casemates, which are covered in grass. Protected by a deep moat that forms a pentagonal shape, the building is well worth a visit.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/a>Before reaching Port Homard and its superb beach, which is very popular during the summer months, you will pass around the Pointe de Bretagne, an arid and windy moorland where the granite competes with impenetrable bushes of broom and gorse entangled with brambles. Typically Armorican, this moorland covers almost a third of the island's surface area. It is this heath that gives the Chausey landscape its splendour, both in terms of the golden colour of its blooms and the delicate fragrance that perfumes the paths in fine weather.
\nLizards and rabbits abound. Here, however, the word is avoided and they are called long-eared, poodles or cannibals, as the word is taboo for any self-respecting sailor.
\nNumerous nesting seabirds find refuge on the island and islets: great cormorants, crested cormorants, sea gulls, terns... as well as a number of migratory and wintering birds: geese, plovers, gannets.... And the rare shelduck, which nests in burrows, has made it its favourite haven. It is best spotted out of season, when the flood of visitors has subsided. The entire archipelago is classified as an ornithological reserve, and hunting is of course prohibited.<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>Continuing along the path that runs alongside the granite boulders, you come to the beach at Port Homard, dominated by the Ch\u00e2teau Renault. Built in 1559 under the reign of Henry II, this austere structure, also known as \"the old fort\", has suffered many setbacks over the centuries, particularly as a result of the destruction caused by English troops. The car manufacturer Louis Renault, who fell in love with Chausey, found it derelict when he bought it in 1922 and had it completely restored before adding the curious swimming pool carved out of the granite at its foot (now disused) and the boathouse, now in ruins, under the semaphore. The Ch\u00e2teau, which now belongs to one of the three families in the Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Civile Immobili\u00e8re (SCI) that owns almost the entire island and its islets, is not open to visitors.
\nTo protect the dunes and prevent them from being trampled, it has installed fences and planted thousands of oyats to allow the plant cover to recover and halt the erosion process. <\/a>Beach walkways now channel visitors, allowing blue thistles, superb little 'pimprenelle' roses and other rare and protected species (picking is prohibited), such as the blood geranium and the French carnation, to grow again. As for the heart of the island, the paths are well-marked and the gorse sufficiently aggressive to discourage wild escapes.<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>After the Rochers des Moines, Grande-Gr\u00e8ve beach slopes down towards the open sea in a narrow curve of white sand. We continue our tour as far as the famous elephant, one of the island's many stone statues. We approach it at low tide, crossing a chaos of granite blocks darkened by seaweed. It looks just like him!
\nFurther north, the ancient semaphore, perched on the hill at the island's highest point, keeps watch over the lonely rocks. On a clear day, you can see Jersey, Granville, Mont-Saint-Michel and even Saint-Malo. Built in the mid-19th century, it was Chausey's communications hub, receiving messages from the mainland. Today, it houses a scientific relay station.
\nIn this wild part of Grande-Ile, there are many old granite quarries, huge waterside workings that have been exploited for nine centuries. At one time, there were as many as 600 quarrymen on the island. The ramparts and church of Granville, Mont-Saint-Michel and even the quays of London and Dieppe and the pavements of Paris were built using the granite that forms the island's foundation.<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>Coming back through the heart of the island, you might think you were walking through the heart of the Normandy bocage. On the fields of the old farm (the last farmers left in 1991), Ouessant sheep, recently introduced by a group of breeders, graze peacefully. The farmhouse has been renovated and converted into g\u00eetes.
\nJust opposite, the tiny houses of the village of Blainvillais spread out their flowerbeds. Built around 1825, these old thatched cottages were originally home to barrow-men and quarrymen from Blainville (a small town on the west coast of the Cotentin peninsula). Most of them, who became fishermen when the quarries closed, would come in the summer to hunt down bouquets and shellfish, occupying these small, low houses whose renovation was financed by Louis Renault between the wars.
\n<\/a>Just like the bell tower of the little chapel overlooking the slipway, which is well worth a visit. Magnificently lit by the beautiful stained glass windows by Yves de Saint Front, son of the famous Chausian painter Marin-Marie, it contains the statues of Sainte Anne and Saint Benoist and two models of boats, including a beautiful three-masted ship offered as an ex-voto.<\/p>\n<\/a>Finally, our walk ends in the small garden of the H\u00f4tel du Fort et des Iles, overlooking the Sound, the channel that runs alongside the Grande \u00cele. Here, with a glass of white wine in hand, we enjoy watching the sun decline over the archipelago. The channels slowly disappear with the ebb, creating a moving, fleeting polychromy. You don't get to know Chausey straight away. It's Chausey that grabs you... with patience. As the saying goes: \"Who goes to Chausey once, comes back a hundred times\".<\/p>\n
\nIt's impossible not to take this into account, even when the tidal range is low. Because while the maximum tidal range is around 15 metres, it is already 5 metres for an average neap tide, and over 10 metres for an ordinary 90\u00b0 tide. High tides are 5 minutes later and low tides 15 minutes later than in Saint-Malo, the reference port.<\/p>\n
\nMuch of the archipelago can be explored on foot at low tide on high tide days. The tongues of sand offer a wider area to explore at ebb tide, but you have to calculate carefully as the tide comes back in very quickly and channels can fill up, cutting off the return journey for the intrepid. So be very careful if you don't want to find yourself stranded on an islet waiting for the next tide. Beware also of the mudflats. Landing on the islets (bird sanctuaries) is forbidden during the nesting season.<\/p>\n
\nWhatever the weather, this archipelago retains all its charm. The weather is influenced by the tides and can change very quickly.<\/p>\n
\nH\u00f4tel du Fort et des Iles
\nThis is the only hotel on the island. It has 8 rooms, so you'll need to book well in advance. Even if you don't want to have a meal, the large bar room is well worth a visit, with a superb view over the Sound.
\nwww.hotel-chausey.com<\/a>
\nTel. 02.33.50.25.02
\nOpen from mid-April to the end of September
\nRestaurant on site.<\/p>\n
\nhttp:\/\/ileschausey.com\/textes\/viepratique\/accueil-laferme.htm<\/a>
\nTel. 02.33.90.90.53
\n20 flats for 2\/3 to 8\/9 people.<\/p>\n
\nwww.ville-granville.fr\/office_municipal_tourisme_granville.asp<\/a>
\nTel. 02.33.91.30.03 (Office du Tourisme) - French only
\n5 g\u00eetes for 4 to 7 people.
\nDaily rentals available from October to the end of March. Weekly rentals only from early April to late September.<\/p>\n
\nCompagnie Jolie France
\nhttp:\/\/vedettejoliefrance.com<\/a> - Tel. 02.33.50.31.81
\nService all year round. Every day from April to September. From October to March: Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and high tide days,
\nCrossing time: 30 to 55 minutes depending on the boat,<\/p>\n
\nDaily service from April to September. Tel. 02 33 50 16 36.<\/p>\n