We set out in the fog looking for one of Mont-Saint-Michel's quieter views. We found it eventually, along with several hundred sheep.
At six in the morning, Mont-Saint-Michel had disappeared.
The fog had settled over the bay sometime in the night, swallowing almost everything beyond the fields in front of us. Somewhere out there was one of the most recognizable silhouettes in France but we could barely see it.
We had gotten up early to photograph the meanders, the narrow, winding channels that curl through the salt meadows in front of Mont-Saint-Michel. Staying nearby meant we could simply leave our hotel and walk, rather than begin the morning with a drive or a shuttle.
So just after six, we headed our on our adventure. Except instead of continuing across the bridge with everyone else, near Le Relais Saint-Michel we found the gate into the fields and went through it. Then another. And another.
Soon the road was behind us and we were walking through wet grass in the half-light, carrying our cameras into a field we were only reasonably certain we were supposed to be in. There was no one else around.
Eventually, the meanders appeared: dark ribbons winding through the grass, with the faint outline of Mont-Saint-Michel somewhere beyond them. We'd found it.
For nearly an hour, we had the entire landscape to ourselves. It was beautiful, certainly, but also suspiciously quiet. No other photographers appeared. No spectacular sunrise broke through the clouds. Nothing happened to confirm that getting up before dawn and wandering through several gates into a foggy field had been an especially good idea.
By seven, we were getting ready to call it. And then the sheep arrived. Not three or four picturesque sheep conveniently grazing in the distance. Hundreds of them.
They came through the fog in our direction, spreading across the field until the empty landscape we'd spent the morning photographing was suddenly moving.
Within minutes, they were everywhere. In front of the cameras. Behind the cameras. Along the meanders. Wandering around us as though we were the ones who had unexpectedly appeared in their field.
Which, of course, we were.
TAKE NOTES.
FIND THE MEANDERS
There are different ways into the salt meadows surrounding Mont-Saint-Michel. We approached them from the Mont itself.
From the La Caserne hotel area, walk toward Mont-Saint-Michel as though you're heading for the bridge. Near Le Relais Saint-Michel, before reaching the bridge to the island, look for the gate providing access to the fields.
Once through, continue across the meadow toward Mont-Saint-Michel. We passed through several gates along the way before reaching the winding channels of the meanders.
GO BEFORE SUNRISE
We left around 6 a.m. on a foggy August morning. The fields were completely empty and for almost an hour we had the meanders to ourselves.
Early morning also gives you a chance of mist hanging over the bay, which can turn Mont-Saint-Michel into little more than a silhouette in the distance.
ABOUT THOSE SHEEP
At almost exactly 7 a.m. on our visit, hundreds of sheep were released into the field.
The sheep aren't there for the benefit of photographers. They're the famous moutons de pré-salé, raised on the salt meadows surrounding Mont-Saint-Michel.
STAY CLOSE
If you want to photograph the meanders at dawn, staying in the La Caserne area is worth considering. Hotel guests can stay within the restricted hotel zone, putting you within walking distance of the Mont and surrounding landscape.
For us, being able to walk out of our hotel at six in the morning made the entire experience possible.
WEAR SHOES YOU DON'T MIND GETTING WET
This is marshland and an active grazing area, not a landscaped viewpoint. Expect wet grass, mud and uneven ground, particularly after rain.
And close the gates behind you. There are, after all, several hundred reasons not to leave one open.