Les moines et l'Elèphant

The Chausey islands form a granite archipelago about 16 kilometres from Granville, in the Manche. Tradition credits them with 52 islands at high tide and 365 at low tide, an image to say they multiply when the sea recedes: in reality, the archipelago has about twenty islands and more than 130 islets, and uncovers more than 5,000 hectares of foreshore at low tide. The tides there are among the strongest in Europe, with up to 14 metres' range at the great equinox tides.

Chausey granite was used to build the quays of London, Paris pavements and to rebuild Saint-Malo after the war. Grande Île, the only one inhabited all year, has a fishermen's hamlet and an old fort that Louis Renault restored between 1922 and 1924. You can also find rocky chaos, including the Moines and Éléphant rocks, and sandy beaches depending on the tide.

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