www.cancale-tourisme.com. If you have a yen for oysters, there are few better places to satisfy your craving. Since Roman times, Cancale’s slithery crustaceans have been deemed fit for emperors and kings: daily consignments rattled their way to Versailles – and Napoleon paved the retreat from Moscow with their shells. Seafood restaurants line the front, and there are views of the oyster beds (pare à huitres) from the Sentier des Douaniers footpath to Pointe du Hock, facing Mont-Saint-Michel. The photo shows just some of the oyster beds exposed at low tide.

Between Cancale and Saint-Malo, the D201 wiggles prettily along the cliffs passing a spectacular viewpoint at Pointe du Grouin. If the mist is lying on the water, the Mount appears to float above the horizon like a mirage. If you are in more of a hurry, cut across the peninsula on the D355.