The tidal rhythm of the oceans and seas is so strong that with every tide, entire surface shapes can submerge and reappear, forming a walkable path through the water. If anything, this place is truly romantic, and now this Valentine’s Day, we’re showing you not just one, but several of the most beautiful places in fact!
St. Michael’s Mount, England – It can only be crossed by boat at high tide
Mount Saint Michael in the UK should not be confused with Mount Saint Michel in Normandy! This tidal island is located in Mount’s Bay, Cornwall, and can only be reached on foot at low tide and by boat at high tide.
The image of the island was constantly changing, monasteries, convents and churches alternated over time on the island, which were destroyed by earthquakes, floods and wars, and new ones were always built in their place. Today, the island is home to a 15th-century chapel, a village of eight houses, an island cemetery, and a castle. You can take tours of the island and some parts of the castle, and there is also a museum rich in artefacts, where you can get an idea of the island’s long and colorful history.
Grenen, Denmark – Take a walk on a sandbank between two seas
It is the meeting point of two straits, the Skagerrak and Kattegat Straits. These natural formations separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden, and the North Sea from the Baltic Sea. At the meeting point of the two straits – thanks to the strong currents – a long underwater sandbar has formed, thanks to which you can walk between the two seas at low tide.
The underwater coral reef extending into the sea is a natural formation consisting of sand and pebble deposits, which is constantly developing and growing. Its length has increased by more than 1 kilometer over the past 100 years. Natural lakes often form on its surface, which attract tourists and wading birds.
HOLY ISLAND, ENGLAND – The road disappears twice a day
The full name of the island is Holy Island of Lindisfarne, which is located on the border of England and Scotland, off the coast of Northumberland. The old track there disappears twice a day because of the tides, at which time the island is completely separated from the mainland. The nearest point of the island is about a mile from the coast. Only pilgrims walked to the island 1,300 years ago, but for some time curious tourists have been traversing the wet sand.
At high tide, all entrances to the island, including the bridge, are blocked by water. If you cross the island with wet feet or by car, you will find a small village, the ruins of a historic monastery, two lighthouses, a fishing port and a castle high on a cliff. When the water recedes, a harbor road for cars, bikes, and pedestrians emerges, but romantic hikers definitely choose the Old Footpath for a romantic crossing.
Passage du Gois, France – You can get there and back in an hour
If you want to get to the small island of Noirmoutier from the French mainland, you’d better hurry because the road literally disappears from under your feet. The pass, called the Passage du Gois, is built on top of a narrow ridge of silt formed over hundreds of years that rises out of the water at low tide to form a land bridge across the bay.
Twice a day, at low tide, the built way appears, where visitors have a little more than an hour to walk the way back and forth, and then the water suddenly rises as if this lane had never existed. Despite the posted signs, every year more and more people get stuck on the road and, because of this, are forced to swim the distance to the nearest safety post, where the Coast Guard retrieves hikers stuck in the water.
The Island, England – The only way to get to the island is via a bridge
Newquay is a town on the north coast of Cornwall where you can discover a place that is sometimes an island, sometimes a rocky outcrop, connected to the mainland by a small suspension bridge. The more than 20-meter-high rocky outcrop looks like an island at high tide, but at low tide you can walk into the fjord under the bridge, across to the sandy beach. In the meantime, we can admire the pedestrian bridge built in 1900, and we can even walk across it high up.
If we walk across the suspension bridge, which is not recommended for people with limited space, but otherwise very safe, we can only find one house on the small island, which is also available for rent. The house, which is surrounded by a beautiful garden, can only be reached on foot across the suspension bridge.
Mont Saint-Michel, France – The tides here are the highest in Europe
Mont Saint-Michel, mentioned at the beginning of the article, cannot be excluded from this list, on the one hand, because it is one of the favorite places of romantics, and on the other hand, because of the abbey on the other hand. The island, which began to be built in 1023, so this year it turned 1000 years old! Beneath the abbey and cathedral, a bustling settlement lives its daily life with winding streets, tiny houses, restaurants and cafés.
Mont Saint-Michel Bay has the highest tides in Europe, which transform the island’s skyline twice a day. At low tide the building and the surrounding village can be reached with dry feet, but at high tide the inrushing mass of water cuts it off completely from the mainland and turns it into a veritable island. It was connected to the mainland only by a dam built in 1879 until 2015, when a new 760-meter footbridge was completed.
Whenever you visit such a special place, always pay attention to the timing so you don’t get stuck in the sea when the water level starts to rise!
(source: atlasobscura.com Impressmagazin.hu)
