Mont Saint Michel is France's most popular tourist destination outside Paris. Now, the iconic monument is undergoing a makeover. Engineers have embarked upon an ambitious project to flush away a build-up of sand and silt deposits around the site - using water from a nearby river.

Romain Desguée, head engineer, said: "When we open the floodgates the river is flowing at its fastest and widest. It's this power that pushes the channel of sea water off its usual course - eroding the banks and the build-up around the Mont."

But the venture's had a knock-on effect for the tens of thousands of ramblers who treck across the salt marshes and mud flats at the Mont each year. Local tour guides have had to change their itineries to avoid the new flows of water.

"A real bank has formed. It wasn't there before and it's really difficult to cross. Before the slope was gentle, it was all flat. But now you can see how steep it's become."

But that doesn't stop visitors trying! The changes come as part of a public works scheme aimed at improving access. The original 19th century causeway linking the site to the mainland is soon to be destroyed to make way for a new bridge. With the sandbanks gone, architects hope that by 2015 Mont Saint Michel will be a proper island once again.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.