Facing each other at a distance of 1,86 miles (3 km), Mont-Saint-Michel and Mont Tombelaine are separated by numerous obstacles at low tide (shifting sands, potholes), and the tide rises quickly. The English settled on Mont Tombelaine in 1423 in an attempt to take Mont-Saint-Michel. They failed because of great resistance and the short windows of opportunity determined by tides. The priory, the shops, and the fortress declined over the years, and Mont Tombelaine was left abandoned. Only a hermit known as the Marquis of Tombelaine lived there until he drowned while swimming back in 1892.