Though it seems very close to Mont-Saint-Michel, which it faces, Mont Tombelaine extends almost 1,86 miles (3 km) away. Visitors who attempt the crossing to the uninhabited rock are often surprised by the time taken to pass the various obstacles (river beds, quicksands). Mont Tombelaine long housed an English vanguard post with an abbey, a main street, and shops. Louis XIV had everything razed in 1666.