Canada: Montreal & Eastern Townships, Québec

Arrival in Montreal, an iconic and eclectic city. We will discuss the plans for the next few days over a wonderful welcome dinner. Enjoy your first taste of Québec cuisine.

We  begin the day with a morning row exploring the waters of the St. Lawrence River from our base at Aviron Lachine. They call it Lac St. Louis, but the seaway with the big ships is right there. Very cool. We will explore Île Dorval and up to the Parc René-Lévesque. This afternoon we continue our exploration but on land. A guided walking tour of Old Montreal will showcase the history and traditions which make Montreal such a vibrant destination. Perhaps round out your day with a visit to the McCord Museum or one of the fine art museums to understand more of the culture of Montreal and Canada. In the evening you could stroll Rue St. Denis, taking in the vibe of the cafés and perhaps sampling the bagels and  smoked meat that Montreal is famous for.

Today is a full day of rowing featuring the historic  Lachine Canal. It is so significant that it is a National Historic Site of Canada. From Aviron Lachine it is a short row to the canal entrance. Five locks intersect the 13.5 km length, giving us natural pauses and rest. In addition, lunch at Atwater, famous for its food market, will break up the time in the boat. We will complete the day by rowing into the old port of Montreal.  A city is always best seen from the water. Magnifiique! Our final task is to load the boats onto the trailer, ready for our trip east tomorrow. Dinner tonight is on your own, we will have lots of suggestions for you to choose from.

After breakfast, we bid au revoir to Montreal and drive east into the countryside of the Eastern Townships. Soon urban and suburban landscapes are replaced by fields, pastures, vineyards and forests, interspersed with small towns, and of course lakes. Our initial destination is Knowlton, one of the seven villages that comprise Lac Brome. As you might tell from the name, Knowlton was founded by English Loyalists and boasts the oldest inn in the Eastern Townships. Perhaps a bit like New England but where the people speak French? What you probably don’t know is that Lac Brome is renowned for its duck! And more recently for rowing. A brand new club with a beautiful boathouse is under construction, as the lake is the new training centre for the provincial team, some of whom are rowing on Canada’s national team. We will have a chance to strut our stuff on the lake too, as well as meeting some of the local rowers. In the afternoon we will continue on to our new home in North Hatley. Our inn is the Auberge La Chocolatière – hmmm, what might we have for dessert tonight!

Lac Massawippi is best known as the deepest lake in the Eastern Townships. We love it because it is folded into the wooded hills and curves in a graceful swoop.  We will row to Ayers Cliff for a picnic lunch and perhaps a swim. The back along the farther shore. We will ensure time to explore North Hatley itself. Founded in 1897, the village of North Hatley is considered one of the most beautiful small towns of Quebec, with its few streets lined with galleries and shops. Tonight dinner is on your own, and there is a great selection of options to choose from.

On this last day of rowing on our Quebec rowing tour, weather and water conditions will dictate our plans, but we might take the boats over to Lac Memphramagog or Lac Magog. Alternately, if we loved Lac Massawippi, we might just enjoy another row here. If the weather is inclement, nearby is Louis S. St. Laurent National Historic Site, dedicated to the life of a former Prime Minister of Canada (1948-1957), as well as showcasing the history of the Eastern Townships. Alternately we might seek some quiet and solitude on the nearby hiking and bike trail, La Route Verte. Then it is time for our farewell dinner, which will be a homage to the flavours of la belle province.

After a leisurely breakfast, we drive back to Montreal and onto your next adventure.  Perhaps you will head home, although we recommend that you extend your stay to explore the city and province. We hope that you will have enjoyed rowing Canada and especially rowing in Québec!