Day 4 - Rest (Rain) Day in Magog , North Hadley and Sherebrooke

Velo Quebec 2007 - La Route Verte

Day 4 - Saturday, August 25, 2007

This would be the only full day of rain on the whole trip; our first rest day.  Two places on the list however was the abbey of Saint-Benoit-du-Lac, just to the southeast on Lake Mephremagog,  and the Arkel bike bag factory in Sherbroke.   The area (Orford/Magag) from what I understand has developed into a summer and winter destination area.  During the winter both alpine and nordic skiing as well as ice skating is a draw in the Mount Orford area just to the north of the Lake.  During the summer tourists come to visit the lake, restaurants, as well as the abbey.  (photo: Township Heritage Web Magazine ).  Along the northern end of Lake Memphremagog, lies Magog a summer get-a-way for the residents of Montreal and New England in the United States. The town is known for its summer theater and abundant shops. It is also near the winter ski area of Mont-Orford.

St. Benoit du Lac
After hearing about the abbey at Saint-Benoît-du-Lac from a friend of mine who had just visited the previous year, I had to check it out.  The abbey is also famous for the agricultural products that are produced on the property such as their cheeses, apple cider, as well as other fruits and nuts.  (see map).

 The Abbey of Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, was founded in 1912, along the western shore of Lake Magog and numbers a little more than fifty monks living under the Rule of Saint Benedict. The abbey also serves as a guest house for travellers at CDN$40 per night.  The abbey is only about a half-hour drive from the town of Magog.



North Hatley
Most of the area is either small town and rural agriculture so the "drive" through the country side was beautiful.    The town of North Hatley is only a 20 minute drive from Magog though some pastoral farmlands and along the lake shore.  We stopped at a local recommendation the Pilsen Pub located right on a tributary leading into the river.  

The Pilsen is a combination restaurant and pub with a formal dining room upstairs and a 

pub and dinning area downstairs along the water.  We choose the less formal waterside location.  The menu was fantastic with a lot of  local favorites.  To see some examples off their menu click through to Pilsen's website .  The website is lacking any content but the pictures give a good indication of the quality of the food and menu.

Before dinner we all just sat on the waterside table staring out to the boats and ducts that frequent this part of the lake while sampling some of their locally brewed beer.  I just couldn't help think what an enjoyable trip it had been so far.  The rain had just about slowed to an occasional trickle and the sun was even starting to pop out.  I had a completely satisfying meal of a quail stuffed with froi gras served with local apples and sirop d'erable (maple syrup), with potatoes and assorted vegetables. 

Sherbrooke
After Lunch lunch we took a drive over to Sherbrook the largest city in the area and home to Arkel , a local bike pannier manufacturer.  Many of their bags can be seen in use on the local bike paths.  They do make some great bags.  Not cheap but from what I understand; very durable.  However by the time we got to the address the showroom was closed.

Here are some videos describing various things to do in Eastern Townships 

0 miles 

197 cummulative miles

Day 3 Chambly to Stuckley Sud 


Day 5 Stuckley Sud to Acton Vale