Page 43 - Dreamscapes Magazine | Spring/Summer 2025

EASTERN TOWNSHIPS BY CAR
Food, wine, history and the great outdoors
BY ROCHELLE LASH
Québec’s Eastern Townships is a vast,
scenic territory encompassing mountains,
rolling hills and lakes, as well as folksy
villages and historic sites that reflect
Canada’s roots.
Starting about 45 minutes east of Montréal,
explore the mellow countryside in three cultural
road trips, stopping in charming small cities like
Magog, Sherbrooke and Bromont where local
boutiques and bistros are abuzz.
Wine Route: Tasty Townships
The Brome-Missisquoi Wine Route is a 140-km
culinary romp through bountiful farmland,
orchards and nearly two dozen vineyards, many
offering tastings of crisp whites and robust
reds. Among them are the prize-winning Le
Domaine des Côtes d’Ardoise and the organic
Vignoble La Bauge.
Farm-to-table dining thrives here, too. Sip a
vintage at palatial Le Vignoble Du Ruisseau in
Dunham before indulging at Ôma, its sophisti-
cated bistro. In Stanbridge East, Espace Old Mill
showcases chef Éric Gendron’s artisanal dishes.
Beyond wine, Robin Bière Naturelle in
Waterloo crafts barrel-aged brews, while Ferme
Cidricole Équinoxe in Farnham serves up apple
cider and apple beignets.
Summit Drive: Peaks to Sky
This nearly 200-km route rambles through
soaring mountains and forests of maples, spruce
and pine trees. Superb hiking trails weave toward
Mont Mégantic and Mont Gosford, the highest
peak in southern Québec at 1,193 metres.
By night, the region’s International Dark Sky
Reserve offers stellar stargazing. At Parc national
du Mont-Mégantic, the ASTROLab’s powerful tele-
scope reveals the cosmos in dazzling clarity.
Village life is easy-going. Auberge La Mara in Ham-
Sud offers dinner and lodging in pine-panelled
comfort. In Piopolis, on the shore of Lac-Mégantic,
you can swim or paddle, and high-elevation Notre-
Dame-des-Bois is a gateway to the massive peaks.
Boulangerie Lambton in Lambton is a great stop
for a picnic of pâté, croissants and strawberry pie.
History Trail: Mélange of Roots
First were the Abenakis, then British loyalists
arrived escaping the American Revolution as long
ago as the 1790s, as well as settlers from France,
Scotland and Ireland.
Today, the 430-km Townships Trail traces their
legacies through 31 municipalities, rich with
Victorian architecture, covered bridges, churches
of 17 faiths and quirky treasures. Among them is
the Pen-Y-Bryn golf course in Bury, one of the
oldest in North America, dating to 1869.
Festivities include the Townships Tea Festival
in Sutton (June 21–22), and the delightful Bedford
Agricultural Fair, marking nearly 200 years of
family fun (Aug. 7–10) with rides, crafts and blue-
ribbon farm animals.
Modern-day literary fans flock to Lac Brome-
Knowlton, the real-life inspiration for Louise
Penny’s fictional Three Pines. The terribly posh
Manoir Hovey in North Hatley (1899), renowned
for MICHELIN-key hospitality, also has a cameo in
her mysteries.
DS
DID YOU
KNOW?
Dunham, founded in 1796,
was the first township in
Lower Canada. It has
preserved its intimacy, and
is now at the centre of
an epic epicurean scene.
TRAVEL PLANNER
Visit easterntownships.org/
tourist-routes
SPRING/SUMMER 2025 DREAMSCAPES 43