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QUÉBEC
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 sophisticated 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 telescope 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.
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.
