Pedaling on an island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, admiring the passing coastal landscapes and stopping while you discover things is like riding towards a change of scenery! Here are three islands for cycling between fields and tides.
1. ISLE-AUX-GRUES
Photo courtesy of TCA, Stephanie Allard
Isle aux Grues
Isle-aux-Grues, a small island off the coast of Montmagny, is accessible by boat at high tide according to the timetable posted on the traversiers.com website. After leaving their car on the shore, visitors board the ferry on foot, with or without a bike, as the island has three rental companies, as well as public transport and a train service.
A 7.2km “T” loop of paved roads guides cyclists wishing to explore the island, while the Chemin de la Batture, a compacted gravel road navigable by mountain or hybrid bikes, leads to Ile-aux -Oies leads. The route is relatively flat and is perfect for combining physical activity, observing fauna and flora and contemplating the landscape.
Athletes leave their bikes for a hike in the Jean-Paul-Riopelle nature reserve among its maple trees over 300 years old. A paradise for ornithologists with its 250 species of birds, some of which are rare, Isle-aux-Grues also attracts gourmets to its cheese dairy.
►To plan : montmagnyetlesiles.chaudiereappalaches.com
2. ISLE AUX COUDRES
Photo courtesy of Tourism Isle-aux-Coudres, Robert Chiasson
Isle of Coudres
Isle-aux-Coudres promises 360-degree panoramas to be admired along the 40km of cycle paths that surround it, sometimes winding through an orchard, meadows and borage. As soon as the ferry that departs from Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive docks, cyclists park their cars in one of the municipal car parks before getting on their bikes.
A rental also offers them frames for all types of cyclists. Hybrid, urban, electric, several models of tandems and four-wheelers, then bikes for children and others that can accommodate an adult and a child for the whole family.
Due to its low incline and the cheerful coexistence of cyclists and vehicles on the road, it is also a destination for young and old.
The numerous gourmet stations, shops, museums, cultural events, accommodation and the welcome of the porpoises (a friendly nickname of the locals) will make you want to extend your island vacation by a few days.
►For planning: tourismisleauxcoudres.com
3. ISLAND OF ORLEANS
Photo courtesy of Île d’Orléans Tourism, Jeff Frenette
Ile d’Orleans
Hugely popular with cyclists looking to loop the 43 miles or dive through the fields on one of the three roads they intersect, Île d’Orléans near Quebec is a destination for vigilant cyclists.
You drive along the Chemin Royal (Route 368), which is also used by local residents by car, plus the many tourists this season, not to mention agricultural vehicles. Caution is advised, especially where there is no shoulder.
Sunrise and sunset are therefore favorable times to pedal peacefully while the island dons its finest splendor, bathed in a soft light.
The rhythm of a visit by bike instead of by car will allow you to discover the personalities and specificities of the six communes that host the Île d’Orléans and then see the birth of about 125 tourist businesses to be promoted. Subway pickup, vineyards, gardeners, restaurants, artisans, historical sites, cultural spaces… The discovery begins on the other side of the bridge.
►For planning: tourism.iledorleans.com