Iles de la Madeleine - Cap-aux-Meules and Ile du Havre-Aubert

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Am visiting Iles de La Madeleine for a week; numerous islands in the Gulf of St Lawrence belonging to Quebec, Canada. Since there are seven main islands to the archipelago, I figured a full day per island would be sufficient. Living In New Brunswick Canada, a drive to Souris PEI, then a five hour ferry ride to Cap-aux-Meules, on Cap-Aux-Meules Island was all it took. I dedicated the first day to Cap- Aux-Meules Island. Following a quick visit to the helpful information centre, my first activity was the Sentier du littoral (Coastal Trail). A lovely trail in town. Two km long, it follows the coastline with wonderful views of the red cliffs and access to two sandy beaches where you can beachcomb and visit the unique red rock formations. At the start of the trail there is a wooden walkway of 187 steps upward. Once at the top you get wonderful views of town, especially the harbour. Next stop was Plage du Corfu Island. A lovely beach named for the shipwrecked "Corfu Island" ship. In fact the shipwreck is still visible on shore partially submerged and partially overtaken by the sea and sand. Nearby is a microbrewery - L'arbre de la Tempete where I purchased a few 6-packs as souvenirs! Nearby Belle Anse(pretty cove), there is a marvelous trail on which you can hike along the cliffs of the area and see the various coves, beaches and rock formations. I hiked about 2 km appreciating the wonderful coastal scenery; a photographer's delight. After a quick visit to the L'Etang du Nord lighthouse I called it a day as I had been on the go for about 6 hours.

The following day I was off the the most southerly Island - Ile du Havre-Aubert about 15 km from Cap-Aux-Meules. I stopped at the Martinique dunes on the way to see the beach and miles and miles of dunes. You quickly realize there is no shortage of dunes around and most are many km long with adjoining and sandy beaches. I visited the historic site La Grave with its artistic and craft shops and other cultural activities. There is the Les Desmoiselles (the misses) Natural Reserve consisting of two rounded hills one can hike. Seldom missing an opportunity for a novel hike off I went. Both hills were relatively steep and joined by grassy trails. Of course, being the highest point in the area the views of the surrounds were quite nice. I then followed the scenic route to the local lighthouse, returning to visit Plage du Cap and then off to see some more impressive sand dunes at Plage du Havre. These sand dunes extend more than 12 km. I walked about 2 km along the beach with the sand dunes and beach never-ending.

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Comments

[Carole]

Nous aussi nous avons monté à la croix. Tous les paysages sont beaux...et les restos sont chers!