This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
At this time when the cages are being put into the water for the lobster fishing season, we return to crossing the Magdalen Islands in the best possible way: by bike.
Bewitching, they are all year round. But, in low season, you are sure to have the islands all to yourself, especially if you opt to explore them by bicycle. I start my crossing in La Grave, on the island of Havre Aubert, under a stormy sky which gives this historic site a little extra character. Time to collect my bike from Vélo Évasion – and have a bit of chat with its friendly owners – and I head towards the famous Le Havre beach, in the company of François David, from Vélo Évasion. Man has recently swapped the hectic pace of the city for the tranquility of the archipelago.
Beach deserts
Sheltered from the gusts, the long deserted beach extends to Bout du Banc, from where Entrance Island can be seen in the distance, this piece of ocher land where the pastures culminate on the windy Mount Big Hill. Before starting the climb towards Cap-aux-Meules, I treat myself to a loop on Chemin Bassin. This panoramic road winds between Portage-du-Cap to L’Étang-des-Caps. The houses follow one another, with their typical barn-stable and their shed at the back of the courtyard. At L’Anse-à-la-Cabane stands the oldest and highest lighthouse in the archipelago, and its balcony which rises to 17 meters. The drizzle does not hinder my progress nor the pleasure I have in discovering the sea coves, the small fishing ports and the hilly terrain which gently undulates straight ahead.
A dream for the islands
I don’t know which, the rain or the ocean waves, soaked me more on that first day. But it is with joy that I arrive at the Chalets de la Martinique, in L’Étang-du-Nord. The owner welcomes me with a hot coffee, a towel and a deliciously grassy accent. The plan for the next day: continue my progress on the shoulder of Route Verte 1, on the island of Cap aux Meules, the most populated in the archipelago. I plan to make more stops there to taste the flavors of the Islands and give in to the charm of its landscapes. I feel privileged to cross in complete privacy the “cantons”, the small towns which punctuate the islands, such as Cap-Vert or Grand-Ruisseau. After a few kilometers under warmer skies, I can’t deprive myself of a stop at Mon p’tit Bonheur aux Îles, a new gourmet address. There, we are sure to stock up on homemade bread and groceries that will make up a lunch with local flavors. In Martinique, I head to stop at Bernard Vigneau, a pioneer of electric bikes in the Islands, who offers around twenty different models for rental, including the tricycle! The founder of Éco-vélo des Îles is campaigning for the Madelinian Association for Energy and Environmental Security (AMSÉE) as part of a safe cycle path project on the archipelago. Man has the dream of seeing the bicycle become a preferred means of transport in a territory weakened by climate change and summer overtourism.
Delicacies on the menu
Another night, this time, in the cozy interior of one of the microchalets of the Paradis bleu hostel, in Fatima, directly on the beach. I see in my mind the whole palette of colors that line the facades of traditional houses, cobalt blue, fuchsia pink or, even, canary yellow. An explosion of colors which punctuates the route with the tender green of the meadows and the blue of the sky finally freed from its threatening cumulonimbus clouds. To get to Havre-aux-Maisons, I take the bridge from where I can see Pointe-aux-Loups, its marina and Paquet Island, the landing strip for countless seabirds. To the busy Route 199, I prefer the peaceful Chemin de la Pointe-Basse on which I make a series of stops, like at the Fumoir d’antan, a few meters away on Chemin du Quai, the last traditional smokehouse in Quebec, which is in the smoking of herring in the old-fashioned way. I even get a private tour of the bucanerie economuseum. Fromagerie Pied-De-Vent, Alcyon sea salt, Culture of the sea: gourmet stops follow one another on both sides near the Chemin des Échoueries, punctuated by rounded hillocks and deserted dunes. And then it’s Cape du Moine-Qui-Prie (former Cape Alright), whose red cliffs plunge vertically into the turbulent backwaters of the Bay of Plaisance, at the foot of its legendary lighthouse, built in 1928 to watch over the intended for browsers.
Dunes and wind
I’m in no hurry to leave this postcard, but I have to get back in the saddle on the South Dune, which tapers off towards the island of Pointe aux Loups. Then, I mill against wind and tide along the endless northern dune towards the island of Grosse-Île. There, the beaches follow one another around the Pointe-de-l’Est wildlife refuge. It has been a long day and the increasing wind is making me redouble my efforts to reach my destination: the island of Grande Ouverte. I have to meet the friendly team from La Salicorne, a holiday center and outdoor base, to spend the night in one of its bubble tents. It is from the nearby fishing village that the departure of 115 local lobster boats takes place each year, more numerous here than in the entire Gaspésie. To complete my crossing, the next day I will treat myself to a hike to Boudreau Island, more peninsula than island, property of the Société de conservation des Îles-de-la-Madeleine. At the end of the trail, I will make a long stop on the meadow to catch the fragile, but striking, beauty of the Magdalen Islands.
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