Take your pick: adrenaline packed or slow and contemplative?
Published on May 12, 2021
I’m offering you here a four-day sports and epicurean getaway in Brome-Missisquoi and Memphremagog, linking Bromont, Sutton, Brome Lake and Magog-Orford. Please note: we’ll almost always ride on a hill-covered, if not mountain territory. Intermediate level “Gravel riders” can also make it all the way if they follow the route at their own beat, but be warned this is truly a more difficult playground.
Day 1. You’ll start out from the Centre national de cyclisme de Bromont where you’ll notice they’ve started building the new velodrome, for practising Quebec’s current trending sport. As soon as you start pedalling on Lotbinière, you’ll be totally delighted. On the corner of Allard and Fulford, make a stop at the vineyard La Belle Alliance. Even if it’s early, c’mon, offer yourself a tasting, or buy a bottle you’ll share with your friends later on, for your picnic. In Waterloo, offer yourself a sweet treat at the Gâteaux Duvoquic pastry shop. You’ll pass just in front of it on your way to La Campagnarde bike path which leads to the Parc National de la Yamaska by a magnificent section set along the river. Before returning to Bromont, the Brasserie rurale La Ferme will stimulate all your senses with its outdoor bar offering you a view of Mount Shefford. Spectacular! The hops and the necessary ingredients for making their beers are all grown in the fields surrounding the brewery site.
Day 2. The itinerary will take you from Bromont to Sutton. You’ll pass in front of the 1976 Olympic Games Equestrian Centre. I recommend you visit lake Gale, after which you’ll enjoy the most enchanting and enthralling backcountry roads. Chemin Rogers, is more of a trail than a roadway! Then, in the Bromont-Sutton-Dunham triangle, you must stop by the Vignoble du Ruisseau. The splendour of the decor makes the wine taste even better. Once you arrive in Sutton, you’ll feel the call of the two microbreweries on the town’s Main Street. Do you have a sweet tooth? You’ll get a taste of paradise when you try the maple syrup pie they make at Sucreries de l’érable offered by La Rumeur Affamée.
Day 3. As you ride through several winding roads, your objective is to reach Brome Lake (Knowlton). The cafés, bistros, restaurants and terraces are all concentrated here, so plan a picnic and a good water reserve before you leave. As you head out of Sutton, you’ll take a photo moment (and purchase a souvenir to savour) in yet again another divine environment, that of the Vignoble Domaine Bresee. It’s important to have your cogs well greased and in the best possible oil, your enthusiasm, because you’ll once again take on a very rugged relief as you ride across Rosenberry, Benoît, Turkey Hill, Draper, Stagecoach and Sugar Hill roads. What a superb day! no villages, no stores. Just the countryside; just nature, just you. Before you arrive, offer yourself a bottle of ice wine or the late harvest wine produced by the Sugar Hill Vineyard. And then reward yourself fully inside one of Quebec’s most lovely villages. I love to walk about the town, charmed by all these beautiful Victorian-style homes. Brome Lake’s secret? There’s a lake … and a beach! Swimming, kayaks, paddleboards, anyone?
Day 4. You’ll love St-Paul, Spicer, Bailey, Brill! They’re all very pretty roads you’ll discover when you leave Brome Lake. You’ll then continue your way over several kilometres on the Chemin de la Diligence revealing to you its far-off perspectives overlooking the Eastern Townships. The route even makes you daydream. The hills you’ll climb here are long, and so are the descents. Midday, take the time to appreciate the charm of Eastman and its Lac d’Argent. Frome there, the Campagnarde will take you to the Parc National du Mont-Orford. There are very few trails as hilly, if not to say mountainous as this one. From Orford, you’ll only be a few kilometres from the famous Lake Memphremagog. C’mon … celebrate… Jump in the water before returning to your hotel. For your aperitif and a delicious supper, head out to Magog’s rue Principale which is presently subject to a beauty cure, notably by widening its sidewalks.
Good to know!
For more information, click here!
If you wish to head out on your own or with your friends, Ekilib and Le St-Laurent à vélo offer their baggage transportation and shuttle services to return from Magog or Sherbrooke to Bromont. Info: ekilib.com and saint-laurentavelo.com
You could even add a fifth day by taking the Route Verte 1 from Magog to Sherbrooke.
