Gimme A Dream Vacation

Posted By admin on July 2, 2010

Why become beachcomber by the sea?

With more than three hundred kilometers of beach land surrounding the islands, becoming a beachcomber by the sea becomes one of the more enjoyable aspects to the Magdalen Islands.

Note : By law, it is not permitted to park a vehicle with four tires on the paved highway, nor is it wise. However, most of the main roads on the islands now have paved shoulders as well as graveled shoulders, so it is possible to park a car and walk out to the beaches from nearly anywhere on the islands.  Even though visitors are permitted to park along the sides of the road, it is safer to park in the multiple parking lots designed to allow easier access by boardwalks to the beaches.

There are many reasons to become a beachcomber by the sea on the Magdalen Islands. Treasures come in all shapes and sizes and many are tossed up on the rolling sands by the sea. A beachcomber may be looking for that elusive sea shell, a wrecked ship, a bottle with a note in it, or a special piece of driftwood to take home.

Treasures Found on Magdalen Islands Beaches

Almost five hundred years ago, tall ships started to arrive from Europe with men interested in exploring the new world. After coming through the Cabot Strait, the channel between Newfoundland and Cape Breton, they approached the Magdalen Islands.  Often a storm would arise while the ships were in the Gulf. Because the islands were just south of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, the channel that comes from the river, the ships might have run aground on the beaches or pile up on the rocks, becoming ancient shipwrecks which, with time become covered with sand or laid to rest on the sea bottom.

Often, many years later a storm could be just right to throw the wrecked ship up on the beach or remove the sand dune that had built up around it, exposing it to beachcombers.  More often than not, it would be just a piece of the hull, the rest ripped apart by the sea and scattered by the four winds. Pieces of pottery, china and cutlery are often found on the beaches after a storm as well as ancient coins from the old world and religious artifacts.

The first shipwreck registered on the Magdalen Islands was the Essex, a military ship from England, said to be carrying the payroll for the army of British General James Wolf during his battle with French General Montcalm for the domination of Lower Canada. That ship was never seen again but to this day, there are beachcombers who dream of finding the wreck.  Often a beachcomber will use a metal detector in areas where ancient ships have been wrecked.

It often comes to past that a beachcomber by the sea will come across an intriguing whale bone which will make the perfect lawn ornament or a piece of shattered sea glass that is all scratched and water worn and think about the amazing window charm it would make.  As one tours around the beaches, different colors of sand can be found…, white, cream, red, rust and black sands can be made into a variety of gifts from the sea.

But perhaps the most common of all beachcomber finds are the multiple sea shells found upon all our shores. Here on the islands beaches the Northern Moonshell, Blue Mussel, Oyster shells, Lobster, Quahog, Clam and the Common Razor Clam shells are common. Also Sand Dollars, Sea Urchins, both the Iceland and the Deep-sea Scallop shells, Welk, Starfish, Sand Crab, Limpid shells and other unusual types of sea life litter the sand of the Iles de la Madeleine.

How interesting it is to come and be a beachcomber by the sea.  With each new day the tides rise and fall like clockwork bringing something out of the briny depths, something new to find. Why not come and try your luck at finding island treasure on some deserted beach on the Magdalen Islands.  You may just be the fortunate one who finds a hidden piece to our past.

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Tags: beachcomber by the sea, beaches, Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Magdalen Islands, pebbles, sand, shells

Posted By admin on June 11, 2010

Senior citizens are the backbone of our society. They have built up a wealth of knowledge and experience in their young days to pass on to the young generations. Now it is time for our elderly to play.

La Grave overview

Becoming elderly and entering the ranks of senior citizens has advantages when it comes to travel vacations. Here on the islands, it is no different, than anywhere else, in that respect. Discount travel packages are given for seniors all year round from most of the major cities of North America to the islands and return by most bus tour companies. Many of the discount packages are offered during off peak seasons or when the average person must work and cannot take the time to travel to the islands. Becoming a member of a senior citizen organization can also bring additional discounts on travel expenses and in most cases all that is required is proof of age.

An Imaginative Boat During the 2009 Competition of the Small Boats

The Magdalen Islands are a haven for the elderly and retired people and many who have discovered the islands in their youth, return to buy and build on their piece of paradise. This makes it additionally interesting for seniors to come on travel tours. They get to meet new friends and converse with friends of the past who now live here. They also move around from island to island, seeing the best we have to offer and find adventures in every nook and cranny.

A typical senior tour of the Magdalen Islands might consist of a day or two spent at the historical site, La Grave. There are many activities that are held in this area during the summer. The Acadian Festival is early in August and starts with the building of small boat competition, where teams are expect to build a boat using materials that is valued under $200, which will sail one or two members across a distance of 100 meters or so. The event cumulates into a fine good time lasting well into the wee hours on the first Saturday of the month. The Acadian Festival lasts the entire week with many activities and ends on the big Sandy Hook beach with the Sand Castle Competition on the second Saturday of the month.

Sand Castle Created to Advertise the Up-Coming Competition 2009

There are many such activities on the islands.  Many people love the taste of the islands and it is spread with love through the “Le bon goût frais des Iles de la Madeleine” (The great fresh taste of the Magdalen Islands). On this tour, visitors get to enjoy the love of food that islanders have, from restaurants serving top quality seafood, to the cheese factory, to island beer and island home-made wine called bagosse, to Island produced preserves including wild strawberry, blueberry and cranberry jams and jellies. All this and a whole lot more….

Don’t forget your bathing suits because there are a lot of sandy beaches to wander aimlessly on and swim leisurely in warm, pleasant lagoon waters or play in the waves of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. You are guaranteed a good time!

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Posted By admin on May 4, 2010

Vacation Contest is now Closed! Thank You to all who applied and congratulations to those people who won the trip!

There is a new Vacation Contest that started today.  Come to the Islands on us!

The Magdalen Islands Tourist Association is inviting everyone to enter their contest “Lobster in my Luggage”. The prize is valued at $1,900 and is one of a kind.  There are beaches, exoticism, culture, seafood, adventure, a complete change of scenery to enjoy and all this for your next vacation.

Grosse Ile Harbour April 30, 2010

Until July fourth, the registration will be open for the “Lobster in my Luggage” contest and most people will be eligible to win a trip for two to the Magdalen Islands. This trip includes

- Return transportation between Souris, on Prince Edward Island and the Magdalen Islands aboard the Groupe CTMA ferry, the M.V. Madeleine.

- Six nights at the Auberge La Salicorne, (Club Vacances), Grand Entry, breakfasts and suppers provided.

- A gift certificate good for 100 pounds of seafood products at Cap sur Mer/ to pack in the luggage for the trip home.

- An ESSO Gift Card for gasoline worth $100.

- A guided visit at the Musée de la Mer.

The stay may be taken between June 1^st and July 20^th during the 2010 and 2011 tourist seasons.

Who Knows, You Might Be The Lucky Person They Will Be Pampering!

There will be a mandatory question (easy for everyone) but there is no purchase required to enter. The participant must be eighteen years and older by July 4, 2010, and a Canadian resident.  Employees of Tourisme Iles de la Madeleine and the partners associated with this contest, members of their immediate families and any persons living in their home are not eligible to compete in this contest.

To enter the contest, it will be necessary to fill out the form at the Tourist website at:

http://www.tourismeilesdelamadeleine.com/magdalen-islands/demandeDAbonnementConcours_ang.cfm

On the electronic entry for, fill in your name, age, address, telephone number and the contest question, “How many lobster fishing licenses are issued for the Îles de la Madeleine region ?” (answer = 326 lobster fishing permits). Also check (√) the box that gives Tourisme Iles de la Madeleine permission to publish a photo of the winners. Only one entry per person for the family residing at the same e-mail address will be accepted.

All internet entries must be received no later that 11:59pm (Atlantic Daylight Time) on July 4^th, 2010.

For More information on the Contest Rules, see

http://www.tourismeilesdelamadeleine.com/pdf/ReglementsConcours-Homards_ang.pdf

Note:

Tourisme Îles de la Madeleine offers five (5) more chances to the people who are fans of Tourisme

Îles de la Madeleine on Facebook. In case the winner would come from an additional chance given by

the inscription on Facebook, Tourisme Îles de la Madeleine will ensure that it is indeed a fan of

Tourisme Îles de la Madeleine on Facebook.

Category: Visitor Information | 1 Comment »
Tags: Auberge La Salicorne, contest, ESSO Gift card, Groupe CTMA, Iles-de-la-Madeleine, lobster, M.V. Madeleine, Magdalen Islands, Musée de la Mer, tourist association

Posted By admin on May 2, 2010

Have you ever considered Bird Watching Holidays adventures before? There is nothing better than the thrill that goes through a person when they confirm the sighting of a rare species of birdlife.

The Magdalen Islands (Iles de la Madeleine) is one of the world’s safest havens for our precious flying animals. Except for the occasional fox, the islands have no real predators for the birds.  We have over 250 species of birds which come to the islands to nest and raise their young or used the islands for a resting and feeding area to replenish necessary energy to continue on their migratory flight path.

Atlantic Puffin

At least seven of the species of the birds using the islands are on the rare and endangered species list, including the seldom seen Piping plover (Charadrius melodus), Horned grebe (Podiceps auritus) , and Roseate tern (Sterna dougallii).

The Islands  are particularly known for their species of maritime birds, Sea gulls, Northern gannets (Morus bassanus, formerly Sula bassana), Common murres (Uria aalge) and Cormorants ( )but also exotic birds such as the colorful, chubby Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) and the Razorbill (Alca torda), which is the only surviving species of Auk left in the world today.

Roseate Tern

Bird watching tours are given on the islands by several local businesses, but there are equally exciting and adventurous self-guided tours in and around the natural reserves and along the beaches and nearby small uninhabited islands, such as Seal Island, Ile Couchon and Shag Island.  Even the Great Blue Heron is often standing on one leg, resting in the shallows of the islands lagoons, within feet of the main highway.

The plentiful lagoons and salt-water marshes are a haven to many species of birds because they provide shelter and plenty of food sources for our visiting feathered friends.  Plant life and aquatic life seek the shallows to lay eggs and breed and whose young provide a source of food for the birds. The lagoons are easily accessible for anyone wanting to walk the area with a set of binoculars.

Northern Gannet

Boating and zodiac adventure tours to the distant uninhabited islands of Brion Islands Ecological Reserve, the Bird Rock Bird reserve and Deadman’s island are available on request from several specialized business including Excursion en Mer, L’istorlet, and l’Airosport.  These tours could take the complete day to Bird Rock and Brion Island or a half a day to the bluffs, grottos, Entry Island and Deadman’s Island and even Gull Island.

If a water adventure is not on the list of must do’s, then a tour of the East Point Wildlife Reserve on the most northern tip of the Magdalen Islands is definitely a wonderful experience.  These can be guided tours which include the plant life and a tour of the shipwreck gulf, because East Point is very close to the shipping lanes of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and has been the final resting place of many a weary sailor and their wonderful vessels. Or the tours into the Reserve can be self-guided. There are paths around all of the marshes, crowberry, blueberry and cranberry moors. There are even blinds where a birdwatcher can get the most advantages view points to see their passion in their natural setting without disturbing the life cycle of the birds.

If you want the experience of a lifetime while having the most interesting bird-watching holiday then come and join in with hundreds of other adventure activities on the Islands.  Don’t hesitate to take our scenic sunset cruises, seafood worth remembering a lifetime, horseback beach riding tours, fishing tours with some of the local fishermen, story-telling adventures, beach bonfires and fireworks, swimming with the gentle, but wild harbour and harp seal, whale-watching and if lucky maybe even see the large but rare leather-back tortoise, known to inhabit our waters.

The Iles-de-la-Madeleine/Magdalen Islands – a must see, must do adventure!

For more information on birds of the islands, see the IBA Listing site.

Category: Islands Activities | 2 Comments »
Tags: adventure, bird, bird watching holidays, bird-watching, Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Magdalen Islands, marine birds, migratory birds, rare species

Posted By admin on March 29, 2010

Lobster deals on the Magdalen Islands or Iles de la Madeleine are easy to come by. Anyone can go to any of the wharves during the lobster fishing season, around noon hour and ask who is selling that day. Generally lobster can be bought off the boat for the going rate, between five and six dollars per pound. For a choice Magdalen Islands lobster, it can’t get any better.

Update Notes:

On May 29, 2010 the prices were about $3.00CDN or USD. That is quite a bit less than the price of MapleLeaf Balonie!!!

On June 4, 2010, the lobster prises are on the rise. Price per pound is around $3.50CDN and rising. It is time to get your lobster because with Saint Jean le Baptiste Day (Quebec’s holiday) and Canada Day, the prices are expected to rise even more.

Gulf of Saint Lawrence

The pristine, cool Gulf waters are home to a large varied of fish and vegetation species, many of which the lobster feed on. Because of the cleanliness of the Gulf, lobster has the best food available, which makes for the tastiest meat. Magdalen Islands lobster is known for being the world’s tastiest lobster.

A Magdalen Islands Gastronomy Adventure

Most of the restaurants in the area serve lobster and seafood dishes which are so delicious. A lobster roll, for example, is a bun filled with the most scrumptious lobster salad, anyone has ever tasted. A seafood platter is a combination of a variety of different shellfish or even ground fish with a choice of potatoes or rice and a beverage of choice. Crepes aux homards, seafood pizza, seafood chowder are a few of the exotic recipes the islands chefs are known to create.

From the mainland, lobster connoisseurs can order their lobster fresh and alive from the fish factories which dot the islands landscape. One of the more popular lobster pounds is Cape Dauphin Fishermen’s Co-operative, on the north side of the islands, in Grosse Ile. All of the lobster that enters the pound is held for a reasonable amount of time to clean the intestinal tract, before they are sold live to buyers who come with large 18-wheelers trucks generally.

Grosse Ile Fishermen's COOP - 418-985-2321

They keep the lobster is plastic crates in salt-water pools, usually 100 pounds each. The lobster are kept sprayed and fresh. Workers, generally the women, gently cull or look the lobster over, to find weakened lobster, which are returned to the sea or they are sold to a local home buyer for quick processing. In the evening the large trucks pull up and workers, generally the men, load the prepared crates into the refrigerated truck boxes, stacking them carefully so that they transport well to their destination.

It is also possible for individuals to buy live lobster from local companies who purchase lobster, containers, the necessary packing supplies and ship them by plane to the door of the waiting customer. Depending on the supplier, the shell cracking tools and meat hooks could be available as well as amounts of precooked seafood chowder, fresh picked clams, mussels, or quahogs. It is even possible to have the stock pot, sea salt and/or filtered Gulf sea water shipped too.

Other factories about the islands cook the lobster before marketing it. Factory workers shell and prepare the meat for processing. They freeze the lobster whole in what they call popsicles, or they can it and freeze the cans before shipping large quantities out on the trucks. Either way, the lobster from the Iles de la Madeleine is the absolute best there is.

Lobster…, yummmmmmm! The tastiest treat to come from the sea is available from the best waters for raising the crustaceans, the Magdalen Island shoals, in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Canada.

For anyone interested in knowing more about how to purchase Magdalen Island live or cooked lobster, during the fishing season, email at ilesdelamadeleine@canada.com or go to our Squidoo Page, Mail Order Lobster at http://www.squidoo.com/islandslobster

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Tags: Cape Dauphin, Cape Dauphin Fishermen's Coop, Crepes aux homards, Iles-de-la-Madeleine, lobster, lobster connoisseur, lobster deals, lobster online, lobster roll, lobster salad, Magdalen Islands, mail order, mail order lobster, seafood chowder, seafood pizza

Posted By admin on March 22, 2010

An Adventure on Horseback Is A Horse Riding Vacation!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go for a romantic ride on a warm summers evening, under a full moon on a beach of soft white sand, with the sound of the surf to one side and sea birds to other?

The Magdalen Islands are known to have more than 300 running kilometers of cream sandy beaches. Ride some of the beaches and trails of the islands, canter through water and follow trails that were made for riding on, while taking in breath-taking panoramic scenery.  Old Harry beach is world famous for its 30 some odd miles of endless sand, sand hills and surf and the East Point Wildlife Reserve trails are on its borders.

Explore stunted forests, salt-water marshes, cranberry, crowberry and blueberry moors. Get a look at the islands wildlife up close. Study orchids and learn of herbs that the original settlers used to eat and heal themselves with.

Watch the maritime birds in their natural setting and a multitude of the other 250 or more bird species that frequent the islands.  Learn of the early settlers and the shipwreck society they became.  Bask in the beautiful, sunsets known to man. Swim in warm, quiet lagoon waters, salt water lakes or surf waves on the open beach.

Camp on land so close to the beach that the sound of the surf lulls you to sleep.  Rise to the most wonderful sunrise over the Gulf waters. Experience ghost stories from shipwrecks around a warm campfire and take long leisurely walks over varied flatlands. Pick berries during their season and go fishing mackerel with a rod and reel off the wharves and capes. Search for shells, pebbles and small sea creatures that washed ashore.

There are a million and one things to do either on horseback, foot, kayak or canoe on the Magdalen Islands.

So, if you feel like stepping out of the rat race and dream of cantering along a deserted sandy beach with the taste of sea-spray rousing your senses, or wonder what it would be like to slow it all down, to get in touch with yourself again, to allow your instincts to guide you and to recall how to laugh, and sing, and celebrate life remember that, even in today’s fast moving world, there is still a place where all this is possible…, Iles-de-la-Madeleine and her horses await you….

To meet and get to know the horses of Old Harry beach see All Things Horse blog.

Category: Islands Activities, Visitor Information | 2 Comments »
Tags: adventure, beaches, horse riding vacation, horseback riding, Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Magdalen Islands, Tourist, visitor

Posted By admin on March 21, 2010

The Magdalen Islands has had a great boom to its tourist trade, the past few years with the creation of seal watch adventure tours. Hundreds of visitors come each year, late in February until the middle of March, to be flown out by helicopter to the ice flows, to see baby seal being born and raised. With the visitors, shops that would normally only be open during the summer months would be bustling and displaying all the newly created wares of their trade.

There is nothing like watching and hugging a new born white coat with its large, dark, round, liquid pools for eyes.  Being with the wild seal on an ice flow is an adventure like no other.

Tour packages can be reservations can be made at the Chateau Madelinot for 3 to 6 nights, breakfasts, helicopter excursion to the ice flows and a guided visit of the Magdalen Islands. The packages are only available for the first three weeks in March and only with the proper weather conditions.

Unfortunately, this year the seal watching adventure tours had to be canceled due to the fact that there is no ice in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.  The seal herd didn’t arrive to have their pups anywhere near enough to the islands to take visitors to see the and because there is no ice, there is no place to land a helicopter.

Category: Islands Activities, Visitor Information | No Comments »
Tags: adventure, adventure tour, Chateau Madelinot, grey seal., harbour seal, harp seal, helicopter, hooded seal, ice flows, Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Magdalen Islands, seal watch, seal watching

Posted By admin on March 18, 2010

Magdalen Island Adventure Tours – Iles-de-la-Madeleine Adventure Tours.

The Magdalen Islands were evolved by nature and built by man for adventure. Water, wind and land activities abound on the islands whether it is on the north, east, south, west or right down the center.

There are no large amusement theme parks, with funny costumed comic characters parading around and making children laugh. But we do have quaint storytellers at every corner who are willing to pull your leg a bit, if you allow it.

There are no zoos with exotic animals basking in the warmth of a summer sun. But we do have Mother Nature, who is always willing to welcome a visitor to enjoy her bounty of tranquil beaches, moors and lagoons.

There are no tall skyscrapers where you can reach the sky and look down on insect sized cars moving ant-like along a highway grid. But there are hills to climb, high enough to touch the sky and a horizon as wide as the earth itself.

There are no white water rapids to wildly churn and toss on…. But there are boat and zodiacs excursions to cause white-sea froth to fly up and cause your lips to taste salty, while hopping wildly from wave crest to wave crest.

There are no large concerts with big ticket rock band and hundreds of thousands of spectators. But there are fiddle, guitar and organ players livening up warm evenings and welcoming visitors to quaint little pubs for an enjoyable evening on the town.

The Magdalen offers bus tours, boat tours, cycling tours, walking tours into all of her corners. Shopping tours is not a problem and since the selection is of high quality locally hand-crafted items, the difficult decision of choosing becomes less difficult. An item made from natural wood, or sand, shell or sea glass makes a lovely gift or a treasured keepsake.

With your itinerary in hand, spend two hours or two days at the historical La Grave site in Amherst, exploring all the Acadian culture has to offer. Another couple hours at Site d’autre fois (Place of Another Time) in the Bassin is time to learn of how the people of yesteryear settled and survived on isolated Gulf islands. Don’t forget to go to La Cote either. It is a must for those of you who have an artistic nature.

Grindstone (Cap-aux-Meules) is the islands bustling metropolitan center and the place that offers the most of civilized services. House Harbour (Havre-aux-Maisons) offers spectacular views of the sea and the surrounding lands, while Pointe-aux-Loups (Wolf Point, probably named for sea wolves or seal (loups marine)) has products harvested from the seal hunt.

Grosse Isle has all the islands natural parks and is abound in eco-tourism. Old Harry is rich in islands history from its name to the walrus hunt which went extinct centuries ago. And at the far end of the islands, Grand Entry Point is calling to visitors to come, sit, relax and watch the beautiful sun setting on peaceful and calm sea waters.

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Tags: adventure, holiday, Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Magdalen Islands, Tourist, vacation, visitor

Posted By admin on March 18, 2010

Having a Planned Itinerary Before You Go

People travel to take vacations for all sorts of reasons. Most people just need to get away from “it” all.

Coming to the Magdalen Islands can be stress free for the most part. It is expensive to come by plane and rent a car for example, which can be stressful if the visitor is on a budget. However, by taking extra time and sailing with the ferry and enjoying the live islander’s talent on board, the financial stress can be minimized.

Do your research and set up your reservations before you come:

Ferries (Montreal or Souris, PEI) - CTMA : http://www.ctma.ca/

Plane – Air Canada (Jazz) : http://aircanada.com

Private Plan - partageonslaviation@hotmail.com

Accommodations

Rent a vehicle (if necessary)

Create a wish list the divide the list up in to two categories. 1 – a variable list and 2 – a definite list.

1 – Variable list – where activities can be scheduled at any time during your holidays and

2 – Definite List – where you call ahead and reserve the time of an experienced guide.

For example, suppose the visitor wants to see the Acadian culture “Mes Iles, Mon Pays” acted out on stage. This would be put on the definite list because reservations should be made prior to the curtain time. But if instead, the visitor wants to help the Acadians celebrate during their week-long festival, building small boats and sandcastles at the competitions, it would go on the variable list since no reservation or tour guides are necessary.

If the visitor wants to make it an islands vacation and explore it all, it would be best to plan to stay at least a full week, leaving one day per island. Mind you could stay a year and not see it all but a full week will wet anyone’s appetite and make them long to return.

One Possible Itinerary

A full day on Amherst Island would include a drive around the perimeter, stopping at quaint art shops, wharves and lighthouses. Walk up the mountain to see Lac Solitaire, a wondrous fresh water lake at the top of the hill, which is surrounded by the salt water Gulf. Don’t forget to spend some time at the Site d’Autrefois, a miniature village/ cultural world wind of the Madelinot past on the islands. Take the guided tour and savour the music and story-telling of creator Claude Bourque. Take the afternoon at the historical site, “La Grave”, browsing through the quaint little fishermen’s shops where everything artistic is sold. An hour and the local museum, Muse de la Mer and another at the aquarium pretty much makes an entire day. During the evening, settle in for some good local cuisine, good music and a lot of enjoyment. The unsuspecting visitor will find they will want to return another day to explore Amherst Island further.

Another full day, this time on Grindstone Island might include the outside plays and music at La Cote, where a visitor can browse shops, learn the practicalities of kite flying, doll making or other unusual activities. See an actual shipwreck which came ashore about thirty years ago and walk the pier looking at the sail boats bobbing in the marina. The visitor can drive the perimeter and see the sandstone capes and how they are eroding into fanciful shapes and points out of the sea. Play a game of golf, ride a horse or take a carriage ride with a guide giving the history of the people of the islands. Spend the evening hob-knobbing with local color in one of the many bistros, listening to stories and music and tasting the local beer. There is more to do on Grindstone Island than one day will allow.

The third day will take in House Harbour from the marina to Pointe-Basse, to South Beach. On this island, not only is the landscape beautiful and unusual, but it is a tasting feast for both the stomach and eyes. The cheese factory, Pieds du Vents offers a delightful variety of islands made cheeses, while the D’Antan Fumoir has smoked fish with a taste to die for, along with story-telling about how the fish are prepared. It is an absolute must to stop at the Barbocheux to get a bottle of bagosse, a unique island wine made for wild berries and don’t forget the old schoolhouse where beautiful works of art are always being created by the glass blowing technicians of La Meduse.

Don’t forget the camera because on the fourth day the tour will take the visitor to Pointe-aux-Loups, to see the seal clothing fabrication, Tante Emma, “from yesterday until today” and the artistic gift shop, La Maison du Heron. Go for a drive back in the hills of Grosse Isle and stop to see how they mine salt for the huge domes under the islands. A stop at the East Point Wildlife Reserve in Old Harry and a guided walk along the trails to learn about how life came to be on the island. A walk on the longest and widest beach of the Magdalen Islands is considered one of the most delightful parts of a Magdalen stay. Learn about the English-speaking population of the islands at the Little Red Schoolhouse and of the War effort put forth by our population at the War museum. Oh and don’t forget a tour of the pottery house, La Maison du Potier, where a visitor can learn and watch how the most amazing items can be produced by hand. Then it is off the Grand Entry, to the Oyster Bay Basin and the Ile Boudreau where mud baths are used to clean pores and make one feel like a million dollars. Explore caves by kayak or snorkel your way through under sea tunnels to come up on bright sunlight private beaches. Go up the hill to La Salicorne for a unique island meal and time spent in the Seal Interpretation Center. There might be time to stop at the harbour at Grand Entry Point to buy a souvenir or have a unique seafood meal. One day is just not enough to see all there is to see, on the eastern islands but there must be some limits made somewhere.

On day five, could be a boat or zodiac excursion of Entry Island and a three hour island walk-about and tour to the top of Big Hill, where the panoramic views of most of the islands will take your breath away.

On the sixth and final day a tour of Brion Island, an ecological reserve might be on the agenda, or a helicopter tour of the Bird Rocks. It could be a day of rest and relaxation on one of the Magdalen Islands 300 running kilometers of beach land, building sand castles. The visitor might choose to take in a lively festival or a relaxing spa bath.The activities are limitless on the Magdalen Islands because the choices between deep-sea fishing, swimming with the sealand scuba diving for shipwrecks to water and wind sports of all kinds, to ATV or horse-back riding, to following up on the Eco-museum circuit.

Category: Visitor Information | 2 Comments »
Tags: holiday planning, Iles-de-la-Madeleine, itinerary, Magdalen Islands, Tourist, vacation planning, visitor

Posted By admin on March 3, 2010

As with all coastal regions, the Magdalen Islands is suffering from the almost constant buffering of the wind and the waves from off the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Unlike most places though, the islands is mostly made of sand and compressed sandstone, of which neither is of much protection against the elements of nature.

There are two types of erosions going on around the islands. First of capes…,

With all the fractured cracks in the capes, it is only time before some of it breaks off and falls into the sea. This is a natural phenomenon that is ripping our little paradise apart.  Sea Cow Path, one such sector of Old Harry, has been a constant design flaw for the population. It has been eroded as far as the main road. In the 70’s, the government considered expropriating land to move the road closer to the lagoon side of the island.

The people became desperate and tossed old unused automobiles into the hole. Finally the government decided to put the money into building the hole up with granite, probably taken from East Cape Mountain.  The cost of the reparations, not counting the exorbitant monetary value was the loss of much of the beautiful East Cape.  Huge scars gape out at the sky and will never be repaired.

And second of the beaches and sand dunes…,

This past January, the islands were hit by 100 km winds from the southeast and extreme high tides the same day. The wave action ripped into the Martinique area, reaching the main road and chewing much of the capes upon which there are several cottages.

During the same storm, the cape broke at Entry Island, dumping garbage into the sea from the vestiges of an old dump from years past. The cape is next to the harbour and it is feared that the wash will come around and take the harbour out someday. This fear is not considered a priority at this point but the dump is and the municipality is taking measures to clear the dump before any more of the wood, plastic, and scrap metal get thrown to the sea.

The worst fear appears to come from the northwest winds though. The north beach is the sole means of commuting between the islands. Should the beach be eroded it could conceivably take the main and only road network with it. According to experts on the subject, the north dunes have lost 10 to 15 meters of shoreline in the area since the 1950’s, when the road was originally made.

This seems to have put the fear of God into the mayor of the largest island municipality, Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Joel Arseneau. He appears convinced that the Magdalen Islands will be split into separate islands within a few years if measures are not taken now to prevent nature from taking over.

Financially speaking, it would cost millions of dollars to replace this road. It would probably be cheaper to bring the old Lovat back into service and she, I believe has been dismantled for scrap metal many years ago.

Trying not to be an alarmist, Mr. Arseneau has already asked the province to include the islands on the list of areas at risk for urgent investments.

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Tags: beaches, dunes, erosion, Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Magdalen Islands, sandstone