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.

“A horse is the projection of peoples’ dreams about themselves – strong, powerful, beautiful – and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence.” ~ Pam Brown

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.

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.