A Weekend in the Eastern Townships, Quebec

East Meets Rest. The route to relaxation in Quebec’s Eastern Townships.

Stretching along the U.S. border an hour outside of Montreal, the Eastern Townships have undergone a makeover since their heyday as a getaway for Americans after the Civil War. Sure, there’s classic British Loyalist architecture and antique-shop hopping, but there’s also a 132-kilometre wine circuit with pit stops for organic baguettes and apple picking and, come winter, parabolic ski bunnies on the slopes at Bromont. Our tip: Balance your vices (Domaine Pinnacle ice cider) with the virtuous (a spell in the sweat lodge at Balnea Spa).

Balnea Spa’s contemporary take on the chalet is neatly tucked in a nature reserve, all the better to meditate on Lac Gale. Balna’s treatments – from steam bath to ice-cold waterfall to outdoor hot tub – are catatonically relaxing. The fireplaces aren’t bad either.

Jacques Robidas is a horse whisperer-cum-tour guide giving a primer on equine psychology on his trail rides by horseback. Once snow falls, he hitches up a sleigh to his Belgian horse for the trip through North Hatley.

Auberge & Spa West Brome continues a tradition of going local: The original 1880s farmhouse was made with bricks fired in a homemade kiln and was added to, Lego-style, over the past 100 years; barn beams came by horseback from Mégantic. Today, chef Stéphane Charpentier follows suit. To wit: Brome Lake duck pâté.

Drop in for 5 p.m. vespers at  Abbaye Saint-Benoît-du-Lac where Gregorian chants echo through the unusual geometric brick church. The monks also make homemade cheese. (Packing tip: A wheel of Bleu Bénédictin weighs in at two kilograms.)

From Manoir Hovey’s wood-panelled pub, The Tap Room (left), you can see down to Lake Massawippi, flanked by mountains. No doubt inspired by the view, one guest whispers to another, “Turn off your cellphone. When you’re here, you’re off limits.”

Seven years ago, Charles Crawford left the pharmaceutical business and bought a 430-acre mountainside orchard and cidery, Domaine Pinnacle, with his wife, Susan. Their pleasantly smooth ice cider (courtesy of winemaker Christian Barthomeuf) is a perfect match for artisanal pâté from nearby La Girondine, which is celebrated throughout Quebec.

Write to us: letters@enroutemag.net

Abbaye Saint-Benoît 1, rue Principale, Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, 819-843-4080, st-benoit-du-lac.com
Auberge & Spa West Brome 128, rte 139, Lac-Brome, 888-902-7663, awb.ca
Balnea Spa 319, ch. du Lac-Gale, Bromont, 866-734-2110, balnea.ca
Domaine Pinnacle 150, ch. Richford, Frelighsburg, 450-298-1222, icecider.com
La Girondine 104, rte 237 S., Frelighsburg, 450-298-5206, lagirondine.ca
Manoir Hovey 575, ch. Hovey, North Hatley, 800-661-2421, manoirhovey.com
Les Randonnées Jacques Robidas 32, ch. McFarland, North Hatley, 888-677-8767, randonneesjrobidas.qc.ca
La Route des vins 888-811-4928, laroutedesvins.ca