January 17, 2024 • 10 mins
Embark on an expedition through Québec’s Eastern Townships for breathtaking landscapes, vibrant wineries, and a rich tapestry of cultural heritage. Travel expert Darley Newman takes you to the luxurious lakeside retreat, Manoir Hovey, a favored haunt of the Clintons and mystery novelist Louise Penny in North Hatley. Indulge in delectable poutine and visit Leon Courville Vineyard with female winemaker Anne-Marie Lemire, while also trying unique outdoor adventures, including the zipline coaster at Mont Sutton and a treetop cycling.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Quaint, New England vibes with a French Canadian twist,
(00:04):
Quebec's Eastern Townships are a stunning area of lakes, vineyards, mountains and villages,
just an hour's drive from Montreal, and sharing a border with Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
We're diving into the Eastern Townships for adventure, food and fun,
staying at a luxury property that inspired a famous mystery novelist,
whizzing through the treetops on a wild zipline roller coaster,
(00:26):
wine tasting, trying treetop cycling,
and more, on this episode of the "Travels with Darley" Podcast in Quebec.
We're starting our adventures in Quebec's Eastern Townships in North Hadley,
a charming small town where century old homes mix with art galleries and antique stores.
(00:50):
I'm here to explore Manoir Hovey, a luxurious small inn located on the shores of a large lake.
We're close to the border of Vermont here in North Hadley,
and the area feels to me like a mixture of England's lake district and New York's Finger Lakes.
Known for its beauty, wineries, and outdoor adventure opportunities,
this part of Quebec was settled by Americans, British loyalists, Irish, Scots, and more during the 18th century.
(01:16):
Manoir Hovey property is stunning.
A sprawling, white clapboard country inn is set amid beautiful gardens.
There's a lush green lawn dotted with Adirondak chairs,
and a big outdoor porch where dining al fresco means views of tall trees and the peaceful lake.
I'm sitting down to have an iced tea and soak in lake vibes in those green Adirondak chairs with Jason Stafford,
(01:41):
a third-generation hotelier who has a lot of family history along the lake.
He's sharing what has drawn guests to this part of Canada throughout history,
including more recently the Clintons and mystery novelist Louise Penny.
And you got to grow up here?
I did. I'm a third-generation hotelier.
(02:02):
My grandfather started another property at the opposite end of Lake Massawippi,
so there's sort of a lot of history of our family on the lake here.
I love all these beautiful colorful flowers, the Black Eyed Susans,
and it just really makes the view over the lake here pop.
Yeah, there's a place a lot of emphasis on the gardens at Manoir Hovey,
(02:22):
it was something that my mother was very passionate about.
So the English gardens have always been a key feature of the property in front of the Manoir building.
Louise Penny, the famous author, has also stayed here and written many books from this location.
Exactly. Louise Penny is a great friend and loyal guest of Manoir Hovey for over 30 years,
and then she based one of her award-winning books called "A Rule Against Murder" on the property.
(02:45):
Her books are translated into multiple languages and we have guests from around the world at any given time
to retrace the steps of what inspired Louise Penny in her books.
It's not just the beautiful setting that invites travelers to visit Manoir Hovey and the Eastern Townships,
but also the cuisine, influenced by area of products and land.
The restaurant onsite serves up locally sourced dishes, including poutine.
(03:10):
Poutine is a popular dish in Quebec, consisting of french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy.
The poutine I'm trying at Manoir Hovey's restaurant is made with ingredients that are very local.
This one is different because it is created with a birch syrup.
We're surrounded by birch trees on this property.
The cheese curds are also local.
(03:31):
I've got my local IPA and the jar of s'mores for dessert.
I thought the birch syrup would make it sweet, but not at all.
It tastes kind of caramelized or a little bit like molasses.
The cheese curds are super tasty.
This is definitely a poutine winner.
We will lower the second wire here and we'll put a geotextile to create a tent.
(03:54):
I love supporting female entrepreneurs on my travels and I also love good wine.
So when I heard about the Leon Courville Vineyard and female winemaker Anne-Marie Lemire,
I had to stop by.
This vineyard is open to the public and it's about a 45 minute drive west of Manoir Hovey,
making for a fun excursion into a more rural part of the Eastern Townships.
(04:18):
I read this as a century old sugar shop.
Yeah, exactly.
That's how we started.
We were making maple syrup.
That was the first product that we were making.
We still do it.
And it also allows us to keep our employees on a full time basis.
And the winter after we finish making some of the wines, they go in the forest and work
on the sap.
I'm taking a walk through the vineyards with Anne-Marie, who looks smart in her white
(04:41):
jeans and blue and white stripe buttoned down shirt.
Her straight gray hair hangs just above her shoulders.
And we both got on shades.
It's a sunny day in the Eastern Townships.
And each of us is bringing with us a glass of wine.
Because why not do an interview at a winery with wine?
I'm trying a white and Anne-Marie a Rose.
Why is this area so good for growing the grapes to make this good wine?
(05:05):
Well, the thing is here, it's a bit warmer.
We have a lake right in front of us, the Brome Lake.
Brome Lake is very shallow.
So in the spring, all the heat from the lake stays in the valley here.
So it's warmer.
And the soil is also perfect.
The soil is from the Champlain Lake.
(05:26):
And when it retired, it left a lot of really good things for the soil.
So it grows easily, but it's also very sandy and the roots have to go very deep to find
their nutrients.
And so it's very good for growing grapes.
The industry and Quebec, the wine industry evolved really, really quickly.
(05:50):
And now here we're growing 12 different types of vines.
But in total, in Quebec, we are growing 84 different types of vines.
People are experimenting and more and more we're finding vines that grow more easily here
in the Northern climate.
Yeah, it's nice to come up to this property
(06:11):
because people look so relaxed.
Obviously, we're drinking this great wine in this beautiful setting.
It kind of helps, but it seems like a place to really slow down, which I appreciate being
in a city a lot.
Yeah.
Well, that's what we tell our visitors.
Just relax here.
The time stops here, you know, because you just look at the view.
You can see so far.
You can see far from the mountains here are the last one from the Appalachian.
(06:35):
And it's just beautiful, which is just, I mean, this is beautiful.
Thank you.
It reminds me a little bit of like, I've got a Finger Lakes.
I've got a Great Britain vibe, lake district happening here.
Yeah, you're right there.
I didn't think of that, but you're right.
Yeah.
And this area is where most of the wineries are in Quebec.
We have a route, a wine route, and you can visit, I think, 22 or 23 different wineries around
(06:58):
here.
Well, I'm doing my own Poutine route.
So I guess I'm adding wine into it now.
I'm sure there's a nice accord to do with that.
There's so many different proteins and so many different wines in Quebec.
Yeah, but it's good here.
It's good here.
Cheers.
From lakes, farms, and vineyards to rolling woodland, next I'm trying an innovative experience
(07:21):
with a company called Velovolant, located near Sutton.
So I've tried a lot of adventure experiences, but this is definitely a new one.
I'm going to be biking through the tree top.
There's one in Mexico, there's one in Florida, and then we are the tallest one in the
world.
Yes.
Love those big numbers, love that Guinness books stuff.
(07:43):
Let's do it.
Have you ever seen a recumbent bicycle?
These keep you lower to the ground as you pedal.
So I'm actually in a recumbent bicycle that is attached to a high performance cable.
So as I pedal away from start of the circuit, I'm heading deeper into the forest and high
up too, up in the forest canopy.
(08:03):
This is actually a really cool way to enjoy the forest.
We're so used to seeing the forest from the ground up, and then when we go up in the air,
we're used to ziplines where we go fast, we scream, we close our eyes, and then it's over.
Whereas this, you really have the time to really appreciate the forest from the top down.
Yeah.
I like it.
And that was just the warm up.
(08:25):
See what happens when a zipline meets a roller coaster.
I'm now heading to Mount Sutton, a winter ski area that in the summer, welcomes
travelers for all sorts of outdoor adventures, including flying through the tree tops
on a zipline coaster.
I've got on a helmet for this adventure, and I'm now seated in a harness.
I've hiked up trails at the ski mountain to reach the start of the zipline coaster course.
(08:49):
And already I've seen a few people screaming as they flew by me on the coaster.
In my harness, I'm attached to another high performance cable.
So if you can imagine holding on like you would for ziplining, but seated in a chair,
that's my setup.
Perfect.
Oh my god.
I'm so scared.
Whoa, I feel like I'm gonna hit these trees.
(09:11):
And for this next part, you're just gonna have to listen to me squeal and scream to understand
just how much fun this truly is.
I don't get scared easily.
I've gone swimming with sharks in Dubai, jumped off a building in Macao China to do the world's
highest commercial bungee, and I'll tell you, this zipline coaster, it's a lot of fun.
So, I'm hiking up the mountain three times people
(09:31):
for the love of making sure this experience is filmed properly.
But it will throw you around a bit.
I did it a few times, and I'd do it again.
So if you want to drink wine and eat those coutines, sit by a beautiful lake or perhaps
stroll through vineyards, or you're a thrill-seeker who wants to fly through the treetops in multiple ways,
Take a walk into the wilds of the Eastern Townships for adventure, fabulous food, and fun.
(09:56):
I'm Darley Newman, and I love to have new adventures and share them through my long-running
Travels with Darley TV show on PBS and Streaming, and now this podcast.
So if you'd like to travel or just want to hear about cool things, please subscribe and
find me on other platforms too.
Quaint, New England vibes with a French Canadian twist,
(00:04):
Quebec's Eastern Townships are a stunning area of lakes, vineyards, mountains and villages,
just an hour's drive from Montreal, and sharing a border with Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
We're diving into the Eastern Townships for adventure, food and fun,
staying at a luxury property that inspired a famous mystery novelist,
whizzing through the treetops on a wild zipline roller coaster,
(00:26):
wine tasting, trying treetop cycling,
and more, on this episode of the "Travels with Darley" Podcast in Quebec.
We're starting our adventures in Quebec's Eastern Townships in North Hadley,
a charming small town where century old homes mix with art galleries and antique stores.
(00:50):
I'm here to explore Manoir Hovey, a luxurious small inn located on the shores of a large lake.
We're close to the border of Vermont here in North Hadley,
and the area feels to me like a mixture of England's lake district and New York's Finger Lakes.
Known for its beauty, wineries, and outdoor adventure opportunities,
this part of Quebec was settled by Americans, British loyalists, Irish, Scots, and more during the 18th century.
(01:16):
Manoir Hovey property is stunning.
A sprawling, white clapboard country inn is set amid beautiful gardens.
There's a lush green lawn dotted with Adirondak chairs,
and a big outdoor porch where dining al fresco means views of tall trees and the peaceful lake.
I'm sitting down to have an iced tea and soak in lake vibes in those green Adirondak chairs with Jason Stafford,
(01:41):
a third-generation hotelier who has a lot of family history along the lake.
He's sharing what has drawn guests to this part of Canada throughout history,
including more recently the Clintons and mystery novelist Louise Penny.
And you got to grow up here?
I did. I'm a third-generation hotelier.
(02:02):
My grandfather started another property at the opposite end of Lake Massawippi,
so there's sort of a lot of history of our family on the lake here.
I love all these beautiful colorful flowers, the Black Eyed Susans,
and it just really makes the view over the lake here pop.
Yeah, there's a place a lot of emphasis on the gardens at Manoir Hovey,
(02:22):
it was something that my mother was very passionate about.
So the English gardens have always been a key feature of the property in front of the Manoir building.
Louise Penny, the famous author, has also stayed here and written many books from this location.
Exactly. Louise Penny is a great friend and loyal guest of Manoir Hovey for over 30 years,
and then she based one of her award-winning books called "A Rule Against Murder" on the property.
(02:45):
Her books are translated into multiple languages and we have guests from around the world at any given time
to retrace the steps of what inspired Louise Penny in her books.
It's not just the beautiful setting that invites travelers to visit Manoir Hovey and the Eastern Townships,
but also the cuisine, influenced by area of products and land.
The restaurant onsite serves up locally sourced dishes, including poutine.
(03:10):
Poutine is a popular dish in Quebec, consisting of french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy.
The poutine I'm trying at Manoir Hovey's restaurant is made with ingredients that are very local.
This one is different because it is created with a birch syrup.
We're surrounded by birch trees on this property.
The cheese curds are also local.
(03:31):
I've got my local IPA and the jar of s'mores for dessert.
I thought the birch syrup would make it sweet, but not at all.
It tastes kind of caramelized or a little bit like molasses.
The cheese curds are super tasty.
This is definitely a poutine winner.
We will lower the second wire here and we'll put a geotextile to create a tent.
(03:54):
I love supporting female entrepreneurs on my travels and I also love good wine.
So when I heard about the Leon Courville Vineyard and female winemaker Anne-Marie Lemire,
I had to stop by.
This vineyard is open to the public and it's about a 45 minute drive west of Manoir Hovey,
making for a fun excursion into a more rural part of the Eastern Townships.
(04:18):
I read this as a century old sugar shop.
Yeah, exactly.
That's how we started.
We were making maple syrup.
That was the first product that we were making.
We still do it.
And it also allows us to keep our employees on a full time basis.
And the winter after we finish making some of the wines, they go in the forest and work
on the sap.
I'm taking a walk through the vineyards with Anne-Marie, who looks smart in her white
(04:41):
jeans and blue and white stripe buttoned down shirt.
Her straight gray hair hangs just above her shoulders.
And we both got on shades.
It's a sunny day in the Eastern Townships.
And each of us is bringing with us a glass of wine.
Because why not do an interview at a winery with wine?
I'm trying a white and Anne-Marie a Rose.
Why is this area so good for growing the grapes to make this good wine?
(05:05):
Well, the thing is here, it's a bit warmer.
We have a lake right in front of us, the Brome Lake.
Brome Lake is very shallow.
So in the spring, all the heat from the lake stays in the valley here.
So it's warmer.
And the soil is also perfect.
The soil is from the Champlain Lake.
(05:26):
And when it retired, it left a lot of really good things for the soil.
So it grows easily, but it's also very sandy and the roots have to go very deep to find
their nutrients.
And so it's very good for growing grapes.
The industry and Quebec, the wine industry evolved really, really quickly.
(05:50):
And now here we're growing 12 different types of vines.
But in total, in Quebec, we are growing 84 different types of vines.
People are experimenting and more and more we're finding vines that grow more easily here
in the Northern climate.
Yeah, it's nice to come up to this property
(06:11):
because people look so relaxed.
Obviously, we're drinking this great wine in this beautiful setting.
It kind of helps, but it seems like a place to really slow down, which I appreciate being
in a city a lot.
Yeah.
Well, that's what we tell our visitors.
Just relax here.
The time stops here, you know, because you just look at the view.
You can see so far.
You can see far from the mountains here are the last one from the Appalachian.
(06:35):
And it's just beautiful, which is just, I mean, this is beautiful.
Thank you.
It reminds me a little bit of like, I've got a Finger Lakes.
I've got a Great Britain vibe, lake district happening here.
Yeah, you're right there.
I didn't think of that, but you're right.
Yeah.
And this area is where most of the wineries are in Quebec.
We have a route, a wine route, and you can visit, I think, 22 or 23 different wineries around
(06:58):
here.
Well, I'm doing my own Poutine route.
So I guess I'm adding wine into it now.
I'm sure there's a nice accord to do with that.
There's so many different proteins and so many different wines in Quebec.
Yeah, but it's good here.
It's good here.
Cheers.
From lakes, farms, and vineyards to rolling woodland, next I'm trying an innovative experience
(07:21):
with a company called Velovolant, located near Sutton.
So I've tried a lot of adventure experiences, but this is definitely a new one.
I'm going to be biking through the tree top.
There's one in Mexico, there's one in Florida, and then we are the tallest one in the
world.
Yes.
Love those big numbers, love that Guinness books stuff.
(07:43):
Let's do it.
Have you ever seen a recumbent bicycle?
These keep you lower to the ground as you pedal.
So I'm actually in a recumbent bicycle that is attached to a high performance cable.
So as I pedal away from start of the circuit, I'm heading deeper into the forest and high
up too, up in the forest canopy.
(08:03):
This is actually a really cool way to enjoy the forest.
We're so used to seeing the forest from the ground up, and then when we go up in the air,
we're used to ziplines where we go fast, we scream, we close our eyes, and then it's over.
Whereas this, you really have the time to really appreciate the forest from the top down.
Yeah.
I like it.
And that was just the warm up.
(08:25):
See what happens when a zipline meets a roller coaster.
I'm now heading to Mount Sutton, a winter ski area that in the summer, welcomes
travelers for all sorts of outdoor adventures, including flying through the tree tops
on a zipline coaster.
I've got on a helmet for this adventure, and I'm now seated in a harness.
I've hiked up trails at the ski mountain to reach the start of the zipline coaster course.
(08:49):
And already I've seen a few people screaming as they flew by me on the coaster.
In my harness, I'm attached to another high performance cable.
So if you can imagine holding on like you would for ziplining, but seated in a chair,
that's my setup.
Perfect.
Oh my god.
I'm so scared.
Whoa, I feel like I'm gonna hit these trees.
(09:11):
And for this next part, you're just gonna have to listen to me squeal and scream to understand
just how much fun this truly is.
I don't get scared easily.
I've gone swimming with sharks in Dubai, jumped off a building in Macao China to do the world's
highest commercial bungee, and I'll tell you, this zipline coaster, it's a lot of fun.
So, I'm hiking up the mountain three times people
(09:31):
for the love of making sure this experience is filmed properly.
But it will throw you around a bit.
I did it a few times, and I'd do it again.
So if you want to drink wine and eat those coutines, sit by a beautiful lake or perhaps
stroll through vineyards, or you're a thrill-seeker who wants to fly through the treetops in multiple ways,
Take a walk into the wilds of the Eastern Townships for adventure, fabulous food, and fun.
(09:56):
I'm Darley Newman, and I love to have new adventures and share them through my long-running
Travels with Darley TV show on PBS and Streaming, and now this podcast.
So if you'd like to travel or just want to hear about cool things, please subscribe and
find me on other platforms too.
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