The Village of North Hatley in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada

I arrived in North Hatley late in the afternoon. It is my last stop for my Eastern Canada road trip. I am staying here for the evening and the next day I will be back in Montreal in the afternoon for my late lunch with Pat and her family, before flying back to Amsterdam in the evening.

North Hatley is a charming little gem in the Eastern Townships (Cantons-de-l'Est in the Estrie region) situated at the northernmost shore line of Lake Massawippi. Many day road trippers stop here for a break and take a stroll on the lake banks and on the charming wooden pier with a pagoda adorned with flowers.

The charm of this village is unmistakable. The lake, the pier landmark and the stunning Victorian-style aristocratic houses dotting the lakeside town is the reason why North Hatley has been called the ‘Jewel of the Townships’. Only 700 something people live here.

The village would be a perfect setting for a movie. I read that one of the scenes of the X-Files series was filmed here. Because it is a very small village, a weekend overnight stay is enough in my opinion, unless of course you plan to visit other villages and make use of North Hatley as your home base.

My road trip looked like this: Montreal >> Ottawa + Russel >> Montreal >> Quebec City + Montmorency + Ile d'Orleans >> Danville + North Hatley + Magog + St. Benoit du Lac >> Montreal.

Here is the Quebec City to North Hatley via Danville route:

From Quebec City, I stopped at Danville for a cup of coffee. I am flying out in Montreal the next day in the evening. 

After checking in to my Bed & Breakfast accommodation in a lovely traditional Victorian house, I wandered on foot to survey the village. It will be dinner in a couple of hours and I need to know where to eat.

Earlier in the trip, I read online of a chic restaurant at the Manoir Harvey located in the outskirts of the village. The downside is I need to take the car to get there and I am too lazy to drive. So I made the decision to just eat somewhere in the village, somewhere near the B&B I stayed. I saw a few restaurants and a pub and wondered which I should choose for the night.

Everyone who visits North Hatley walks on the wooden pier and I am not an exception. I succumbed. It was here that I met a very friendly local man. He was fishing when I walk past by and we somehow managed to struck up a conversation. I found out later that fishing is his regular late afternoon activity. He lives just a block away and knew everybody in the village. He told me I am in good hands with the B&B I chose and added that the owner is some kind of a master fisherman who won many local fishing tournaments.

I found out that he has a family; a wife and daughters who live in the city—I think it was Montreal and they often come here for the weekends with him. He prefers the quiet and relaxed countryside so he is usually here in North Hatley. I had the feeling that the man is retired, quite early for his age I guess, but if you can, why not?

As I need to know where to eat for the evening, I grabbed the opportunity to ask him for a recommendation. He seems to have a picky palate. He said that there are a few restaurants open in the area but they aren’t that great, however, he voted the white house on the corner of the road—Café du Lac, as the best choice.

‘They have much better food than the Pilsen Pub Restaurant across the pier.’ He added.

Alright, I got that.

As dusk began to set down the horizon, we thanked each other for the time and bid our goodbyes. I thought I could take a walk further down the waterfront before checking out Café du Lac. I could definitely use some more fresh air and lovely scenery before hitting the dinner table.

This is a boat, canoe and paddle rental.

Victorian-style wooden houses. The yellow one is my B&B located right in front of the pier and lake. I will post pictures of the B&B another time.

All of the houses here in North Hatley are Victorian architecture inspired.

The man that I met and had a nice chat with.

This is the main street of North Hatley where you can see a few stores and the Pilsen Pub restaurant.

The North Hatley wooden pier is a local landmark.

You can see the yellow B&B across that I am staying for the night here.

North Hatley at the tip of Lake Massawippi.

It is very serene and peaceful here. I really enjoyed my walk on this late afternoon.

One can easily walk along the lake banks here in North Hatley. Or relax and while away time at one of the benches.

The local cafe where road trippers can stop for a cup of coffee and internet.

There were very few people walking around the village. It must be busier here in the summer.

The local general merchandise store.

The cashier at the general merchandise store said that these were real pumpkins (and corn). They lacquered them up to make them pretty.

Travel Period: October 2015
Destination: North Hatley, Eastern Township (Quebec), Canada

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