cmcfong

I have recently read an article about Le P'tit Train du Nord in Quebec. It sounds wonderful. Has anyone done the trail by bike? Did you use a service to porter your luggage from inn to inn or go with a group? Did you stay in an inn which you would recommend? Did you find any particularly good restaurants in the area?
Thank you.

cmcfong

Anyone?

bmacdon

Hello cmcfong. My husband and I did this trip in late Sept 2004 and yes, it was wonderful! We were dropped off at the northernmost end of the trail, Mont Laurier, by my brother and we spent the next 5 days and 4 nights making our way along the 200 km route down to the south end at Saint-Jerome. We organized our trip through this company http://www.aubergesinns.ca/packages.html
The owners of this company were incredibly accomadating and went out of there way to make sure every detail of our trip was perfect as we made several changes to their proposed itinerary.

We enjoyed the timing of this package as it allowed us to slow down and smell the roses and stop off at interesting little towns along the way.

The fall colors were well under way which was why we chose late September as my husband had never seen them before.

The B & B's and hosts were all amazing (although the Old Railway Station at Labelle was not as luxurious as the other private homes we stayed at)and the food was outstanding.

We rented hybrid bikes from a large sporting goods store in Mont-Laurier and they were just fine for the conditions of the trail.

If you would like further information regarding other particulars (such as restaurants we stopped at for lunch), I would be happy to supply those.

cmcfong

Thank you so much, bmacdon. It sounds absolutely perfect for us. I love Montreal and thought a few days there to celebrate my big OH birthday and then a few days on the trail would be great fun. I appreciate the links and your review. I would like the restaurant reccos, too, please. Food is a big part of the experience. Again, thank you for taking the time to post your reply, it is very helpful.

bmacdon

You are very welcome. I am excited for you and hope you will enjoy it as much as we did. The addition of Montreal is a great idea and should make for a wonderful vacation.

I will get that restaurant info to you on the weekend as I am on my way out to work now.

cmcfong

Sounds perfect, thank you for taking the time to post. I look forward to your recommendations.

bmacdon

Hi again cmcfong. I went back through my Visa statements and found two of the restaurants we stopped at for lunch; Lorraine Rest Familial in the village of Mont-Tremblant; and Cafe Des Artisans In Prevost. Our dinners and breakfasts were all at our B&B's and were all excellent. Basically, it didn't matter where we stopped for our snack or beverage breaks; it was all good. I, like you, consider food to be a very big part of any vacation! It really seemed to be hard to go wrong anywhere (although we did usually ask local people for recommendations). Hope this helps.

cmcfong

bmacdon, you have been so helpful. I do appreciate it. It sounds like the perfect trip for us (all flat roads, good food, wine...how far wrong could it be?)