Sat. 10th October ’26
That is the question. From Percé we could catch a boat to Bonaventure Island and spend the morning there walking and photographing any gannets which are still there. The first boat is at 9am and as we do not wake until 8am the decision makes itself, especially as the wind is blowing. Whilst taking photos of gannets is tempting, there is plenty we could do instead as the enthusiastic lady in the Tourist office told us yesterday. From our bedroom window we can see the glass bottomed viewing platform way above us, so that is our destination this morning instead.
AllTrails and walking feet at the ready we head off to the Geopark Information Centre, the start of the trail. We walk past the deserted shuttle bus stop and assume it has ended for the season. The trail climbs steadily through the trees providing tantalising glimpses of the view we can expect from the viewpoint. Compared to some of our walks this trip, this is an easy one.
We go swiftly past the zip line tower, closed for the season. Phew! When we arrive at the viewing platform we have the place to ourselves and take time to appreciate the amazing view. We see the 11am boat trip has braved the winds and is making it’s way to the island, but we have no regrets of our decision not to go to the island. Shoes off to walk on the glass floor and with some trepidation, I tread on the glass panels. Head knowing it is quite safe, but heart not so sure. We hear a vehicle pull up, so the shuttle is still working and a mass of people join us on the platform so we hastily move on.
From here there is an intriguingly named walk called Boucle de la Forêt Magique. Sounds like our sort of thing, so off we head and it lives up to its name of a magic forest. It reminds us of the Big Tree walk we did way back on Vancouver Island but this is on a much smaller scale. The short loop trail takes us past a “bottomless” cave system strictly for qualified cavers only. Also more stunning viewpoints of this little peninsula in the Gulf of Lawrence and of Roland’s Table / Mont St Ann above us. All too soon the loop is done and we head back to town.
After (yet) another quirky Dave lunch stop in a bookshop, we are ready for the Historical walking tour of Percé. The town is much smaller than Gaspé and has much more of a tourist feel about it. The railway went from Montreal to Gaspé in the 1900’s which made the whole of this coast a popular holiday destination at that time and remnants of that era remain. Like most of Canada the oldest buildings are from the early 19th Century so the historic walk points out houses from this time from early hotels to homes of important business men.
One man who had a big impact on the town was Charles Robin from Jersey who set sail to Canada in the hope of setting up a profitable fishing business. Salted cod was a popular way of preserving fish and so at the age of 23 he began what became a thriving company. The legacy of Charles Robin can be seen on the tour, including his house and the buildings used store the salt and dried cod. He also discouraged schooling of children, as he did not consider it useful when they could be employed in his business instead.
Enough history, time for black lukewarm tea and muffins. Kettles are not a thing in hotels here, but we have learnt how to use a coffee machine to get hot water! Oh for a lovely cup of proper tea from a proper teapot. At least there is a thriving craft beer scene in Canada and wine making so some of our liquid intake is correctly taken care of.