Ferry, Bus, Plane or Cruise to the Magdalen Islands

[NS VIA Fan]

[SIZE=11pt]Warning....the only trains here are the C.T.M.A.'s former train ferry ‘Voyageur’ ....and the closest VIA gets is the Ocean to Moncton NB: [/SIZE]

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[SIZE=11pt]....but if you’re one of the Ferry and Bus enthusiasts here....read on! [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]J[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]I’ve always thought of Islands as neat places to visit....especially if you have to take a ferry to get there and all the better if it’s two ferries each way![/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]And for me......close to home is the Magdalen Islands....or Iles de la Madeleine. An archipelago of six main islands linked by dunes and sand bars....stretching 80 km in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The islands are a part of Quebec but the inhabitants are mostly Acadian (same ancestry as Louisiana’s Cajuns)......and the culture, food and scenery make for a great trip![/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]http://www.tourismeilesdelamadeleine.com/en/[/SIZE]

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[SIZE=11pt]http://tinyurl.com/MagdalenIslandsMaphttp://tinyurl.com/MagdalenIslandsMap[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Here’s a shot of the islands reflecting in the morning sun I took from an Air Canada flight last year.[/SIZE]

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[SIZE=11pt]So a week ago I left home for the 55 minute drive to Caribou NS where I caught Northumberland Ferries ‘Holiday Island’ over to Prince Edward Island. This is a former CNR Ferry that was transferred here when the Confederation Bridge opened in 1997. [/SIZE]

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[SIZE=11pt]After the 75 minute crossing ....I had another 55 minute drive to Souris PEI (sounds like Surry) for the C.T.M.A. (Cooperative de Transports Maritime et Aerien) Ferry over to the Magdalens. The ‘Madeleine’ was originally built in Ireland in 1981 for the Dublin<>Liverpool run and had a couple of operators and name changes before coming to C.T.M.A. in 1997. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]http://www.traversierctma.ca/en/[/SIZE]

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[NS VIA Fan]

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[SIZE=11pt]The 5 hour afternoon crossing was a bit wet and foggy...... [/SIZE]

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[NS VIA Fan]

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[SIZE=11pt].....but giving way to sun the next morning for a couple of days touring the islands. The main road.... Quebec Hwy #199 leads to some great scenery and white sandy beaches where the water temperatures in late August reach the 70s.....especially in the lagoons along the dunes and sandbars. [/SIZE]

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[NS VIA Fan]

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[NS VIA Fan]

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[SIZE=11pt]Here’s the ‘Gare Maritime’ in Cap aux Meules (Grindstone Harbour) and the C.T.M.A.’s freight ferry ‘Voyageur’ . It was originally built in Norway in 1971 as a train ferry. The Madeleine can be seen approaching the harbour with Ile d’Entree in the background [/SIZE]

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[NS VIA Fan]

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[SIZE=11pt]Saturday evening it was time to head home on the 8pm crossing......docking in Souris PEI at 1am. I then drove down to the Caribou ferry....threw the sleeping bag in the back seat and waited for the first crossing a 6:30am. ......arriving home at 9 on Sunday morning. [/SIZE]

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[NS VIA Fan]

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[SIZE=11pt]And there are other options for travelling to the Magdalens. The Island bus company, Les Sillons has a route thru PEI and New Brunswick to Quebec City.....with the bus doing some advertising along the way...[/SIZE]

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[NS VIA Fan]

[SIZE=11pt]Air Canada flies to the Islands from Montreal, Quebec City and Gaspe.[/SIZE]

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[SIZE=11pt]During the summer C.T.M.A. also operates a cruise ferry, the ‘Vacancier’.....taking 2 days to reach the Islands from Montreal. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]http://www.croisieresctma.ca/en/[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]The Vacancier wasn’t in port when I was there but here’s a shot I took last March when it replaced the Madeliene due to heavy ice in the Gulf.....and a link to a post I made here about those winter crossings.....and quite a contrast to my shorts and teeshirt on deck heading back over to PEI last Saturday evening! [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/56250-ferries-ferries-and-still-more-ferries/page-8?hl=vacancier&do=findComment&comment=587675[/SIZE]

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[gaspeamtrak]

It's to bad the ship doesn't go into "Gaspe" instead of "Chandler" as is a lot bigger than Chandler. Do you have any idea why NS Via Fan? The Gaspe harbour is one of the best "natural" harbours on the "east coast"...Very interesting story!!! To bad my parents are to old, they would have loved have gone on this trip!!! Thanks

 

[Chey]

NS Via Fan, I loved the pictures, thanks for sharing them! One of these days I'm going to make it to Baddeck to see some people I love...

 

[Bob Dylan]

Thanks,as usual, for sharing your great pics and info about travel in the Great White North! ( your old Amtrak stuff is great too!)

This is truely "Bucket List" stuff!

 

[HP_Lovecraft]

I've flown to europe many times over the years (boston to wherever), and I've always spotted the Magdalen Islands. It seems counterintuitive when looking at a flat map, but looking at a globe and its right in the middle of the flightpath.

Its the only bit of interesting scenery for the entire flight! It was nice to see what they finally look like up close.

 

[greatcats]

Thanks for your report. Whenever I make another road trip east I just might include these islands. I love to study road maps and have taken note of these for years.