Rigaud to Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, Quebec – 7 June 2023
From Montreal we continued East to Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley in Quebec. This village provides panoramic views of Mount Orford, the Katevale marsh, and Lake Magog. Our campsite, Camping Hatley, was right on the Lake.
Lake Magog is bordered by three municipalities: Sherbrooke, Magog and Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley and sits at the base of Mount Assiniboine.
Four hydroelectric dams were built near Lake Magog. Their role is to generate electricity and control the level of water. Magog Lake is a reservoir resulting from these dams. It’s was a very pretty lake filled with yellow water lilies and looked a bit like a Claude Monet painting. The Lake is very popular for boating and fishing with many permanent camping sites set up around the edge.
The campsite had a number of Canada Geese with young babies. We saw at least three families. What a nice life for them. Not only do they have Lake Magog to swim in but also an artificial lake in the middle of the campground.
The following day we took a drive to Sherbrooke hoping to see their famous murals. The murals are truly giant works of art taking up the entire side of buildings. Weather was still a bit rainy so we didn’t see all of them but what we did see was certainly impressive. Sherbrooke stands at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers and has its own hydroelectric plant. It originated as a fur trading post and later served as a grist milling centre for loyalist farmers. In 1818 it was named after Sir John Sherbrooke, governor general of Canada. It has become an industrial, cultural and administrative center as well as a regional transportation hub. It is also a very popular tourist destination because of its hilly terrain and numerous lakes.
