It’s one of those Quebec villages that’s a bit like a Proust madeleine from the summers of our childhood – complete with soft creams, the semi-fairy atmosphere of the boreal forest, summer camps and leeches in the lake.
For an injection of nostalgia or, for those who didn’t grow up here, a visit to one of the region’s quintessential villages and an afternoon on the lake’s sandy beach, we recommend a trip to Sainte-Élie-de-Caxton .
It’s a 2-hour drive from Montreal, and you’ll need your bikini, sunscreen and a big hat for a day trip (or an extra tent for camping in the area)…
Sainte-Élie de Caxton: the end of the world
Sainte-Élie de Caxton (until 2005, it was simply “Sainte-Élie”) is a municipality of less than 2,000 inhabitants located at the foot of the Laurentian mountains. To get there, you follow the river north, stopping just before you reach Shawinigan. The municipality is opposite Trois-Rivières, which is on the other side of the river, on the south shore.
The village is in the Mauricie region, in the county of Maniskongé.
It’s a municipality with many lakes, large and small – the biggest being Lac des Souris and Lac Goulet.
The small, colorful wooden houses are extremely Instagrammable, and many are summer cottages, used by families who come here with the kids when the weather’s nice to swim in the lakes and spend time in the green fields and forest. One of the municipality’s roads is called “le chemin du bout du monde”, and when you’re in Sainte-Élie, you feel a bit…
Fred Pellerin and the Sainte-Élie elves
The village has a fairytale air about it – more so than other villages in the area, more so than other small towns in Quebec with seasonal cottages.
And that’s because it’s the birthplace of Fred Pellerin, an iconic Quebec storyteller, folk singer and screenwriter – who blended his grandmother’s stories with magical small-town-life realism.
He wrote books, songs and tales populated with characters and the rumors, stories and daily life of Sainte-Élie de Caxton. We used to read his storybooks without really understanding them in the summer, under the tent, when we were children.
On Sainte-Élie de Caxton, he wrote in L’Arracheuse de Temps, ” Saint-Élie-de-Caxton is a land of legends. A heritage built on this supernatural resource that nourishes the jasage industry and the windmills. A composting path where the past makes fertilizer for stories to come. “
His latest tale, on tour and available to listen to in audio (we recommend listening on the road between Montreal and Saint-Élie)…
To honor its resident storyteller, the municipality has added elves to its signage, giving the village an air of legend.
Eat, sleep and stroll…
Sleep
It’s summertime, and to experience Quebec’s magical summer in Sainte-Élie de Caxton, we recommend sleeping as much as possible outdoors . Whether it’s in a tent or a “ready-to-camp” cottage, we’re going to Mel and Nico’s for a coffee, where you can spend the night in a yurt or a tree house…
Where? 340 rue Saint-Louis, Sainte-Élie de Caxton
Website? www.chezmeletnico.com
Eating
For lunch (or dinner, or supper) we go to Lutin Marmiton, a restaurant-boutique-caterer where they cook with local forest products… If we eat a mushroom, we’ll grow up like Alice in Wonderland?
Where? 2410 Avenue Principale, Sainte-Élie de Caxton
Website? www.lutinmarmiton.com
Out and about
For swimming, kayaking, canoeing or paddleboarding, head to the Floribell tourist resort on Lac Bell… You can also camp there!
Where? 391 chemin du lac Bell, Sainte-Élie de Caxton
Website? www.floribell.com
Enjoy your visit to the elves of Sainte-Élie de Caxton!