The city, one step at a time

7 octobre 2009

The city also attracts walking enthusiasts, offering wide trails and beautiful lakeside promenades. Exploring a city by foot provides you with the opportunity to sense its vibrancy, discover a different perspective from a street corner, and exchange smiles with fellow walkers. There are also walking paths that lead to wonderful sites in nearby suburbs.

In the heart of our cities
Walking around Sherbrooke is great for helping us stay fit. The varying elevations along some routes are great for cardio exercise whereas other circuits provide walkers with less strenuous terrain. In the city’s downtown core, the metal pedestrian bridges found along the Magog River gorge provide visitors with a wonderful view of the powerful waterfalls, while at the Promenade du Lac-des-Nations, both walkers and cyclists enjoy the boardwalk. Heritage circuits, such as the Circuit du Vieux-Nord and the Circuit des Neuf Murales, present some of the city’s best features; they can be discovered using an MP3 player or an illustrated map. One innovation in Sherbrooke is the new BaladoDécouverte that, via cell phone, gives you access to 12 informative video clips featuring the city’s most significant heritage sites. Pleasurable outings can also be enjoyed at Beckett woods, Parc du Mont-Bellevue, the Johnville Bog and Forest Park, and the Réal-D.-Carbonneau marsh, where you’ll be welcomed by the singing of birds.

In Granby, three walking tours take us through 150 years of history, thanks to Le Flâneur curieux, an audio guide that can be borrowed from the city’s tourist bureau.

Only steps away from our cities
Near Granby are trails belonging to the Centre d’interprétation de la nature du lac Boivin where you can view the beauty of the area from wooden foot bridges that cross the marsh. According to nature lovers, it is one of the most beautiful bird-watching sites in Quebec.

With similarly exceptional landscapes, the trails at the Marais de la Rivière-aux-Cerises in Magog criss-cross a marsh where we can stroll while testing our knowledge by taking part in a rally featuring questions related to the site.