BY BARBARA RAMSAY ORR

 

ILE D'ORLÉANS, Que. -- There is an appealing sense of disconnection when you visit this island in the St. Lawrence River.

Only 30 kilometres from the bustling centre of Quebec City, Ile d'Orléans seems a world away. Both its long history and many years of isolation from the mainland have allowed it to preserve a timeless rural beauty.

 

Until 1940, the island was accessible only by ferry in the summer and by ice bridges in the winter. The completion of the Pont de l'ile -- the Bridge of the Island -- made access easier, but the island's little communities have remained largely rural and picturesquely Québécois in style.

 

There are over 600 historically important buildings on the island, and strict controls have ensured that even new buildings adhere to the original character.

 

The Chemin Royal, the 68-kilometre "Royal Road" that circles the island, takes visitors through the six distinctly different villages, presenting glimpses around each turn of the sinuous curves of the St. Lawrence River.

 

Completed in 1744, the chemin was immortalized as "42 miles of quiet things" in the lyrics of the well-known Quebec poet and chanson, Felix LeClerc, who moved to the island to find a peaceful place to work, and who is buried in a small cemetery there.

 

The chemin travels past traditional Norman-style homes, one of the oldest golfcourses in North America -- Club de Golf Orléans, founded in 1868 -- and one of the oldest rural churches in Canada, the St-Pierre church, which dates to 1717.

 

The landscape and the particular quality of the light on the island have made it a mecca for artists, over 60 of whom, from sculptors to painters to blacksmiths, maintain studios and galleries here.

 

Good food is another key feature of Ile d'Orléans. Known as the "garden of Quebec," it is the supplier of fresh produce, meat and fish to many of the celebrated restaurants on the mainland. Chef Marie-Chantal Lepage of Château Bonne Entente in Quebec City uses the fresh baby greens and miniature vegetables from the island's producers for her lobster salad, and uses Ile d'Orléans maple syrup for the vinaigrette on her grilled sesame tuna.

 

One company on Ile d'Orléans, Cassis de l'Isle Ensorceleuse Monna et Filles, specializes in products made from black currants. It produces an excellent black currant wine, as well as black currant mustard, black currant jelly and olives marinated in vin de cassis. The patio restaurant serves traditional dishes, many with a soupçon of something with a black currant flavour. Try the steak and frites, with a sauce au vin de cassis. Views from the patio of green fields leading down to the river are spectacular.

 

The Ferme d'Oc raises ducks and geese to make foie gras, duck conserve, confit and magret; Domaine Steinbach has an organic apple orchard and cidery; and Poissonnerie Joseph Paquet et Esther Fortin produces fresh and smoked fish.

 

There are growers of asparagus, apples and potatoes, an island fromagerie, and the Chocolaterie de L'Ile d'Orléans, which makes ice cream and various chocolate treats. The Isle de Bacchus winery is named after the original name given to the island by Jacques Cartier for the profusion of wild grapes he found there.

 

Accommodation on the island stays true to its historic character. The stately Auberge la Goeliche, the largest hotel, is a country inn with 16 rooms, all with river views, and a pretty dining room overlooking the Quai de Sainte-Petronille and the river. It has been recently renovated, but still feels as if it has been here forever. This has been, after all, an inn of choice for generations of boaters and island lovers since 1855.

 

Auberge Le Vieux Presbytère in St-Pierre is a 200-year-old stone house build in traditional French style that has eight bedrooms, many with thick stone walls, classic quilts and Quebec antiques. The rooms have names like Chez Soeur Angélique (Sister Angelique's room), La Chambre du Vicaire (the Vicar's room) and Le Novitiate (the Novice). Most, like the dining room with its many large windows, have views of the river. Owner Louise Lapointe also rents bicycles for leisurely island touring. Her eyes sparkle as she suggests that a little cycling might be necessary after a stay on the island. "We feed our guests well on the Ile d'Orléans," she explains. "A little exercise assists the appetite."

 

Le Canard Huppé, which translates roughly as The Trendy Duck, is a small inn in St-Laurent with an excellent restaurant that features game hens and pheasant raised just down the road.

 

La Maison du Vignoble, a bed and breakfast in a 300-year-old farmhouse, is located in the centre of the Isle de Bacchus winery.

For one last indulgence, stop at the little Friterie de L'Ile, just at the foot of the bridge before you leave the island. Some say it serves the best poutine in the province.

 

-- Canadian Press

Barbara Ramsay Orr is a Burlington, Ont.-based freelance writer.