Coaticook in Eastern Townships: Ottawa Getaway Trip

On Monday I decided to take my mother and niece on a surprise Ottawa getaway trip for just us girls!

The hints were that we were on an Ottawa getaway that involved something beautiful, something adventurous, and something magical…to which my 5 year old niece responded; “is it a unicorn?”

Solid guess.

So it begun, our mini adventure, much to my 5 year old niece’s delight and my mother’s curiosity.

Our destination was the town of Coaticook in the Eastern Townships of Quebec.  From Ottawa the drive was incredibly easy and hassle free.  It was as easy as taking the 417 east, 40 east, 30 east, then the 10 south.  There were thankfully plenty of food and gas stops along hwy 10 south.

We roomed at the luxurious Fiddlecove Lakefront Hotel & Spa, where the clean rooms were furnished with beautiful antiques, the staff were incredibly helpful, and the view of the lake at the back was stunning.

Something beautiful…

Our first stop was Bleu Lavande! An incredible lavender farm with fields upon fields on lavender rows, cafe, children labyrinth, play area, and gift shop.

Something adventurous…

Since we still had something magical booked for that evening, we decided to put off something adventurous until the next day.  The adventure part was going to be hiking the gorgeous Mt Pinnacle.  Its a 2181 ft summit and considered an intermediate 7.9 km hike.

Something magical…

The enticing ‘circle du soleil‘ type magic of Foresta Lumina immediate caught my eye, and we bought  tickets for the evening show.

It’s like entering a story book, where the forest is supplemented with light and sound shows to create an incredibly magical adventure.

Little did I realize how scary the first part was actually going to be! Much too intimidating and haunted for a 5 year little lady (and many other parent there with kids thought the same). Thankfully the last part was full of fairy lights and a talking tree that she loved.

Since it uses the Park de la Gorge de Coaticook as a backdrop and during the night time, this adventure isn’t well suited for anyone with mobility issues…or a fear of height at we crossed a 169 m (554 ft.) long suspension bridge that sits 50 m (164 ft.) above the gorge. It is the longest suspension foot bridge in the world!

Something unexpected happen on our girls trip, it turns out that my little niece is extremely allergic to lavender! Hives quickly spread head to toe on the little lady.

This called for benedryl, cold compresses, and a swift drive home so that her da-dee (as she would adorably pronounce it) could bring her to the doctors.

Thankfully she’s a trooper and finally starting to feel better.  🙂 Apparently lavender allergies are common!

Now I’m looking forward to my niece feeling better and planning our mountain climbing adventure together.  Because the mountains await darlings…