Outaouais

Heading north west from Prévost and up towards Mont Blanc via some old rail road tracks repurposed after the trains that used to take first coal/timber, then decades later workers and tourists up to the ski slopes, were scrapped in the 50s when road, and road travel overtook in popularity.

The Route de Vert offers some beautiful scenery, great paved paths and old converted station houses, which is where I found myself yesterday evening, in Labelle.

The original plan was to head to a nearby WS host, Sylvain, but he messaged me to dissuade me due to the necessary diversion from the track and instead told me about this station and its free: camping, water, showers, toilet. Made even more perfect by a great restaurant and nearby supermarket. Wunderbar. Plus he said he'd come down for a chat. Nice.

It was great to have some company after a long and very quiet day - I get the opinion not many people travel so far north, and instead scoot straight across to Ottawa, well, that is apart from the power-assisted-cycling retirees which zoom past me now and again all wrapped up in winter-like gear despite the 25° temps.

Sylvain even brought a bottle and two glasses, so we enjoyed the setting sun and talked about the usual: bears, bike, routes, mosquitos, Nigel Farage and King Charles.

Lovely night.

I wishfully thought I might be able to replicate it tonight, here at Mont Laurier, but despite seeing free camping and showers on the map this morning, it's not to be. The old station house is boarded up. A few old drunks have taken up residence in the park benches, coughing and shouting at each other. The water refill post doesn't work and I find myself tucked away on a small patch of grass behind a church, hoping no one sees me, or minds me setting up camp here. I'd like to think this was a little Bear Grylls....but really I'm just turning into a tramp.

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