I love summer in Sutton. There is loads to see and do, including doing nothing, so to help you pick and choose here is my top ten list :

Hike on the Sutton massif. There are over 250km of trails and circuits of all types of difficulty and length. Trails are managed by a number of different organizations including PENS and Réserve naturelle des Montagnes-Vertes. Day passes are required which can be bought at the trail head, the Tourist office in the village or here at the B&B.

Visit a vineyard. Sutton is located on La Route des Vins – a signposted route linking 18 vineyards. Each has their own particular attraction but I particularly like Domaine des Côtes d’Ardoise for its beautiful outdoor sculpture exhibition, L’Orpailleur for its wine museum, Domaine Bresee (right on our doorstep) for its delicious rosé and Chapelle Ste Agnès for its breathtaking location.  During the week it is worth checking the opening hours.

Cycle the Mont Sutton circuit. With its rolling hills Sutton is not for the faint of heart but keen cyclists flock to Sutton for the challenge of the Mont Sutton circuits and the Jay Peak circuit just over the US border. La Vie Dehors in the village has good bike rentals.

Drive the Townships Trail. This sign posted route will take you through some of the Townships loveliest scenery and lead you to some of its prettiest villages. From Sutton you can follow the Trail through Mansonville to the Abbaye de Sainte-Benoît-du-Lac  where you can listen to the Gregorian chanting and buy some cheese! Afterwards continue on to Magog and return via Lac Brome (Knowlton).

Kayaking on the Missisquoi river

Kayak the calm waters of the Missisquoi River. No experience is needed to spend a day floating along this beautiful river at your own pace.  Kayak & Co as well as Au Diable Vert arrange day trips and I can help with reservations.

Relax at a Nordic spa. Spend an afternoon or evening enjoying a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi. The Spa des Chutes de Bolton is a 40 minute drive and Balnea a 30 minute drive. Alternatively we have some excellent massage therapists here in Sutton.

Pedal through the trees. If you have a head for heights the treetop aerial adventure at the brand new attraction VéloVolant  is not to be missed. Pedal a recumbent bicycle along a 1km suspended cable high in the treetops.

Shop for a picnic. In the middle of Sutton’s rue Principale, speciality store La Rumeur Affamée has a wonderful selection of local cheeses, cold cuts, breads, pies and pastries.  Alternatively Chez Matis (inside the Atelier Bouffe kitchen store) has excellent pre-prepared dishes. Wash it all down with a bottle of wine from Domaine Bresee or try Domaine Pinnacle`s ice cider. Finish with some Belgian chocolates from chocolaterie Belge Muriel.

Visit an art gallery or exhibition. Sutton has a huge number of artists. You can see their works at the galleries along, and just off, rue Principale. In July the Tour des Arts gives you a chance to visit many local artists at home in their workshops. If you like sculpture don’t miss a visit to Domaine des Cotes d’Ardoise’s summer exhibition  of sculpture in the vineyard.

Do NOTHING! Good places to do nothing include the terrasse of Le Cafetier, the rocks by the Witches Cauldron, the picnic tables at Domaine Bresee plus, of course, the verandah and pergola here at the B&B.

Not everyone is a down hill skier but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the fresh air and snow in Sutton this winter. There are all sorts of possibilities for snowshoeing and winter hiking regardless of the conditions.

50km of snowshoe trails at Parc Sutton

If the snow is good then head to pleinairsutton.coop (previously Sutton En Haut). Best known for its cross country trails, people may not know that there are also 15km of  beautiful forest trails for snowshoeing and hiking plus access to Lake Mohawk - a terrific hike if you have at least 4 hours available. Check their website for opening hours and conditions but they are normally open daily except for Mondays and Tuesdays. Located on Maple half way between the village and Mont SUTTON they have good equipment rental too.

Continue up Maple and bear left onto Real to get to Parc Sutton. This important environmentally protected zone offers around 50km of trails for hiking and snowshoeing. Their trails are primarily on the flanks of the Sutton massif i.e. you are nearly always climbing or descending so small snowshoes or crampons plus hiking poles are a really good idea.

On the other side of the mountains towards Mansonville and about 15 minutes from Sutton is Au Diable Vert. Good hiking and snowshoeing trails plus the possibility of cross country in open forest that is mainly level. Note that the final section of the access road is very steep so unless you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle you should plan on using the lower parking lot (clearly indicated) and walking the 10 minutes up to the lodge. They have snowshoes for rent. Call in advance to reserve at weekends.

Continue 20 minutes on past Au Diable Vert, turning left at Dunkin, to reach Reserve naturelle des Montagnes-Vertes. As yet little known, this beautiful area offers 3 hiking circuits of increasing length and difficulty mostly using former logging trails. Terrific for a full day out but take snacks etc as you will almost certainly be there on your own. On weekends a mountain shelter plus snow shoe rental is available at Camp Ruiter Brook – speak to Frank on 450 538-4052.

When there is fresh snow it is just a delight to snowshoe, but once trails are packed down crampons really come into their own especially when conditions are icy - even on level terrain. On a day out last year with my friends Micheline and Dan at they were firmly attached to the ground by their crampons whilst in my boots I was slip sliding all over the place and ended up with a large bruise on my shin to prove it. As a result I have bought crampons for my own use and also to rent to guests at the B&B.

So, whether or not we are up to our noses in snow, there is no excuse for staying at home. Get out in that fresh air! Hiking is also cheap – a daily access ticket to the places above all cost $5 or less. Here at the B&B I have day passes and winter hiking packages for all four locations, The Sutton tourist information office at rue Principale opposite the Town Hall sells Parc Sutton tickets and has good information and maps.

I often joke that it takes a university degree to make sense of all the various deals available to ski at Mont SUTTON. The good news is that I have done the research for you! Here are my top tips for getting the best deals for skiing at SUTTON this winter bearing in mind that a regular one off adult lift ticket for a day is C$64:

Skiing at Sutton can be just magical

•  If you can come midweek and stay a night or two then the Forfait Neige is an unbeatable value ski package. For $79pp plus taxes you get a day and a half of skiing along with a night’s lodging and  breakfast. For $149pp you get two and a half days of skiing and 2 nights lodging n.b. this package is only available Monday to  Friday (the mountain sets the rules not me). This offer is available here at Vert Le Mont B&B as well as a number of other lodgings in Sutton but they dont offer complimentary hot chocolate and home made cookies (just saying). For more info go to my Sutton ski package page.

• On Thursdays, women ski for just $25 and for $35 you can add a 2 hour group ski lesson. On Wednesdays men ski for $25 and anyone 50 or over skies for $25 on Tuesdays.

• Not much time? Half day tickets are pretty expensive-about 80% of the full day cost- but you can ski from 3pm every day of the week for just $15.

• If you are a beginner the Inniski initiation program gets you equipment rental, a 90 minute group lesson and a lift pass for only $75. Schedule your lesson as early in the day as possible to get the best use from your lift pass. You can also ski the easiest section of the mountain only for $25 with a ticket that restricts you to the 2W and 3 chairlifts.

• Deals at the weekend are few and far between. Usually Costco has a special on Sutton lift tickets but I haven’t found it this year. Make sure, at the very least, to get a free Carte Blanche loyalty card  which gives you 10% discount your first visit, 20% the second and so on. I have these cards here at the B&B or else try Sports Experts stores or the Sutton Tourist Information Office. These passes are NOT available at the ski hill.

I don’t know if nice people choose to stay in B&Bs or if there are just more nice people in the world than we realize. Regardless, we have lots of really nice people who come to stay here at Vert Le Mont . A case in point are Edward and Agata who regularly come to  for both the downhill and the and cross country skiing.

Since opening the B&B I have found that I really enjoy baking something to serve with afternoon tea. Agata is always very complimentary about my baking and very much enjoyed this cake. It was the first time that I had madeit but it’s a definate keeper – foolproof and delicious. For Agata and everyone else here is the recipe taken from The Breakfast Book by Marian Cunningham.

Apricot Prune Coffee Cake

1. Heat oven to 350C; butter and flour a 10 inch tube or Bundt pan.
2.   Mix together 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and set aside.
3.  Finely chop and mix together 1 cup dried apricots and 1 cup pitted dried prunes. You can use any dried fruit but if they seem dry or tough pre-soak them for 10 minutes by pouring over boiling water then drain and pat dry.
4.  Beat together 2/3 cup sugar, 3 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup melted butter.
5.  Stir together 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt.
6. To make cake batter stir flour mixture into sugar mixture then stir in dried fruit.
7.  Spread a scant third of the batter over bottom of pan. Top with half of sugar mix. Spread another third of the batter over the sugar. Cover with remaining sugar mix and then finish with remainder of cake batter.

Bake for 50 to 50 minutes until a knife comes out clean when inserted into center.
Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes in pan. Carefullly turn out onto a rack to cool completely before serving (easier said than done).

Here in Sutton we are almost spoiled for choice when it comes to mountain trails but I find that walking the backroads is the best way to discover the true beauty of the Townships. Old barns, babbling brooks, towering trees, wild flowers, vistas and views are all waiting to be discovered. Roads are wide making them ideal for a walk with friends and traffic is sparse so you can stroll along without danger.

The McClarty house is Sutton’s oldest.

Look at a map and pick out a circuit. Drive to any point. Park. Walk. My friend Catherine and I have walked many circuits on Sutton’s backroads. They take anything from one to two hours. We keep them fresh by returning in different seasons, varying our start point and walking both clockwise and counter clockwise. I guarantee that anywhere you walk will be a delight but here are a few suggesions to get you started:

• From rue Principale Sud walk up rue Mountain which starts behind the À La Fontaine restaurant.  This road takes you from the village up into increasingly rural surroundings with lovely views. You can turn back at chemin Schweizer or, if you are feeling keen, turn right down Schweizer, cross rue Principale/Route 139, continue  up Jordon, turn right on Westwood. At the end the road becomes a track but just continue straight all the way to Dyer where you turn right and walk back to rue  Principale Nord.  A great route but a solid two and a half hours.

• About 15 minutes drive from Sutton try the Rosenberry, Muir, Turkey Hill, Mont-Echo circuit. Absolutely beautiful, off the beaten track all together. About 90 minutes.

• Drive 10 minutes to Abercorn for the circuit made up by des Eglises Ouest, Spencer, Hillcrest, Route 139, Thibault Nord. About an hour.

Here at Vert Le Mont B&B I do my best to make as much of the things that we serve for breakfast myself  using, whenever possible, local ingredients.

One of the things I make that people seem to love is a fruit compote and the good news is that it is really easy to do so, for all the people who ask for the recipe (though it is more of a technique really), here we go:

1.     Start with a firm fruit typically pears or apples – I like Cortland. Peel, core and cut into bite size chunks.
2.     Put fruit into a microwaveable container with about a 1/4 inch of water plus brown sugar, cinnamon and ground ginger. For 3 medium apples I would probably use 4 tbsp, 1/2 tsp and a 1/4 tsp respectively. Stir together and microwave on high for two minutes.
3.    Add a soft fruit – about a half cup if using 3 apples. Blackberries work really well but I also like plums or blueberries or whatever is in season. (In the winter you can use dried apricots or frozen fruit.) Stir and microwave 3 minutes. Test with the tip of a knife to see if firm fruit is now tender, if not microwave another 2 minutes but don’t overcook otherwise you will end up with a puree.
4.     Stir one last time. Leave to cool and then refrigerate overnight which makes all the difference. Serve on its own, with yogourt or on cereal.

You will soon find your own favourite combinations of fruits and spices. I love apple and cranberry but if using frozen berries start with them first and then add the apples. Rhubarb is excellent with pears and a pinch of cloves is good with apple based compotes.