| Blanc-Sablon | |
 | |
| Fishing boat in Blanc-Sablon | |
| Information | |
| Country |  Canada |
|---|---|
| Region | Lower North Shore |
| Area | 376,5 km² |
| Population | 1 112 hab. ( and ) |
| Telephone prefix | 1 |
| Location | |
 51 ° 25 ′ 39 ″ N 57 ° 8 ′ 0 ″ W | |
| Touristic site | |
Blanc-Sablon is the easternmost municipality of Quebec to Canada.
Understand
Blanc-Sablon is a municipality of Lower North Shore located on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence near the entrance to the Strait of Belle Isle. It is bordered by the Labrador to the East. With a population of over 1,100 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality in the regional county municipality of the Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent. The municipality of Blanc-Sablon is in fact made up of three localities: the village of Blanc-Salon, to the east, the village of Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon, in the center, and the village of Brador, to the west . The village of Blanc-Sablon is located on the bay of Blanc-Sablon. For its part, the village of Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon is the largest community in the municipality and is located on the peninsula that separates the bays of Brador and Blanc-Sablon. It includes the airport The place is also called Longue-Pointe. Finally, the village of Brador is located on the east coast of the eponymous bay in 7 km from the village of Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon. Formerly it was known as Fort Pontchartrain.
Story
The first explorers Europeans designated the place "white sablon" because of the fine sand that one would find there, "sablon" meaning "sand" in old French. Jacques Cartier mentions the name of the place on his first trip in 1534. Thus, it is possible that he was inspired by the Anse des Blancs-Sablons in Saint Malo in France where he is native. Fisherman basques and portuguese already frequented the region during the XVIe and XVIIe centuries. The first French-Canadian settlers and Acadians arrived around the beginning of the XIXe century.
To go
By plane
- 1 Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon Airport (IATA : YBX) (To 3,7 km north of the village) – Airport with regular flights from the rest of the North Coast and Labrador.
| Airline company | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Labrador | Chevery, Kegaska, The Romaine, La Tabatière, Natashquan, Saint Augustin, Sept-Iles, St. Anthony, Head-to-the-Whale |
| PAL Airlines (Provincial Airlines) | Goose Bay, St. Anthony, St. John's Newfoundland |
On a boat
- – A maritime shuttle service operated by the Government of Quebec connects the communities along the northern shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence from Blanc-Sablon including Saint-Augustin (North Shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence), La Tabatière (Gros-Mécatina), Tete-a-la-Baleine (North Shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence), Harrington Harbor (North Shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence), La Romaine (North Shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence), Kegaska (North Shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence), Port-Menier (Anticosti Island).
- Relais-Nordik '
April to February. – Ferry departing from Rimouski including stops at Sept-Iles, Havre-Saint-Pierre and Natashquan going to Blanc-Sablon. Check the website for more information. - MV Appollo ,
1-709-535-0810, 1-866-535-2567 (free number) – Ferry operated by the Ministry of Transport of Newfoundland and Labrador crossing the Strait of Belle Isle between Sainte-Barbe and Corner brook on the island of Newfoundland and Blanc-Sablon. The schedule varies according to the seasons, consult the website. The crossing from Sainte-Barbe lasts 1 h 45 and, from Corner Brook, 12 h.
April to February
By car
Blanc-Sablon is located on provincial road 138. However, make no mistake, the village is not connected to the rest of the road network of Quebec, including the rest of Route 138 on the North Coast. It is accessible by car from the west from the Labrador, route 138 becomes route 510 there, which connects with the Trans-Labrador Highway.
To get to Blanc-Sablon by car from the rest of the Quebec, you must therefore take route 389 from Baie-Comeau on 394 km up to Wabush in Labrador, then, continue on the Trans-Labrador Highway, that is to say the 510 road, on 1 128 km to reach the border between Labrador and Quebec. Then, just follow the same road that becomes route 138 in Quebec to get to Blanc-Sablon. This therefore corresponds to a total journey of 1 722 km between Baie-Comeau and Blanc-Sablon.
Using ferries, from Sept-Iles, take route 138 to Natashquan. From there, we can embark on the Relais-Nordik for one night and two days to get to Natashquan.
