I had dreamed of it for so long. See Le Bout du banc and die? Not quite, but almost.
Le Bout du banc, also known as Sandy Hook, lies at the eastern end of the Havre-Aubert dune. It forms a white-sand spit, or hook, extending toward Île d’Entrée. This spectacular beach stretches for nearly 12 kilometres and has a striking shape where two ocean currents meet.
Le Bout du banc also contains a fragile and precious ecosystem: the Sandy Hook dunes. The site provides a natural refuge for migratory birds, drawn by the dunes and the stable shores of the sandy spits. Dunes are constantly evolving environments that are essential to coastal biodiversity.
This unique setting is both an aesthetic and sensory wonder: a sandbar, an ocean breeze, converging currents, a panorama of Île d’Entrée and warm, shallow water around the bar. Its vulnerability, however, is real. Visitor pressure, trampling, limited infrastructure, changing tides, erosion and rising sea levels all require careful, sustainable management. 
Protecting Le Bout du banc means placing its preservation within a thoughtful framework of marked trails, monitored access and visitor education. This concern helped inspire Madelinot Clermont Poirier to begin offering guided outings in 2015 aboard a long, tractor-drawn platform styled like a hay wagon, departing from the Sandy Hook beach parking lot at the end of chemin de Sable. He fitted the platform with school-bus seats, surrounded it with a safety railing, added storage for bags and chairs, and installed rear steps for easy boarding. 
Clermont Poirier’s Balade du bout du banc saves visitors a 13-kilometre round-trip walk. After a 40-minute ride, passengers reach the end of the sandbar, where they can spend 90 minutes to two hours before boarding again for the return journey. Dogs and beach chairs are welcome.
The immense panorama and beauty of the setting are very likely to inspire deep contemplation. At the end of the sandbar, where the sea fully reasserts itself, it feels as though the end of the world has been reached. This is also the closest point to Île d’Entrée.
Balade du bout du banc has become so popular that reservations must be made in advance for outing days when the weather cooperates. Departures are usually at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Clermont Poirier is supported with bookings and administration by two team members, Josée and Colette.
For me, the outing on Saturday, July 19, was a true gift after several days on the road and encounters between Bas-Saint-Laurent and the Îles de la Madeleine, by way of Gaspésie and Acadie. Perfect weather, 22°C under brilliant sunshine, with a steady wind, made the ride unforgettable.
Balade du bout du banc
Chemin du Sable
Plage Sandy Hook (Havre-Aubert)
facebook.com/boutdubanc
Reservations: (581) 453-1310