ITINERARY IDEAS & MORE DRIVE DETAILS AT: WWW.CANADASPECIALIST.CO.UK


SCENIC DRIVES Canada's Top 10...


Driving in Canada is easy. Roads are often clear, signposting is simple and traffic jams are a rarity. Julie Baxter navigates some of the country's most rewarding routes


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or anyone who has ever had to battle a daily driving commute or sat gridlocked on the M25,


the sheer joy of driving in Canada comes as a very pleasant experience. I experienced it for myself this year,


having flown into Calgary for the famous Stampede. I decided to take a few days out before the annual cowboy extravaganza to freewheel the open roads of Alberta and British Columbia, taking in Banff, Lake Louise and the ‘must do’ Icefields Parkway’ route before looping back to Calgary on a scenic route via BC’s Cranbrook. Wide-open roads and minimal traffic weren’t the only surprise. The average car in Canada must be twice the size of those in the UK but filling up on fuel cost about half what it would have at home.


20 WINTER 2012/13 • Selling Canada


Canadians drive on the right but the driving and navigating could not have been easier, which means plenty of time to admire the view – and what views! Mountain follows mountain, Gurgling rivers follow vast glimmering lakes and the view in the rear vision mirror is always equally as stunning as the views on the horizon ahead. Looping back, the long straight highways gave way to more winding roads through dramatic peaks. One minute the route seemed high above the valley and I was looking down at fast-flowing aqua blue rivers, the next I was gazing up at towering pine-clad mountainsides.


Driving in the Rockies is like a


journey through a living geology or geography lesson – text book images


of glaciers and moving plates come to life before your eyes. Move out of the mountains and other supersize landmarks leave their impression too. Check out the road trains, for example. I regularly counted no less than 75 trucks pulled by a single engine; or, driving through the prairie lands, gave up counting after 420 wind-farm turbines. Great driving routes abound in Canada, dotted along the way with quaint characterful towns for an overnight stay and interesting stops for scenic hikes, excursions and innumerable photo opportunities. Here are a some to recommend, coupled with Signature Experience ideas of things to see and do along the route. For more Signature Experiences see: www.canada. travel/sec


Icefields Parkway ALBERTA Highway 93 runs through Banff and Jasper National Parks. Look forward to mile after mile of breathtaking mountain and lake scenery.


Signature Experiences along the


way include the chance to drive the route in a motorcycle sidecar; get aboard the Icefield Glacier Adventure or soak up the traditional relaxation of the Canadian Rockies' Hot Springs.


Viking Trail


NEWFOUNDLAND This 443km themed highway is the route to take for all things Viking. It is the only route to the UNESCO World Heritage site at Gros Morne National Park and the L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site of Canada. The route also gives insights along the way into Basque culture and the region’s native inhabitants.


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