Michael Portillo explores the Province of Quebec with his nineteenth-century Appleton's Guide to Canada. He takes the fabulously scenic Train de Charlevoix along the north bank of the mighty St Lawrence River to La Malbaie. Along the way, he discovers how a tiny shrine became a magnet for millions of pilgrims in search of miracles, where fashionable Victorians chose to spend their summers and how a unique family recipe from the old world has made a great grandson's fortune in the new.

Following his guidebook to the beautiful basilica at Sainte Anne de Beaupre, Michael discovers the racks of crutches discarded by the healed and meets modern day visitors in search of miracles. The train de Charlevoix, built to transport pilgrims, now conveys tourists to the Murray lakes. Michael joins a local historian to tour the fine 19th-century houses which were once the haunt of the Gatsby generation. Taking to the skies in a seaplane, he flies over the Laurentian Mountains to land on an isolated lake, where he follows in the footsteps of the wealthy elite of the Appleton era as he fishes for trout for his supper.

At Baie St Paul, Michael heads for the high ground where he discovers a novel farm. 6,500 tomato vines are under cultivation to produce wines of sufficient calibre to be served at the G7 conference. The waterfall at Montmorency is a spectacular sight - especially from a zip wire! Show less