Shining Waters B&B - The Gathering Room

Summer is a really beautiful time in Ontario. I decided to show my European guests a little bit of Ontarios country charm, so we planned an overnight getaway for July 30 and 31, 2008. Just after lunch on July 30, 2008 we started driving east of the city to the charming country town of Port Hope, just about 100 km east of Toronto. Port Hope is a pretty little town of about 16,000, located at the mouth of the Ganaraska River that is a favourite destination of salmon fishermen in the fall. I was there probably 7 or 8 years ago and since then Port Hope has been spruced up considerably. Many new restaurants and boutiques have been opened, and Port Hope has become a favourite getaway destination for city-weary Torontonians.

From here we continued on to Cobourg, another attractive country town just about 10 minutes east of Port Hope. With about 18,000 residents, Cobourg, Ontarios Feel Good Town, is slightly larger which makes it the largest town in Northumberland County. It features stunning Victoria Hall, a classical building dating back to the 1850s that now houses the municipal offices as well as a concert hall and art gallery. The main street features many cute shops and boutiques. From here we walked towards the waterfront and stopped at the King George Inn, a historic hotel that actually used to be the Cobourg Jail until about 10 years ago. In the basement you can still see various jail cells in their original state. Last but not least we strolled to the waterfront where we enjoyed the beautiful marina and had a look at the wide sandy beach of Victoria Park.

Through the rolling hills of Eastern Ontario we made our way to Peterborough where we stopped briefly at the waterfront to admire the preparations for a free concert that was to be held in the evening in the waterfront park. As it was getting late we decided to locate our bed and breakfast, the Shining Waters B&B, just outside Lakefield. Hostess Susan Castle showed us around her 1860s fieldstone farm house that features four beautifully decorated bedrooms. In the evening we had a delicious dinner at Cassis Restaurant in downtown Lakefield where we enjoyed a variety of French delicacies.

After a filling breakfast on a gorgeous morning the next day we explored the expansive grounds surrounding the Shining Waters B&B. These include several kilometers of walking trails as well as a recently renovated barn that has become a popular wedding venue. In the late morning we set off to explore the Kawartha Lakes region. Our first stop was in Buckhorn where a Parks Canada employee explained to us the system of 44 locks that are part of the 386 km Trent-Severn Waterway. At mid-day we reached Bobcaygeon, a beautiful waterfront town where we had a late lunch on the patio of the Waterfront Restaurant, overlooking the serenity of the canal. Next came Fenelon Falls where we connected with two extremely friendly OPP officers that did not mind having their pictures taken with us. Our final stop was in the charming town of Port Perry which beckoned with its quaint shops and restaurants on Queen Street.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Canada
• Ontario
• Lakefield
• Peterborough
• Kawarthas
• adventure
• destination
• landmark
• nature