Ontario Travel: The Historic
Village of Cheltenham and an Example of Entrepreneurial
Creativity at the Spirit Tree Estate Cidery
This morning had started with a nice tour of the
picturesque
village of Erin, guided by local entrepreneur
Shelley Foord, and in the afternoon I had a chance
to talk to various artists and local food merchants
during the Cuisine-Art Festival at the Alton Mill.
I could have easily stayed longer, but there were
a few more local destinations that I wanted to check
out in the Hills of Headwaters travel region before
heading back to Toronto.
The scenic Credit River flows through Cheltenham
Cheltenham is an idyllic small village on the Credit
River and located just minutes north of Brampton,
one of Ontario’s major cities. Downtown Toronto
is less than an hour away, so this area is very
popular with cyclists and hikers who enjoy walking
along the Bruce Trail. I had set up a meeting with
Shelly Craig who owns one of the oldest houses in
the village. Built in 1830, her house has been welcoming
guests for 14 years now at the Top of the Hill Bed
and Breakfast.
Steve and Shelly Craig, owners of the Top of the
Hill B&B
The house was built by Charles and Martha Haynes,
two of the original settlers in the area, and has
now been in the family for seven generations. Today
Shelly’s home offers three guest bedrooms
and travelers from as far away a Europe, Asia and
Africa have been staying here. Shelly’s husband
Steve handles a lot of the cooking, and his German
Apple Pancake has delighted many B&B guests
over the years. Steve learned how to cook from his
grandmother and also worked as a cook during college,
so now in his retirement years he is putting his
cooking skills to good use.
Guests enjoy many meals around this table at the
Top of the Hill B&B
To put the history of her house into the proper
context, Shelley showed me a “ledger”,
an actual diary of one of Charles Haynes’
sons that describes life in Toronto in the 1820s,
before the family moved out into the country. Life
sure has changed a lot over the past close to 200
years. Today, the Top of the Hill B&B is equipped
with all the amenities that a traveller would need.
The largest bedroom upstairs is called the “Gould
Room”, named after the famous Canadian composer
and not a surprising choice, given that Shelly is
a piano teacher. This room has its own ensuite bathroom
while two other guest bedrooms share a second bathroom.
A comfortable sitting area with a television is
available for the guests upstairs, but many of them
actually join Steve and Shelly in the main living
room downstairs to watch TV together.
The "Gould" bedroom
Although Cheltenham is a small village, Shelly
explained, there are actually plenty of things to
do: there are lots of hiking trails nearby, including
the Caledon Trailway (a former railway line) and
the Bruce Trail, Ontario’s most famous hiking
trail. As a matter of fact, the entire Caledon Region
is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts, with over 260
km of publicly accessible trails and a variety of
nature and conservation areas.
The Top of the Hill B&B has a nice backyard
with an outdoor hot tub
The natural beauty of the Niagara Escarpment is
just minutes away. Also very close are the Cheltenham
Badlands, a unique geological formation with undulating
reddish hills and gullies of red shale without any
vegetation. The Badlands are said to have originated
due to overgrazing by early settlers, and once the
top soil washed away, the soft reddish rock became
visible. This unusual landscape is a particularly
popular destination in the fall, when hundreds of
visitors descend on it to explore this unexpected
formation.
The Cheltenham Badlands - a very unusual geological
formation
Not far from there are the Cheltenham Brickworks,
a cluster of buildings forming a brick factory that
was built in the early part of the last century.
The factory has long since closed, but its buildings,
although closed off by a fence, are still a mysterious
reminder of Ontario’s industrial heritage.
Nowadays they are protected from demolition and
their unusual photogenic appearance attracts many
photographers.
The Cheltenham Brickworks are a popular destination
for photographers
As we talked about all the interesting sights in
the area, Shelly gave me some expert input on what
else to see in her village. She recommended that
I visit the Cheltenham Country Store, one of the
most important properties in town that is located
right on the scenic Credit River. So indeed, after
a brief stroll through the attractive garden of
the Top of the Hill Bed and Breakfast I headed off,
as Shelly suggested, into the heart of Cheltenham
and made a stop at the general store.
The Cheltenham Country Store, built in 1887
This historic stone structure was built in 1887
after a fire that had destroyed many of the stores
in the village. Today it is home to a deli bar,
a post office, a gift shop and a popular spot for
some scooped ice cream. Nicest of all, its garden
fronts right onto the shores of the Credit River,
and there is a big inviting wooden deck that guests
can use to sit down on, enjoy their snacks and take
in the serene riverfront view.
The Cheltenham Country Store has a gorgeous backyard
The second suggestion that Shelly had given me
was an almost brand-new place at the north end of
Cheltenham: the Spirit Tree Estate Cidery is an
award-winning business that opened in the fall of
2009 and has quickly become one of the must-see
destinations in the Hills of Headwaters region.
I met Thomas Wilson and his wife, Nicole Judge,
who created this inspiring business, and Thomas
took me on a tour of the cidery.
The award-wnning Spirit Tree Estate Cidery
Both Thomas and Nicole have a strong connection
to agriculture: Thomas was raised on a beef farm
in Caledon and spent a lot of time working at his
grandfather’s orchard. Nicole’s Irish
and British background almost predestines here with
a love of cider. Given her love for animals, Nicole
became a veterinarian and today she is the Chief
Operating Officer of a group of 7 veterinary hospitals
in Toronto, Kitchener and Ottawa, and also dedicates
herself to her family business.
Nicole Judge and Thomas Wilson, owners of the Spirit
Tree Estate Cidery
The first point that Thomas explained to me was
the background behind the name of their business:
the name “Spirit Tree Estate Cidery”
took a long time to emerge. It refers to the ancient
British tradition of “wassailing”, singing
to cider-producing apple trees to ensure a good
harvest for the coming year. The reference to this
ritual from long ago alludes to the long history
of cider.
Apples are celebrated in every shape and form at
the Spirit Tree Estate Cidery
When creating their business, the couple set out
to create an environmentally friendly building,
which has actually won them several design and construction
innovation awards. The walls of the Spirit Tree
Estate Cidery are made of locally harvested straw
bales that are covered by stucco, and as such they
are made of sustainable materials with a naturally
high insulation capacity. The building is heated
and cooled with a geothermal system that uses the
constant temperature of the ground to regulate the
temperature properly in the summer and in the winter.
Lots of local products are on display
Having run a successful farm market and pick-your-own
operation for many years, the couple decided they
wanted to venture into the cider making industry
and took courses about cider making in the United
States and in England. They also took several hands-on
baking courses which they put to good use with their
wood-fired oven where they bake a wide variety of
artisan breads, pies and pastry.
Nicole and Thomas get ready to bake some bread
The common area of their operation encompasses
a well-designed and attractive retail area that
displays a wide assortment of mostly local products,
from fruits and vegetables, to cheeses, maple syrup,
honey, nuts, dips, jams, jellies and chutneys as
well as organic fair trade coffee. An old Victorian-era
stove is used to display merchandise, and Nicole
added that they were able to locate it at an auction
for $5.00.
Nicole rescued this beauty of a Victorian-era stove
at an auction
Next door to the retail area is the tasting area
where guests can actually try the three types of
apple cider products themselves. The company produces
fresh pressed sweet applie cider as well as three
types of hard cider: English pub-style cider, French-style
estate cider and ice cider which harnesses the concentrated
sweetness of apples that have frozen several times.
The tasting room has a special liquor license so
guests get to enjoy a bit of the hard cider as well.
My favourite was certainly the ice cider, a sweet
nectar that is just perfect after a good meal.
A cider tasting: Original Ice Cider, Estate Reserve
Cider and Traditional Pub Cider
Guests can also enjoy various meals, from cheese
plates to artisan soups, breads and spreads and
various salads. Anybody visiting the Spirit Tree
Estate Winery can actually make a day of it. I had
a chance to taste a delicious roasted red pepper
soup that had just been made, which really hit the
spot. The entire environment is inviting and attractive,
and the walls are enhanced by paintings by local
artists that are rotated on a regular basis.
Delicious roasted red pepper soup
Last but not least, Thomas showed me the outdoor
patio which provides a sweeping view over the surrounding
farmland and a pond that is frequented by the local
ducks. An antique cider press from the Eaton Family
Estate in Caledon adorns the patio and puts the
significance of cider into historical context. I
was truly impressed by what this young couple has
created here, and judging by the number of tourism
and ecology-related awards that they have received,
I am not the only one.
A nice view over the pond from the patio of the
Spirit Tree Estate Winery
Now in the early evening it was time to head back
to Toronto. I had enjoyed myself tremendously in
the Hills of Headwaters region. And at less than
an hour from the Big Smoke, there is no doubt I’ll
be coming out here again to enjoy a bit of nature
and culture.
The Hills of Headwaters Region is very popular in
the fall, when the trees change colour
