Ontario Travel – Peterborough:
Riverfront Adventures at the Golden Pathways B&B,
a Delicious Dinner at the Holiday Inn and Great
1970s Tunes at Little Lake Musicfest
During my
introduction to Peterborough I had already been
exposed to many different places and activities
that make this mid-size city 90 minutes east of
Toronto an attractive getaway destination. I had
started my day off with a visit to the Peterborough
Farmers Market, then had lunch on Hunter Street
and went on a cruise to see one of the city’s
biggest attractions up close: the Peterborough Liftlock,
an engineering marvel from 1904. In the afternoon
I had a chance to learn about the history of the
canoe and its world-wide permutations at the Canadian
Canoe Museum.
I got a great introduction to the history of the
canoe
As I came out of the museum, a major downpour was
showering the city and I drove back to the Golden
Pathways B&B in the middle of a thunderstorm.
Cora Whittington, my B&B hostess, was planning
to take me to a special place: a private riverfront
retreat that is part of the Whittingtons’
195 acre property. So we hopped into the truck and
in the pouring rain we started driving down the
country lanes that have been the inspiration for
the name of the Golden Pathways Bed and Breakfast.
Cora occasionally takes some of her bed and breakfast
guests down to her riverfront hideaway, but they
also have a chance to take a walk on some of the
many trails around their huge piece of land.
The Golden Pathways B&B in better weather
From a paved lane we turned onto an unpaved forest
road and I realized that a 4x4 vehicle was definitely
necessary to cover this rough terrain. Cora opened
two gates so that we could access her private retreat
right on the Otonabee River. She explained that
this particular forest has many old pines, and one
day she and her husband decided to take one of the
big pine trees, get it cut up into planks and construct
a rustic cabin with their own wood on the waterfront.
Some of the cattle on the Whittington family farm
The Whittingtons’ waterfront retreat has
a horseshoe pit and an outdoor sitting area. The
cabin itself has no electricity and is equipped
with four bunkbeds which the family uses occasionally
when out-of-town visitors come over for a rustic
get-together. Not only was the wood for the cabin
harvested right on the property, the windows came
from another old building and were recycled.
Gorgeous outdoor terrace at the Golden Pathways
B&B
Various books about bird, flower and plant species
adorn the cabin since Cora’s husband has a
background in natural resources and they both enjoy
identifying the wildlife and the flora that surrounds
them in their serene country getaway. The rain was
now coming down in sheets, and it was a real shame
I did not get to see the Otonabee River waterfront
in good weather. As the river is part of the Trent-Severn
Waterway, all sorts of pleasure craft usually travel
through here. But in this miserable weather no boating
enthusiasts were to be seen. But I could definitely
picture this being a great place to come down and
enjoy a quiet Sunday afternoon.
Cora Whittington inside her rustic cabin
Cora and I drove back to the bed and breakfast
where I got to relax a bit before we headed out
for our evening program. A bit later Cora packed
me back into the truck together with two folding
chairs, because we were planning to attend an outdoor
concert later this evening. But our first stop was
actually for dinner.
The riverside patio of the Holiday Inn in downtown
Peterborough
My local expert Cora took me to the Holiday Inn
right on Little Lake in downtown Peterborough. Although
part of a big chain of hotels, the Peterborough
Holiday Inn has carved a unique niche for itself
with its scenic waterfront location, its large patio
that overlooks the Otonabee River, and its fine
dining restaurant that uses local ingredients wherever
possible.
Many local farmers participate in the Kawartha Choice
Farm Fresh initiative
Cora explained that the Holiday Inn uses Kawartha
Choice Farm Fresh products that are grown and produced
locally in the Kawartha Region. Given its rich farmland,
high quality water and fresh air, the Kawartha Region
has long been an important agricultural production
centre and supplies a wide variety of products,
from beef to buffalo meat, to a wide variety of
fruits and vegetables and local products like honey
and maple syrup. Cora comes to the Holiday Inn’s
riverfront restaurant once a month for a luncheon
with the local Business Women’s Network for
a great meal and some networking.
Executive chef Hanuman Ramdoo gives us an introduction
about his cuisine
Executive Chef Hanuman Ramdoo joined us and told
us more about the cuisine at the Holiday Inn. One
of the innovative ideas that he has come up with
is the annual Kawartha Choice Burger Challenge that
features different burgers prepared with beef, pork,
chicken, lamb or elk meat from 12 local farms. The
restaurant guests get to vote on their favourite
burger and this burger will then be featured on
the permanent menu for the coming year. What a great
way for the patrons to have input into the creation
of the menu…
Bernie's Tap and Grill - named after a long-time
employee
We left our picturesque waterfront spot and headed
inside where Hanuman gave me a quick tour of the
common areas of the Holiday Inn. From the reception
area we headed into Bernie’s, the restaurant’s
bar that is named after a long-time employee of
the Holiday Inn. Immediately adjacent is the Riverside
Grill and Gazebo Bar which includes the fine dining
restaurant with the huge panorama windows that overlook
the Otonabee River and Little Lake. The Gazebo is
the outdoor patio which is a popular spot for weddings
and special get-togethers. Hanuman also took me
into the kitchen where he works with his 14 staff
members.
Hanuman takes me into the kitchen and introduces
me to some of his colleagues
Finally, after our anticipation had been heightened,
we got our meal. Hanuman had ordered Asian Style
Salmon with a fresh ginger and scallion crust, topped
with coconut and lime butter, all nicely displayed
on a bed of noodles. Cora had ordered one of the
most popular dishes: Butter Chicken – succulent
chicken breast in a rich blend of herbs, coconut
milk and tomato puree, accompanied by jasmine scented
rice and pita bread.
Cora's mouth-watering butter chicken
I could not wait for my enticing meal: Island
Pork Tenderloin, composed of oven-roasted pork stuffed
with sweet figs, brushed with a spicy Caribbean
Jerk marinade. The tender meat just melted in my
mouth. And for dessert we had a deliciously sweet
pineapple-flavoured crème brulée.
My scrumptious Island Pork Tenderloin
But we had no time to linger as we had one more
activity planned for tonight. Cora and I walked
along the water’s edge to Del Crary Park,
location of Peterborough’s popular Little
Lake Musicfest. Formerly called the Festival of
Lights, this music festival is now in its 24th year
and offers free admission concerts every Wednesday
and Saturday throughout the summer. It is hugely
popular with the locals and the tourists alike who
can enjoy free open-air concerts with musicians
of various genres under the stars in the park.
Nite Fever, a popular Bee Gees tribute band, have
got the crowd going
On the program for today was Nite Fever, a Bee
Gees tribute band, and Abbamania, a popular tribute
band that celebrates Abba’s biggest hits.
By the time we got to our lawn chairs, the huge
lawn in front of the bandshell was full with people
who were singing and clapping along to the biggest
hits of the Bee Gees. When they were done Abbamania
took to the stage and the crowd went wild with every
Abba song. The singers of Abbamania not only sound,
but they also look like the real thing; and the
blonde lead singer even invited some audience members
onto the stage for some humorous banter. The music
was amazing and the crowd had an absolutely wonderful
time.
