Hello from Ontario: Serenity at the Shining
Waters Bed and Breakfast and an Excursion into the Kawartha Lakes
Region
Summer is a really beautiful time in Ontario and a perfect time
to explore the verdant countryside surrounding Toronto. Since we
were just having visitors from Europe I decided to show my out-of-town
guests a little bit of Ontario’s country charm, so we planned
an overnight getaway for July 30 and 31, 2008. Just after lunch
on day 1 we started driving east of Toronto to the charming country
town of Port Hope, just about 100 km east of the city.
Port Hope, a beautiful Victorian town
Port Hope is a pretty little town of about 16,000, located at the
mouth of the Ganaraska River, a favourite destination of salmon
fishermen in the fall. I had visited Port Hope about seven or eight
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 people from all over
Ontario.
Victorian-era streetscape in Port Hope
From here we continued on to Cobourg, another attractive country
town no more than 15 minutes east of Port Hope. With about 18,000
residents, Cobourg - Ontario’s Feel Good Town - is the largest
town in Northumberland County. Cobourg features many Victorian era
buildings, and the most stunning architectural highlight is 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.
Victoria Hall in Cobourg
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 used to be the Cobourg Jail until about
10 years ago. In the basement you can still see various prison 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.
A great sandy beach in Cobourg's 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 the country village of Lakefield.
The Shining Waters Bed and Breakfast
Hostess Susan Castle showed us around her 1860s fieldstone farm
house that features four beautifully decorated bedrooms. In the
evening, following Susan’s recommendation, we had a delicious
dinner at Cassis Restaurant in downtown Lakefield where we enjoyed
a variety of French delicacies.
A scrumptious dinner at Cassis Restaurant
In the morning we finally had some time to sit down with our hostess
to find out more about the Shining
Waters Bed and Breakfast. Susan and her husband David are originally
from the United States, and Susan worked as a teacher in different
locations while her husband has had a successful career in operational
management. Several years ago he was transferred to Birmingham on
a special assignment. Susan thoroughly enjoyed her time in England
and developed a passion for antique shopping.
Susan Castle, our hostess at the Shining Waters B&B
David’s great-grand parents were originally from England
and moved to Peterborough. The family has long had a small cabin
near the Warsaw Caves, just outside of Peterborough. After his corporate
assignment was completed, David retired and the couple was considering
to relocate to the South-Eastern US coast, somewhere between Charleston
and Florida. One fall they travelled to Ontario to close the cottage,
and that’s when they saw an advertisement for a Victorian-era
farmhouse that had been converted into a bed and breakfast and was
now for sale. They had a look at the property and fell in love with
it instantly.
My cozy bedroom
The property was in pretty decent condition when they purchased
it, and no major renovations were required. Susan redecorated the
entire house, and many of the furnishings came from a container
of antiques that the couple had brought with them from England.
Antiques were much more plentiful and reasonably priced in Europe
than in North America. Susan’s husband often joked that the
20 foot container that they had left with had miraculously turned
into a fourty foot container upon their return from England.
Country romance in the canopy bed
Even today Susan continues to attend country auctions to buy period
pieces to add to her furnishings. The house itself has a lot of
history: it dates back to the 1850s and the original owners were
a couple by the name of Sarah and Levi Payne. For many decades the
property was operated as a dairy farm until it was converted into
a bed and breakfast by the previous owners.
The recently renovated barn
55 acres are still part of the property which also features several
kilometers of walking trails. Old stone fences surround the property,
and the couple recently renovated the historic barn that is located
steps away from the main house. Now equipped with electricity and
a new reinforced wooden floor, the barn has become a venue for special
events – Susan’s daughter recently got married here.
Breakfast is ready
After our filling breakfast Susan excused herself since she had
to attend a country auction. She told us to take our time to leave,
trusted us with her property, said goodbye and drove off to her
country sale. It always amazes me that bed and breakfast owners
have such amazing trust in their guests. We were glad we did not
have to rush out of this beautiful place and spent another hour
or so enjoying the beautiful country property that surrounds the
Shining Waters Bed and Breakfast. My absolutely favourite part was
the east-facing veranda where I sat for a while and watched a chipmunk
gather food and dart in and out between the flower pots.
My favourite spot: the veranda
We all commented on the fact that Shining
Waters, with its cozy bedrooms and expansive, well-kept lawns
and gardens, had an extremely serene feel to it, just the perfect
get-away for city-weary travellers. We walked around the property,
checked out the barn and thought that this was indeed a great place
for a celebration. We also had a look at the brook that surrounds
the property on the south side and the meadow that features a French-style
gazebo and several well-kept flower beds.
The French gazebo
Just across from the main house is a separate building called the
Gathering Room, a large space dedicated specifically to the guests,
which features a wood stove, television, a collection of books and
various board games and jigsaw puzzles.
The Gathering Room, a separate building
This is the perfect place for guests to congregate and relax. Even
high-speed Internet is available upon request. Spa services are
also available by special arrangement where a local beautician comes
in to provide treatments on location. The Shining Waters Bed and
Breakfast offers everything for rest and relaxation in a peaceful
country environment.
Inside the Gathering Room
Since we still had to cover a lot of ground in our Ontario country
tour, we finally had to tear ourselves away from this beautiful
place and started to head north from Lakefield into the Kawartha
Lakes region. This lake district stretches east of Lake Simcoe to
about Belleville, and the major lakes include Balsam Lake, Sturgeon
Lake, Buckhorn Lake, Stony Lake and Rice Lake. Many of these lakes
are connected through the Trent-Severn Waterway, a canal system
that links Lake Ontario with Georgian Bay.
The Trent-Severn Waterway in Buckhorn
Construction of the canals started in 1833 to facilitate transportation
of lumber from the logging communities in Central Ontario. Due to
the ascent of railroads in the second half of the 19th century and
the opening of the Welland Canal in 1932, the Trent-Severn Waterway
become obsolete for economic purposes, and today is a popular destination
for recreational boaters.
The Trent-Severn Waterway in Bobcaygeon
Our first stop was in the village of Buckhorn where a Parks Canada
employee explained to us the system of 45 locks that are part of
the 386 km Trent-Severn Waterway. We watched how the big sluice
gates opened up after the water level had adjusted in order to let
a variety of boaters pass through. Inspired by what we saw, the
idea of exploring this area in a houseboat came up, and my European
friends seemed to consider it for their next trip to Canada.
Historical interpreters promote the town of Bobcaygeon
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. We took a little stroll through town
where young men and women dressed in historical costumes were interacting
with travelers and promoting tourism in this picturesque country
community.
Fenelon Falls
Next came Fenelon Falls, known as the “Jewel of the Kawarthas”,
where we connected with two extremely friendly officers from the
Ontario Provincial Police. They did not mind at all having their
pictures taken with us and joked with us for a few minutes.
My friends are joking with the OPP officers
Our final stop was in the charming town of Port Perry on Lake Scugog
which beckoned with its quaint shops and restaurants on Queen Street.
Port Perry, with its beautifully restored Victorian streetscape
and nice waterfront parks, has also become a very popular destination
for weekend escapes, particularly since it is just about an hour
from Toronto.
Beautiful streetscape in Port Perry
Our one-and-a-half day tour had provided all of us with a great
overview of some of the popular getaway spots close to the city.
We all enjoyed our peaceful break at the Shining Waters Bed and
Breakfast, and concluded that Ontario’s countryside offers
many gorgeous destinations to escape the hustle and bustle of the
big city.
