Touring Prince Edward County: The Taste Trail and Arts Trail
I've always been a big fan of road trips. Whether cross country or just cross province/state, there is something exciting about driving with map in hand and the open road out in front.
My most recent road trip took me out to Prince Edward County. A short two hour drive east of Toronto, Ontario I decided to tackle the Arts Trail and Taste Trail all in one go.
You could easily spend a day or weekend exploring both.
The drive was scenic with the changing fall leaves and open farm fields with the occasional field of grazing cattle.
A few of my stops along the way included Wellington and Bloomfield where street parking is free, the shops are quaint and where I had a lovely lunch at the highly recommended Bloomfield Carriage House. (I paid a return visit on the way back to pick up and indulge in a Luxury Hot Chocolate for the drive back home. Sooo good.)
From there I made my way to Sandbanks Provincial Park. Be sure to wear a toque (hat) as the wind is brisk if you're walking along the beach! There were plenty of dog walkers, kite surfers and Canadian geese. The beach itself was beautiful - white sand and rolling water.
There are plenty of farmers markets in the area as well. Since Halloween is around the corner, I figured I could stock up on a few more pumpkins! (Clearly people took advantage of the free pumpkins at this stop!)
My last stop of the day wasn't part of the trails, but I couldn't resist the character exuding from George's Fish & Chips! Within 5 minutes I was settled into a booth on the bus's patio enjoying crispy crinkly hand-cut fries buried underneath gravy and melted cheese (poutine). They've been around for a while and are clearly a favourite in the area based on the articles posted on the wall.
Now it's your turn! If you know of a great Canadian drive or have been on one, please share! We'd love to feature it here or if we're in the neighbourhood, you never know, we may just take your recommendation and try it our ourselves!
Map courtesy of www.tastetrail.ca
Photos copyright 2009, Tanja Zelko
Really enjoyed this post! I cottaged in "The County" for 10 years and made a point of taking day trips at least 5 or 6 times a year. There is so much to see and do.
What I really like about it is that it is like taking a step back in time to the 50's or 60's and that is not a negative comment. The people are friendly, trusting and honest. I love it!
Another worthwhile side trip is to take Hwy 2 from Port Hope to Brighton. Driving the Shelter Valley Road is also beautiful.
Posted by: J Greener | October 28, 2009 at 09:50 AM