London, ON
Pawlooza We chose this particular weekend to visit London as the Pawlooza dog festival was taking place at Plunkett Estate. This was an absolutely wonderful day out with lots to do! The venue was very picturesque with natural ponds used for dock diving and fun zones. Throughout the day, talks, demonstrations and contests were held at the main stage. We got there for the first aid demo but unfortunately the presenter didn’t show! Element Canine gave a good demo on scent detection work, and we volunteered to go on stage to take part. There were over 200 booths, with vendors, doggy services, cooling stations, rescue centres with their adoptables and lots of treat samples! Rita gave the dock diving a go but didn’t want to jump in! The lure course also looked like loads of fun but it had a 45 minute queuing time and we waited for a while before having to leave for our Top Model contest. For this, we had to strut across the stage and greet the judges (Rita decided to jump up onto their table!). Unfortunately Rita was not shortlisted, but we received a $100 goodie bag from Global Pet Foods. Overall, the festival was very well run (there were even volunteers to hold Fido while you visited the portaloos!) with a wide variety of activities and shops.
(C) Gordon Wood
Hotel Metro Right next to Covent Garden market, this pet-friendly hotel is in a very central location. It cost $65 for Rita to accompany me. Our “marvellous Queen” room, which we entered using a door code rather than a key card, was very spacious, however instead of a window it had a locked fire door! The décor was funky but also a little strange in places, like the bed surround which looked like a sliding door wardrobe, and the bathroom being a curtained off part of the room! Regardless, it was a nice stay for one night. Although we didn’t avail of it, fine dining restaurant Gnosh downstairs offers room service.
Milo’s A short walk from the hotel was Milo’s Craft Beer Emporium. They have two patios, one of which is the designated doggy patio, and Rita was greeted with fresh water and “special cookies”. I opted for a very tasty buffalo cauliflower small plate.
Thames Parkway For our after dinner walk, we wandered down to the River Thames. The parkway runs along the river, and we followed the North Branch from Ivey Park to Giddons Park and back, just under 6km in total. The whole trail is very green with many mature trees. In fact, you can’t see the river for much of it due to the woodland! At Giddons Park, Rita was able to take a dip. There’s also lots for kids here, such as the music garden where they can play oversized instruments. There were a few homeless camps along a section of the trail, but otherwise it was a very pleasant walk on a Saturday evening with lots of families and couples enjoying the slice of nature within the city. We even spotted some deer wandering across the water at sunset!
Stoney Creek Off-Leash Area We were really glad we stopped off here on our way out of town on Sunday morning. This off-leash area has a circular trail surrounded by lots of woodland and even some muddy puddles! There are a few different areas to sit (bone-shaped bench, anyone?) or have a picnic, plus a leash-stand (like a coat-stand for leashes!). A special corner of the park is reserved for small and disabled dogs. We did a few laps and Rita made lots of friends.
Fanshawe Conservation Area and Pioneer Village There is so much to do at Fanshawe Conservation Area, you could camp there for the weekend and not get bored. We started with a visit to the Pioneer Village, and unwittingly chose an appropriate day: Irish Heritage Day! The Fanshawe settlement dates back to the 1820s, when immigrants from County Tipperary were granted parcels of land in the area. The reconstructed village is sectioned into different periods of history, spanning 100 years, and so you can witness the transition from log houses, to more town-like buildings made from timber and eventually brick. In the early settlement town, we could see churches, blacksmiths, the post office and the Orange Hall as communities began to establish. There was even a farmhouse where Rita got to say hello to some sheep! Towards the end of the route, we began to see more machinery, like early tractors, ploughs, seed drills, hay loaders and manure spreaders. And eventually we got to the “city houses” like the plumbed home of artist Paul Peel and the London Brewery. Dogs are welcome throughout the village, although not inside the buildings. However, for many you could see most of it by peering through the door, and some simply had viewing platforms at the entrance for everyone. There were plenty of special activities for Irish Heritage Day, such as Gaelic lessons in the schoolhouse, a harp player, traditional games, an Irish history lesson and performances from a local Irish dancing group. Rita and I felt right at home!
Next, we drove along to Watson Porter Pavilion, to access the Lake Trail. This is a 21km trail encircling Fanshawe Lake, part of the Thames River. We went out 3 km and back again. The trail is set back from the lake so it is more of a sheltered forestry trail with occasional views of the water. It’s open to cyclists too, with the direction of travel dictated by whether it’s an odd or even-numbered day! There’s also a short section passing through the golf course and some parts pass over low water (although we didn’t go that far!).
