Norfolk County, ON
Our Labour Day long weekend was filled with wine-tasting, bird-watching, hiking and digging.
Day 1 Our first stop was Ramblin’ Road Brewery Farm for a bite to eat. With picnic tables outside, it was the perfect spot for Rita to chill. She also received a lot of attention from the waitress and fellow customers. Perhaps this was due to her table-dancing antics while I was at the washroom! I had a classic grilled cheese with fries. It was a little on the greasy side but filled the spot. If you like, there’s the opportunity to take home some branded apparel and accessories from the gift shop.
We made sure to arrive at our AirBnB before dark, as it was off-grid in the middle of the forest. This was in fact not the first time we had slept in a shipping container, however this one had a much more remote cabin in the woods feel. There were lots of doggie touches, like the poo bags, tick remover and treats. Rita was free to roam, which she loved. There are no wash facilities at the cabin but it was worth it for the wilderness experience.
Day 2 We awoke to forest views and squirrels prancing around our container. What a dream! After getting dressed, we took a walk along the on-property trails (hiking boots required) and enjoyed the peacefulness.
As the caffeine cravings hit, we took a drive into Simcoe and stopped at Joy Bakery. Rita was able to join me at one of the street-side tables. Luckily for her, there were some dog treats for sale. 15 year old Jaxon started making use of the remnants of his dad’s brewing activities, fed it to their dogs, and Beer Bites was born. He even 3D printed his own bone-shaped cutter.
Then we went to Port Rowan and discovered Bayfest was taking place. At this festival was a small funfair and local vendors. Apparently we had missed the dog show that morning. I ended up purchasing a wooden sign handmade by a local woman, Linda, with the help of her husband.
The boat houses at Port Rowen
Next we headed west to Hounds of Erie Winery. In fact, it was Terrier Day and we had a ticket! Rita received her very own tasting flight of Brew’ed biscuits in the off-leash picnic area. She met the house dog Athena and visited the Hound shop. And I managed to sneak in a glass of raspberry wine myself! After we had our fill, we took some pics at the Instagram wall and wandered around the vineyards. There is even dog-friendly accommodation on-site. The owner, Mat and Melissa, have lots more in store for this super dog-lovin’ winery, so watch this space!
Long Point is the largest freshwater sandbar in the world! We wanted to go as far along as we could, so to do this we visited Long Point Provincial Park. The majority of the park consists of campgrounds, with a long stretch of beach. Both the day use area and campgrounds have their own dog-friendly sections. Rita spent her time digging holes and running into the lake. The windy day had brought out a lot of windsurfers.
Back towards the land side of the point is Big Creek Natural Wildlife Area. This is a large managed natural area to encourage migratory birds to rest. The section open to the public features a few km of trail snaking through the wetlands. The area felt untouched by man and made for a relaxing walk. We didn’t spot too many birds, but there were a couple of egrets.
For dinner, we ventured to Burning Kiln Winery and joined a few other dogs on the large patio. The food was sublime! I got three small plates of portobello mushroom, cauliflower tacos and truffle fries, all with marvellous flavours. This is cooked in their “back kitchen” container. The staff was a friendly bunch and Rita happily snoozed after her long day of adventuring.
Day 3 For breakfast, we headed to Marshview Patio at Long Point Eco-Adventures. As per the name, I had spectacular views over Turkey Point Marsh as I ate my granola and greek yogurt parfait with bee pollen. Afterwards, we took a walk along the Acorus Boardwalk to get closer views of the marsh. As we walked, we could marvel at the holiday makers zip lining through the forest. Dogs are also welcome to stay in selected pods at the adventure park, and there are many more trails for hiking and biking, some overlapping with those at the provincial park, our next stop.
We started our visit to Turkey Point Provincial Park with a hike along the Lookout Bluff trail, for more views of the marsh. There were some fun educational boards about the wildlife in the park. After this, we headed for the longer Fin and Feather Trail. This quiet forested loop took us around the Normandale Fish Hatchery pond, the oldest operating fish culture station in Ontario, with a focus on Atlantic and Chinook Salmon.
Our final stop in Norfolk County was Port Dover, which was bustling over the long weekend. We walked down to the lighthouse, a designated historic site due its wooden square- tapered design, typical of the mid-1800s. The shops weren’t terribly dog-friendly, with the couple I checked out requesting dogs be carried. On the contrary, Cabin 519 was very welcoming and full of locally-designed apparel and gifts. And Norfolk Juice Bar welcomed Rita inside! They had a great section of healthy juices, smoothies, coffee and açai bowls, along with treats for the pups!
