Port Hope, ON
Accommodation PoHo House is a lovely, superior AirBnB located 5 minutes’ drive from the centre of Port Hope. Within a quiet, tree-lined neighbourhood, this renovated 2-bedroom house still has its original floors from 1875! Despite the hands-off service, I felt warmly welcome by our hosts the Bensons, and to our great delight there was a bottle of rosé awaiting our arrival alongside a welcome guide with house tips, suggestions of places to visit and dine, and even contact details of a vet and dog walker if Rita required them. The spacious garden was securely fenced in and in sunnier weather we would have availed of the outdoor seating and BBQ. I enjoyed a luxurious soak in the claw-foot tub and slept very soundly at night (as did Rita, with her own supplied dog bed!).
Downtown We spent our Sunday afternoon wandering around downtown Port Hope. Following the recommendations in our AirBnB welcome guide, we visited Furby House Books and gift shops The Nooks and Bibelot. Rita was welcome in all of them, and even received some cuddles. Nooks advocates for local sellers by offering them a “nook” to rent, and passing on 100% of the sales.
Another recommendation by our hosts was Primitive Designs. They say they are “not really sure how to describe this place” and I soon realised why! A eclectic mix of repurposed metal and wooden carvings to create large outdoor décor (???), this is a cool place to walk around and gawk at the unusual creations. There are donation buckets dotted around, so that you don’t feel pressured to buy something.
The Farley Mowat monument in downtown is an interesting site. It’s intended to resemble the type of shelter the first British seafarers constructed upon arrival in North-Eastern Canada. They are speculated to have created a stone structure, using their walrus hide canoes as a roof. This monument is dedicated to the well-known late Canadian author Farley Mowat, who wrote a book on the subject, called “The Farfarers”.
Walking The East Beach viewing area provides great views of Lake Ontario, and from here you can wander around the industrial harbour. The 4.5km out-and-back section of the Waterfront Trail can also be joined here. This is a gravel trail with somewhat uneven terrain, but a good pair of trainers should suffice. It provides superb views of the lake, and partway along is a creek where there was a cluster of geese and a swan. There is a wooden viewing platform allowing one to get a closer look, and lots of tiny beaches along the way, perfect spots for a private picnic.
Dining Both the patios of Nookies Soul Kitchen + Bar and Social Bar + Table are dog-friendly; I had equally nice salads in each of them. Social is a farm-to-table restaurant, and 90% of the food is made from scratch. Upon asking Nookies if they were dog-friendly, I was told that dogs are their favourite customers! Another restaurant serving absolutely delicious food is Trattoria Gusto in the Waddell Hotel, however I asked if their patio allowed dogs and unfortunately it doesn’t. It wasn’t a hot day when we visited, so Rita happily slept in the car.
Big Apple A 25 minute drive East along the 401 is the Big Apple Pie Company. This is a spot for a good old-fashioned fun family day out, not just for stuffing your face (although that is an option!). Dogs are welcome, but not in the food shop or Petting Zoo for obvious reasons. There’s even a small dog park to let them have a run around! Other family activities include mini-golf, train rides and a carousel. The most important part is snapping a photo with the world’s largest apple structure!
One of the many fun photo opportunities
Rita got her very own apple as a souvenir
Barn Quilt Trail This was a very fun part of our trip! To celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017, the Port Hope branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario selected 23 noteworthy barns across the municipality and commissioned 4 artists to design a quilt tile for each, reflecting its unique history. I recommend grabbing a copy of the Barn Quilt Trail Map & Guide (one is provided at PoHo House!) to enable you to easily locate them. It felt like a treasure hunt, and when we stopped at each site we could read the story behind the barn, learn about what style of barn it was and admire the tile up close. Each barn is viewable from the road, so there is no need to trespass!
Barn #3
Barn #19 is still used as an equestrian facility today
