Archived Kawarthas

Stoney Lake, February 3, 2003

Winter Weekend in the Kawarthas

During the Karin's birthday weekend we (just Karin and Rainer) drove to the Irwin Inn on Stoney Lake about 2 1/2 hours Northeast of Oakville and spent in a cottage from Friday to Monday. The cottage had a private heated outside pool inviting for a swim with a water temperature of 38 degree C (96 degree F) even when snowing. Additionally, the resort offers all kind of activities like cross-country skiing, ice-skating, horse-sleigh rides, snow mobile rides and, of course, a sauna and a gym. The restaurant took care of breakfast buffet and dinner. The remainder of the time we spent in front of the fire place trying a new card game, cribbage, famous in British pubs.

This area of Ontario is known as the Kawarthas Highlands (an area you cross by plane if you approach Toronto from the East, e.g. from Europe). On a clear day you will have a marvellous aerial view of the beauty and charm of the Kawarthas, rolling hills, farms, forests, small villages and lots of water, lakes and waterways. The lakes and waterways are part of the river and canal system which link the St. Lawrence seaway directly with the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron, of course with many locks to overcome the difference in height of more than 100 m in total.

There is no longer a commercial use of these waterways. However, locks and ports are kept functional for today's weekend boaters or for summer house boat vacationers. The area around Stoney Lake was one of the first holiday escapes for Torontonians spending summer time and long weekends in their cottages on the lakes. It was later when a growing population of Toronto pushed further North into Muskoka and along the shores of Georgian Bay what is now mainly referred to as cottage country. J

www.city.kawarthalakes.on.ca

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