Georgian Trail Ride #1

 Our next outing was a hike and ride down the Georgian Trail east of town, a trail I've been wondering about since I ended up in a wheelchair.  I wasn't sure if the gravel surface would be firm enough and smooth enough for comfortable riding, but it turned out to be perfect - very hard and well packed down, and no big gravel lumps, just smooth fine limestone screenings.  This ride was special for me because Mrs. F.G. came along for the walk so we were headed down the trail together.  She did the hiking and I did the riding!

The trail is the old right-of-way for the Northern Railway, which ran from 1871 until the Collingwood shipyards closed in 1986, bringing passengers right into downtown Meaford.  Thankfully, the right-of-way was preserved for a trail, and the old station at Craigleith is now a museum.

We picked it up on the east edge of town at the cul-de-sac at the end of Strathmore Ave., right beside the new welcome to Meaford sign.

Starting immediately the trail passes through a large but sad apple orchard.  It was sold just about 3 years ago, I understood to a retired couple who were going to run it, but it immediately turned out to be too much work for them and has sat idle, unpruned and unpicked, ever since.  Such a waste.

Most of the apples have just fallen to the ground, but there were a few left shining in the afternoon sun.

Then you pass over Workmen's Creek, a short but deep stream tumbling down off the ancient glacial Lake Algonquin shoreline to the south.  It has cut a very steep-sided valley through the shale, emerging at the claybanks on the bay after it passes the site of an old brickyard quarry.

There's a tantalizing tractor trail that disappears into the woods on the north side, and Google Maps tells me that it leads to a big cottage overlooking the bay.

But we continued down the very straight trail.  It would be hard to get lost here!

There were several memorial benches, testament to the dedicated volunteers who helped make this trail a reality back in the 1980s.

Then we came to the winding trail out to the lookout at the claybanks.  Last time I walked this it was pretty well flooded all the way, but then they brought in a lot of fine gravel to restore it.  The entrance looks good, but I wasn't about to lead Mrs. F.G. down a winding trail in the woods!

They have provided a very useful map showing the property and the trail on an air photo base, but at this point we turned around and headed back.

We passed by the old Strathmore farmhouse, a huge Victorian building that certainly doesn't look like your average farmhouse!  Amazing architecture, but unfortunately it's mostly obscured by trees.

Even the garage is unique with its high-pitched dormers.  It was a great walk on a beautiful day and we plan to do more.