Tour Number 8

            Today’s trip is to the village of Vankleek Hill, about an hour east of Ottawa. If you have the time and perseverance, you could include it as part of Tour # 7 to Pointe Fortune. The quickest way to get to Vankleek Hill is to take HWY # 417 east toward Montreal. Take exit 27 and head north on Hwy # 34 toward Hawkesbury. Vankleek Hill is about 6 kms. As you enter the village, you will come to a traffic light. Turn right on Main Street and begin the tour.  From our house in Blackburn Hamlet it was exactly one hour to the village.

Vankleek Hill bills itself as “The Gingerbread Capital of Ontario”, referring to the architectural decorations on the older homes, not the sweet confections! The Gingerbread style of architecture is a type of lattice or fretwork decoration with many interesting variations on the houses.  This and the murals make a very interesting walking tour and some good photo opportunities, so be sure to take your camera.

Most of the shops along Main Street have copies of a brochure detailing the sites to visit, including several large murals located on the outside walls of the buildings.  Most of the murals depict an earlier time in the town.  We recommend you pick up a brochure, which includes a map, to make sure you don’t miss anything. There are several arts and crafts studios on Main Street, clothing boutiques, and a large gift shop, the Cottage Gift Shop, with 12 small rooms of assorted gifts.   There is a Farmer’s Market on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the local high school on Hwy 34, at the south end of town.    

If you continue east on Main street, just past the built up area, you come to a flashing light at Terry Fox Drive.  Turn left and on your right in the local industrial park is “Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company”.  Beau’s is a small company run by the Beauchesne family that prides itself on brewing certified organic beers with local spring water. The brewery is open 7 days a week and visitors are welcome.  Beau’s provides an excellent tour from a very knowledgeable guide, and a free sample of the product called “Tractor Lug Beer”!!  If you are interested in craft beer, this is a place to visit; if beer is not your preference, Beau’s is still worth a visit to find out how beer is made.

Another interesting site is “Higginson’s Tower”, just off Hwy # 34 just south of the Main Street traffic light.  The tower was originally built in the 1830’s as the base for a wind powered grist mill.  Lacking sufficient wind to efficiently power the mill, it was converted to be used as a look-out during the Fenian raids, and was eventually enlarged to become an Observatory.  Guided tours with archaeological artifacts on display provide an interesting sidelight to our history.  Seventy steps up to the top of the tower will reward you with a great view of the surrounding countryside.

If the climb up the tower gets you thinking about food, there are a number of options.  We ate at “Mary’s Country Kitchen” at 22 Main Street, which offers light lunches from local ingredients. It is a cozy, small place that only has seating for 12, and does accept reservations (613-678-3984).  Options are limited, but there is always a home-made soup, a selection of deli-type sandwiches, and a variety of meat pies.  Lunch for two was $25.00 with service. There is also The Trillium Tea Room at 111Main Street with the usual sandwiches, desserts, scones and muffins, as well as Blueberry Hill Bistro and Nikko’s Resto-Bar at 16 and 17 High Street respectively, if you feel the need for something more substantial.

For a change of scenery on the way home,  continue North on Hwy # 34 toward Hawkesbury and connect with Hwy. # 17 West which will bring you back to Ottawa through Alfred, Rockland and Cumberland to connect with HWY. # 174 in Orleans.  This drive is quite scenic along the Ottawa River.