Day 6 - Friday 24th August 2012

Huntsville to Bancroft

Time to move on, but Rosie is keen to get the last little bit of free wi-fi from the hotel.

We drove into town and spent the morning looking in shops up and down Main Street. This is the town hall.

A memorial outside the town hall to Tom Thompson, an influential Canadian artist from these parts.

After lunch sitting by the Muskoka River, Aid and Meld took a boat trip (down the river and round Fairy Lake) while the girls relaxed in the park.

The swing bridge (although it no longer swings).

Flowers in the park.

From the boat we saw the steam railway - once the shortest commercial railway in the world - which effected a portage between Fairy Lake and Lake of the Bays.

The loco is turned on a turntable.

Out into the lake.

The waterfront properties are pretty grand - this is just a boathouse.

One-up-man-ship when all our neighbours have boats?

Many of the houses were half concealed in trees, but not this one.

OK, we're used to trees in English parkland having flat bottoms where the animals eat the foliage - but over the lake?? Answer: in winter, the deer come out on the ice and eat it!

Many of the properties are backed by thick forest.

An island retreat.

The Muskoka River viewed from the park.

Bridget relaxing, looking at the view above.

The train leaving again (sorry about picture quality - it was in deep shade).

Our boat returning to port.

Our boating route

We then got frozen refreshments and sat in the park to eat them.

A quick game of draughts?

And then we were on our way east, through the Algonquin Park. We saw a few cars stopped - they were looking at mum and baby moose!!

A little further on we stopped at lake of Two Rivers.

And then, on to Bancroft. We're staying in a Best Western motel - strangest place (that probably applies to Bancroft itself!) and sadly the riding place we'd come here for is closed for the weekend! Oh well...

Today's route