My husband and I decided to celebrate my birthday with a Weekend in Fergus. We had a fabulous time.
Initially, I had chosen Elora as a destination. I wanted something close to Guelph since we planned to drop off a cell phone for our son. The Elora Gorge is said to be "one of the most beautiful and spectacular natural areas in the Grand River valley".
Elora hosts a music festival which started Saturday, so all the places I checked were fully booked. I expanded my search to nearby Fergus where I found a room at Breadalbane Inn (pronounced "bruh-DAHL-bun").
Looking for things to do in Fergus, I discovered a map for the Elora Cataract Trailway a 47 km trail which follows an old railway line joining two major watersheds, the Credit River and the Grand River. Perfect - we packed our overnight bags and bikes before heading to Guelph late Saturday morning.
We ate a quick lunch at Tim Horton's on the way to our son's place where we changed into cycling gear before heading to nearby Fergus. We were on the trail by 1:30 p.m. It was a hot day, but nice on the trail with some shade. The trail was very smooth and flat. The only challenge included having to slow down and accelerate at regular intervals to pass through narrow gates and cross roadways.
We rode 40 km from Fergus to Cataract before turning around. I was tired by then, but managed to make it back with only a few stretch breaks and a Gatorade stop. My low back was sore too, so I convinced my husband to apply pressure (push me) some of the way which helped a bit.
On the way back, we stopped for a rest and some photos at Lake Bellwood. Can you see how tired I look? Only 5 km to go, thank goodness!
Dinner at Breadalbane Inn was amazing. On the patio, a stone water feature surrounded by pretty gardens created the perfect ambiance.
Appetizers - a warm beet salad for me and squid for my husband - both excellent choices. I enjoyed the special white wine sangria while my husband drank white wine with dinner.
The duck was delicious. I would recommend it. My husband had margarita pizza which was also very tasty.
After dinner, we strolled around town crossing over bridges where we watched the water rushing past. It was a lovely evening.
Back at the Inn, we had been moved to a larger, more luxurious room because the room we booked was too hot. It was 30 C when we first checked in and not cooling down. We liked the first room, but this room was really spectacular. We were very happy with it.
Breakfast was included with the room and delicious. We chose to have breakfast on the patio where we chatted with the gardener who was planting begonias. Before he retired, he worked in management in Florida. He retired and moved back to Fergus where he now lives in a residence owned by the Inn and maintains the gardens beautifully.
This stone in the garden caught my attention. I love this verse written by St. Frances of Assissi.
The kiss of the sun
for pardon
The song of the birds
for mirth
You are nearer God's heart
in a garden
Than anywhere else
on earth
After breakfast, we took photos of Breadalbane Inn and gardens before heading to Elora.
Elora is also a pretty town with views of the river and rushing water. We checked out some of the cute little shops and boutiques, but didn't have long to explore as we had massages booked in London for 3 p.m.
This building reminded me of the triangular Gooderham Building in Toronto. We'll have to come back again soon. I still want to hike the Elora Gorge and perhaps cycle another section of trail.
Although my husband and I celebrated my birthday with a Weekend in Fergus, my actual birthday was yesterday. My parents invited my in-laws and us for dinner and cake. In our family, birthdays always include cake, candles and making a wish - a family tradition I adore.
Thanks to my family for a lovely birthday party and to my friends for sending birthday greetings on Facebook. I loved reading all of them.
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