Kawartha Lakes

About 2 hours north of Toronto lies the beautiful Kawartha Lakes, home to more than 250 lakes and rivers. We headed up there for the weekend with the friends we are staying with, for some very much needed disconnect time. The cottage has been in their family for over 50 years and looks out over 4 Mile Lake. It feels totally remote and isolated despite there being a few neighbours not too far away.

We sat and read books by the fire almost all weekend with only a couple of drives to the nearby towns to have a look around. It was peaceful and felt really special to have been invited into a family home that is so treasured by all who stay there.

We discovered butter tarts for the first time (not sure how that’s possible, I am the worst Canadian!) we sampled the most delicious Ontario peach tart (heaven!) and indulged in a cheese platter to die for.

Our timing was perfect, a lot of cottages in this area are only ‘open’ in the summer months as they’re not equipped to handle the winter weather. They get lots of snow up here and the pipes can easily freeze if you’re not careful(!) It felt snuggly to be inside but not so cold that we couldn’t enjoy the view from the porch or the stars at night from the dock down by the lake.

And it was another opportunity for Jack to take some amazing photos - the Canadian scenery just keeps on giving.