Hockley Valley Resort

Late spring is the perfect time for a visit by car, yesterday, my colleagues Vanessa, Khurram and I set to verify the countryside around Toronto. Neither one of my co-explorers has lived in Canada for very long, so they have not really had the chance to explore areas outside the Big Smoke. So this was their first opportunity to venture into the hinterland that surrounds our big city.

After leaving the frenzy of 16 lanes of Highway 401 and a short ride on the 410 we drove into the countryside north of Brampton Ontario. The landscape began to open up - farms, fields and forests have begun to appear. The serene rolling hills north of the capital of Ontario is a subtle beauty to them and I started hearing comments like "it's like a picture book", "this would be an ideal place to spend a weekend, "etc. The scenery around Hockley Valley and the hills moraines further north offer quite breath-taking view of the agricultural countries of Ontario.

Our first stop was the village of Creemore, a small village nestled in the Mad River Valley, surrounded by purple hills. The village's history dates back more than a century, originally to provide Toronto with the necessary wood and later, the supply of pigs. One of the main attractions today is the Creemore Springs Brewery, a popular Ontario micro-brewery. After a local breakfast with tea and scones, we crossed the street to check the brewery, and even if two of us are not beer drinkers, we still had fun learning about the brewing process, combining hops, barley and various other ingredients. We admired the brewing kettles, two made of stainless steel and copper. Creemore Springs is a premium lager and during the winter, brewers also come with a "Urbock" version for the holidays.

With our knowledge of beer appropriately increased, we continued on our drive country, slowly approaching the area of the Niagara Escarpment in southern Ontario more geological feature. We stopped in the tiny hamlet of Glen Huron (population 51) where we admired the ancient mill of the Hamilton Brothers, which dates all the way to 1874. Just a few steps was a picturesque water wheel (cheekily fed by a water hose instead of a real river ...).

On a hilly area south of Collingwood we stopped to enjoy the panoramic view that extends all the way to Georgian Bay and then we continued in the town of Collingwood, a place that has really become popular in recent years. Collingwood's Blue Mountain Ski Hill Nearby, ski resort the largest in Ontario, and its location on Georgian Bay make it a destination four-season recreation. In recent years, the ski facilities were improved and a full European-style village is waiting at the bottom of the ski slope. Downtown Collingwood presents more than 300 shops and restaurants, waiting to serve discerning travelers.

Our day was short for we proceeded eastward to Wasaga Beach, with a length of 14 km of beach on the world's longest freshwater. Around the white sandy beach are many miles of hiking, biking, skiing and snowmobile trails. In addition, Wasaga Beach is also a favorite destination for beach volleyball players. We left the car, and in windy windy day (it could not have been more than 12 degrees Celsius) you definitely need a warm jacket windbreaker. I admired the para-sailing, daredevils who braved the cold waves of Georgian Bay.

The highlight of our day was yet to come: after a veritable traffic jam in the city of Barrie, we sneaked into the town of Orillia, just in time to do it on the Island Princess, Orillia famous double-decked river cruise style, capable of holding 230 passengers. On that cold and rainy growing the future, there were only a dozen of us, but we enjoyed the visit told around Lake C.