Getting to Kingston the pretty way
 

Hi my babies,
Well, our Kingston mini-break is next weekend and I've printed off all your suggestions to take with me.

I'm pretty sure it will be Chez Piggy for dinner (will make a reservation) and PanChancho for lunch, and the farmer's market will be a must for Saturday. Otherwise, we'll wing it.

Now, several people have suggested driving there through Prince Edward County and taking the ferry at Glenora, and I'd love to do that but I can't figure out how to get mappy to give me those directions.

Can anyone give me specific directions from Toronto? We live quite near the 401. I've printed off the ferry schedule (every half hour at this time of year) but if there's anything else you think I need to know about it, I'd appreciate the info.

Thanks so much!

topping for myself

Here's hoping you get weather on the upcoming weekend like we're supposed to have Tues. and Weds. of this week. I hope you like PanChancho; I saw Chez Piggy too and it looked charming...I really should make a return visit to Kingston in '09.

Thanks, Daniel. I think they're both owned by the same people.

goddess

It alldepends on how much time you want to spend getting to Kingston.

The "full" scenic route would start at Port Hope. Leave 401 and follow the old Highway 2 through the towns of Cobourg, Grafton, Colborne, and Brighton as far as Trenton. Then head south on Highway 33 towards Bloomfield and Picton until you reach the Glenora Ferry. You could also take Hwy 64 from Brighton to Carrying Place and then continue on 33.

If you are pressed for time, you should take 401 to Trenton or even further to Belleville, from where you would follow Hwy 62 to Bloomfield and on.

Many of the towns along the way are worth a stop, but if you do so too often, you may never get to Kingston.

I have not paid attention up to now, so this might be repetitive.

But anyway...

Both Port Hope and Cobourg are interesting towns, and you get to them by turning off the 401 just east of Toronto, and following highway two.

Once you get past Cobourg, it makes senses to come back to 401 for a while. HEad backl towards highway two so you go through Trenton, and you can cross over a little canal into Prince EDward County.

My recollection is that the signage is good to Glenora, where you catch the ferry.

In Prince EDward County, the town of Picton is worth driving around in.

My book, written by Katherine Ashenburg and fill of my photos, was about architecture in Ontario towns, and included Port Hope, Cobourg and Picton. Book is out of print, I think, but you may find it in book stores in the three towns.

But without the book, just drive around and enjoy the architecture.

After getting off the ferry, all you do is keep the Lake on your right side and next thing you know you'll be driving into Kingston.

BAK

Thanks very much!

BAK, you have a book with Katherine Ashenburg? What's the title? I have access to the UofT library and maybe it's there. I'd love to see it!

There are wineries in Prince Edward County you may want to visit.

http://www.tastetrail.ca/

http://www.thecountywines.com/

About my book...

Purely by coincidence, I got a royalty statement from my publisher today.

Going to Towh / Architectural Walking Tours of Ten Ontario Towns

Written by KAtherine Ashenburg, photography by me.

Trade PAperback, published by Macfarlane Walter & Ross. List price $23.95

Copies must be available somewhere, because my royalty statement says eight copies have been sold in the first half of 2008, in Canada, and one foeign copy (probably the USA) has been returned.

For anyone curious, I get 48 cents a book for Canadian sales and 40 cents cdn for US sales

Towns are Goderich, St Marys, Stratford, Paris, Niagara on the Lake, Port Home, Cobourg, Picton, Merrickville, and Perth.

It shows up in a Google search, but seems a bit light on giving credit to the photographer, I note.

BAK

I'm definitely looking it up at Robarts, BAK. The name Katherine Ashenburg is so familiar to me. I've looked up her website and nothing looks particularly familiar to me but I must have read something by her in the Globe or Toronto Life.

By the way, the others should know that you're being just a titch modest about Going to Towh / Architectural Walking Tours of Ten Ontario Towns. It won the Ontario Historical Society's award for best regional history.

Goddess, last week I drove to Belleville. We cut down to Highway 2 at Port Hope and went along 2 through the various towns mentioned and really enjoyed it.
Sorry, don't know about the ferry,as we only went as far as Belleville. We really enjoyed seeing the planes at Trenton. One was flying around.

Have a great time.

The ferry ride is short, fun and scenic...there must be a link to the schedule and info about times of operation...surely, it must be year-round but I don't know any details except that we all thoroughly enjoyed the Old Highway 2 route and the ferry when we did this alternate route a couple of years ago.

Hi LJ, hi kodi -- howr ya'll doon!

I did find the ferry schedule and it seems that at this time of year it runs on the hour and the half hour which is just fine.

I hope we get a warm sunny weekend. Our plan is to bundle up, turn the heat on full blast and put the top down on the car. One final hurrah before it gets put away for the winter.

Now if only I could get put away for the winter... :-D