Thurs.
30 October: The Rideau Trail:
Richmond
(17A) to Robertson Road (18E)
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| Leaving the forests behind - or so I thought |
My previous walk had brought me to the northern edge
of Richmond, on the bus route to Ottawa, and within easy commuting distance of
the City. This was still open
country. The forests had given way to farmland. Finally, I thought, I had
emerged from the wilderness. From here
to the end of my journey I would simply stroll through a flat suburban
landscape, along increasingly busy city streets.
I was wrong.
Not only would I discover gentle hillsides with wide views of the open
country. I would also wander through
some of the prettiest woodland along the entire trail, arriving in the City as
if by stealth.
Today’s journey started at the eastern end of Richmond,
close to a handy Tim Horton’s (civilization indeed!). The school buses were picking up the kids
along the street as I marched northwards into the country. Initially the trail stays away from the
roads, heading in a northeasterly direction across a road allowance between
large, flat fields. Farmers were out
making the most of the good weather. The
tall corn was being cut down, and in one field a long plastic drain pipe was
being laid and then buried by two ingenious pieces of machinery.
Reaching the Old Richmond Road, I turned
northwards. This was busy with speeding
commuters on the way to work. Running
parallel to the road was the Jock River.
This gently flowing river was named after an unfortunate man called Jacques
who drowned in it. I suppose the name
was simply anglicized (or is it scottified?).
The Rideau Trail is shown as following the east bank of the river,
leading to a seasonal bridge. However, I
had learned that the bridge was not installed this year, so I followed the
alternate route on the western bank, beside the busy road. I soon discovered that the bridge might just
be navigable by the clever use of a couple of planks of wood, but I didn’t try
it.
Just before reaching the bridge, I stopped at a stone
cairn, erected beside the highway to commemorate the fourth Duke of Richmond. In 1819 he died here of rabies, having been
bitten several weeks earlier by a pet fox.
The Duke was an interesting man.
He must have been quite controversial, as he survived two duels. After fighting in the Napoleonic Wars he was
sent to Canada as Governor General of “British North America”. Here his life was cut short, and now this
lonely cairn is a memorial to his death.
My trail continued northwards along Steeplehill
Crescent, a quiet side road, passing beside several large farms. Here the countryside had risen slightly,
giving some surprisingly good views westwards to the flat farmland and distant
forests. The road curved around to the
left, as it arrived at the busy Fallowfield Road. At the junction sat a church with a graceful
spire. This was Fallowfield United Church,
and the village of the same name lay just beyond.
Behind the church was a slight rise of land. I bypassed the village through woods and
fields, coming back out onto Old Richmond Road.
This rise of land was perhaps less than a hundred feet, but it was
enough to give widespread views to the west and southwest, all the way back to Richmond
and my earlier route. Beyond the
farmland I could see the northern edges of the Marlborough Forest.
As I walked beside the busy road, I could see ahead of
me a road junction: traffic lights,
street lamps, new houses being built, and a McDonalds! Finally I had hit the city. But no!
Just before reaching this so-called civilization, my trail turned
abruptly to the right, and into the trees.
This is called Stony Swamp Conservation Area. I had been saved by the Greenbelt.
From this point on, with a few short exceptions, I
followed woodland trails all the way to the city. In fact, I passed through some of the
prettiest forest along the entire Rideau Trail.
I met no other people, except for a young family at the boardwalk just
to the west of Old Richmond Road, where there is an access point and car park. I seemed to be following the top of a gentle
height of land, where the path wandered through an open forest. There were jets overhead, taking off from the
airport, and the sound of busy traffic beyond the woods, but apart from that, I
could have been far from civilization.
Eventually a large condominium structure loomed up
behind the trees and the trail came out into reality. Here was Robertson Road, at one time the
Trans-Canada Highway, and now a busy city street. At this point the Rideau Trail meets the Trans-Canada
Trail, and they cross the street on a large abandoned railway bridge. From here to the end of the trail, exactly
twenty five kilometres distant, I would be walking along city pathways.
Statistics:
Total Distance: 18.9 km* (hike)
Height Gain: Say 100 ft.
Time on Trail: 4 hrs. 32 mins.
Shea Road: 8.35 am
Shea/Garvin (17A): 8.49 am
Eagleson Rd(17B): 9.04 am
Cambrian Rd (17C): 9.31 am
Steeplehill Cr (17D): 9.51
am
Fallowfield Rd (17E): 10.45 am
Hope Side Rd (18A): 11.25 am
Lime Kiln Jn (18B): 11.46 am
P6 Parking Lot (18C): 12.10 pm
Blue Loop Jn (18D): 12.39 pm
Robertson Rd (18E): 1.07 pm
Temp: ZeroC to +6C
Weather: Cloudless => mostly cloudy; cold N.wind
*17.5 km on RT
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| Busy skies again today |
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| Throwing a long shadow across history: the monument to the Duke of Richmond who died here in 1819 of rabies after being bitten by a pet fox! |
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| Jock River bridge out of service - or is it? |
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| I had taken the blue trail to bypass the bridge |
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| Pretty park where the Jock River turns eastwards |
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| Large farms on each side of Steeplehill Crescent |
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| Fallowfield Church below Steeple Hill |
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| Surprisingly good views back towards Richmond |
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| Saved by the Greenbelt! |
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| Some of the finest woodland along the entire trail |
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| Not many leaves left to fall |
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| The boardwalk off Old Richmond Road: popular place for a stroll |
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| Arriving in the city as if by stealth |
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| Suddenly it's Ottawa: Robertson Road |
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| From here on, it's city pathways |
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| Walking out onto the streets of Ottawa to catch my bus back to Richmond |
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| Curtain closing on another great hike: on the road back to Perth |
