Poonamalie Circuit

Sun. 9 August:  Poonamalie Circuit

Stile at the end of Poonamalie Side Road

It’s an unusual, curious name, and it took me a while to get the pronunciation right.  Apparently, it’s Poona-ma-lee, named by one of the canal builders for a place in India.   

Starting in Port Elmsley I would bike along Highway 43 towards Smiths Falls, before turning right down the long and straight Poonamalie Side Road.  At the end of the road I would travel the Rideau Trail by foot through the woods and fields back to the start.  The map showed that, not far to my left, was the Lower Rideau Lake, and Poonamalie Dam and Rideau Canal lock of the same name, but this was all hidden by the trees.

Our local highways are not designed for cyclists.  Often, there’s a white line along the edge of the paved surface, and then just soft gravel. On a busy road such as this, the only safe way to do it was early on a Sunday morning, which is what I did.  Nevertheless, I was relieved to turn onto the quiet Poonamalie side road.  At the end of the road, I hid my bike and set out into the woods, in a westerly direction. 

This was the final section of trail to check, and it wasn’t in great shape.  Tall grasses and colorful weeds – luckily not wild parsnip - had grown up along the way, and the prickly ash and hawthorn was quickly closing in from both sides.  I did a lot of trimming with my secateurs along the route, but it needs the heavy duty brush cutters.  Last year, some kind – and anonymous – person had cleared this section, but this year it will be up to us.

It was a perfect morning for a walk, with clear skies and temperatures in the high teens (Celsius).  Despite there being no views, it was a pleasant mystery tour through a waist-high sea of yellow and purple, and a constant challenge to spot the next red triangle sign.

The trail turned north and onto a good farm track through the fields, then into the woods on a rutted trail that was still muddy despite the hot summer weather.  And so back to the start. 

Here at Port Elmsley the Tay River meanders past the road, its banks fringed by tall reeds – a perfect setting for the artist.  This author not being an artist, made do with his cheap camera.

Note:  single-click on the first picture above to scroll through the photos separately.  Also, see the Map at the end

Statistics:

Total Distance:      9.4 km (bike) + 4.7 km (hike) = 14.1 km

Height Gain:         55 ft.

Time on Trail:       2 hrs. 14 mins.

Station Rd:           7.05 am

Hwy 43/Poon’Rd: 7.24 am

End Poon’Rd:       7.35 am

Port Elmsley:        9.11 am

Ret. to car:           9.19 am

Temp:                  +12C rising to +19C

Weather:              Sunny

Spot the tiny red triangle at the far end of this field

Into the woods

Tall grasses hiding the trail

Trail BEFORE maintenance

Trail AFTER maintenance!!

Lots of yellow but NO wild parsnip

Emerging into the fields south of Port Elmsley (NO wild parsnip)

Along a muddy trail, now mostly dry

Old farm buildings

Port Elmsley

Tay River

Today's route