Sat./Sun.
24/25 June: Surrounded (the Rideau Trail in Kingston)
Note: click on pictures for full size view.
We’ve
surrounded Kingston!
This
might sound like a battle cry during the War of 1812, but luckily there’s a more
positive explanation.
Two
weeks ago, on June 10th, a new trail was officially opened in
Kingston: the K&P urban trail. This closely follows the route of the old “Kick
and Push” (Kingston and Pembroke) rail line from the north end of the city, right
down to the waterfront at City Hall. This
route has been designated by the Rideau Trail Association as the latest side
trail (marked by blue RTA signs to differentiate it from the main trail, which
has orange markers).
This
now means that the Rideau Trail completely encircles the City of Kingston, on a
twenty five kilometre loop.
Last
weekend we walked the entire loop. On
the Saturday we hiked from Sydenham Road in the northwest, down the main Rideau
Trail, along the spectacular Lake Ontario waterfront, to Kilometre 0 in front of City Hall,
and then further, on the K&P, to the old woolen mill beside the Cataraqui
River.
The
next day we started at the same point (Sydenham Road) and completed the first
official hike along the new urban trail, all the way down to the
waterfront. We repeated some of the
route from the previous day, making almost thirty kilometres walking in
total. The full circular route (with no
repeats) is closer to twenty five kilometres.
I
have included a few random photos taken during the hike, with my “point and
shoot” camera. I hope these will inspire
many people to discover this spectacular and fascinating circuit around one of Canada’s
most beautiful and historical cities.
Here
are two earlier blog references: my 2014
hike along the Rideau Trail from km 0 at City Hall; and my 2015 exploration of
the urban K&P route.
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| A gigantic freight train thunders past as we exit platform 2 at Kingston rail station This must be the most incongruous section of the entire Rideau Trail! |
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| An offer to tired hikers? |
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| The breathtaking views across Lake Ontario |
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| Portsmouth Harbour and the old Kingston Penitentiary (now a museum) |
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| Seven kilometres of beautiful Lake Ontario shoreline... |
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| ...on a windy day |
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| The lake is overflowing after recent floods |
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| Kingston and the City Hall |
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| Beside the Cataraqui River at Doug Fluhrer Park |
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| This heron (left) is about to take off |
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| Our team of hikers on the first official trip along the new K&P urban trail (standing on the only genuine piece of K&P rail line remaining today). |
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| The full circuit of Kingston is twenty five kilometres |
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