Last week I wrote about some of the (socially distanced) day trips I had been taking this summer. This week I am going to focus on the trip I took to Lochland Botanicals in Milton.
I am a firm believer in the healing power of nature and of gardening. Lochland Botanicals combines both for a unique experience.
The flower farm boasts a wide variety of flowers including calendula, bachelor’s buttons, asters, love lies bleeding, and baby’s breath. There are an impressive amount of herbs—including winter savoury, cilantro, stevia, thyme, and a whole whack of mint varieties—that you can actually sample while you are browsing the offerings. There is also a distillery, where hydrosols instead of essential oils were being distilled. Much as I love essential oils, I am concerned about the viability of our essential oil habit in North America, and so I am intrigued about the use of hydrosols instead. This is a subject I am going to delve into more deeply.
Cardinal flowers
There is an option to “build a bouquet” and take home some of the flowers and/or herbs you admire while you are there. Right now the sunflowers are one of the stars, and I spent a long time in the field.
What trekking have you been up to? I’d love to hear about it.
So what are you doing this summer? I bet it looks a lot different than you planned. We were going to be in Germany for three weeks this year, but our flight was cancelled.
So that meant a summer rewrite. My husband prefers us not to do anything inside, so that means being creative about where we go. Staying home every day is not an option, because then we tend to spend too much time on our devices.
We have managed to have fun during our staycation despite the fact that I need to find outdoor, socially distanced activities.
Beaches
I have found that our favourite place to go is the beach. The beaches we go to though are nothing like the overcrowded ones you may have seen in pictures.
We have been to Port Stanley on Lake Erie several times already. The advantage of this beach is that it is very wide, and there is plenty of space to stake out your territory without coming close to anyone. There is also a restaurant right on the beach where you can eat outside, should you so desire. The main disadvantage to the beach is that parking sucks, likely because it’s free to get in. We have finally discovered that if you park by the boat launch area, you will actually get a space.
The other beach we tried was the day use beach in Pinery Provincial Park on Lake Huron. The beach isn’t as wide, but it is very long, and there were spots available all day long as people came and went. You have to pay to get in, and that may deter some people.
Love the dunes by the beach at the Pinery
The water in both areas was about the same temperature—cold when you first got in, but refreshing when you were in for a while.
Conservation Areas and Trails
We have walked many a trail this summer, despite the fact that the rest of my family are mosquito magnets. Some of our walks have actually become more like runs.
One day we went to Crawford Lake in the Halton Region. Entry is timed and you have to buy a ticket online before you go, so there aren’t any crowds. The walk around the lake is one way now. The long houses have just been reopened too.
My daughter took this picture when we were at Crawford Lake
Another day we went to St. Ignatius Farm in Guelph. This is a little gem that few people know about, so there was almost no one there when we took our walk. I wanted to see the willow dome. Although it wasn’t what I imagined it would be, it was still cool.
Fruit and Flower Farms
We went blueberry picking one day in Milton on Andrews Farm Market and Winery. There was plenty of room on the farm, and so it was easy to social distance. And the berries were a bonus!
One of my favourite trips this summer was to Terre Bleu Lavender Farm in Milton. There was a fun activity for my daughter to do, and the self guided tour included the lavender fields, a distillery, and the apiary. Because we went during the height of the sunflower season, a trip to the sunflower field was also included. Several art pieces make for some fabulous photo shoots, if you are into that sort of thing. Tickets are timed—decreasing crowds—and you can only buy them if you are on their mailing list.
The Yellow Door at Terre BleuNothing like a field of sunflowers to cheer you up
Masks are only needed if you go indoors at any of these places.
What’s been your favourite activity to do this summer?
Shoe's Seeds & Stories 