Oftentimes we book vacations for far-off lands while ignoring the regions right in our backyard. These local gems are filled with people who are proud of where they live and are passionate about what they do. They strive to make their communities a better place by making sure that everyone who visits leaves with lasting memories. One such place is Durham Region, a municipality a little northwest of Toronto. This unique part of Ontario is filled with small farms, restaurants, markets, and the friendliest people you’d find anywhere.
If you’re itching for a weekend road trip through Ontario then the rural routes of Durham Region should be on your list.
Keep reading to find out more about them and to meet some of the folks you might encounter along the way.
Rural Routes Of Durham Region
Durham Region is a massive 2535 square kilometres and is dotted with small towns and villages. The routes are essentially “loops” that are run by the businesses who’ve gotten together to create them. They’re charged a nominal fee to be part of the route so that their businesses or products can be featured. They are made up of six itineraries suited for weekend road trips or cycling adventures in Ontario and along each of the routes visitors will be able to stop at unique businesses, art studios, historical sites, farm markets, breweries, cideries, and other various attractions.
The most important thing about these businesses is that they’re local to the core, run by people who are passionate about promoting their region. Farmers who work the farms they grew up on, fruit wine makers, and many others.
As you’ll see, the people are the heartbeat of this region so let’s meet some of them.
Tyrone Mills
Tyrone Mills can be found along the ‘Country Path’ route. You might even drive by this quaint little mill without knowing that you’re passing a unique part of Ontario history. Robert Shafer and his wife, France, purchased Tyrone Mills back in 1979 and have been running it ever since.
France & Robert Shafer
Walking into Tyrone Mills is like taking a step back in time. Inside you’ll find a historic mill that has been running since 1846, the oldest in Ontario. Tyrone Mills has been water-powered since day one and it remains that way up to today.
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- Robert Shafer in his workshop
Initially, Robert focused on lumber milling but over time he started milling specialty flours such as buckwheat, red fife, rice, ezekiel, and traditional white flour. While lumber and flour are still available, it’s the apple cider doughnuts that are bringing in most people. According to Robert, “the best thing I ever did was putting in that donut machine”.
Archibald Orchards & Winery
Archibald Orchards And Winery is another stop along the Country Path Route in Durham Region. The business is run by Fred and Sandy Archibald. Both Fred and Sandy left the corporate world in 1981 to focus on growing their multi-generational family business. At that time Fred was an urban planner and Sandy a social worker.
Sandy & Fred
Originally they were apple farmers but a couple of consecutive years with hailstorms and damaged crops convinced them that they maybe they should shift their focus. After the first hailstorm they introduced a ‘pick your own’ option at the farm. After the second storm they started looking at other apple-based products. Sandy’s family were Mennonites so she brought her family recipes and they started making pies, dumplings, and other goodies.
Fred’s dad was a Director Of Research at a Niagara winery. It was something that he had always had an interest in, so all these apples coupled with the wine-making knowledge helped him start making fresh apple cider as another product to add to their lineup, however the cider never fully sold out. Their solution was to get their wine-making license and turn that leftover cider into wine, and they’ve been doing that for 27 years.
The Sunflower Farm
One of the most popular stops along the Backroads Of Brock route is The Sunflower Farm. During the pandemic, Ursula Kressibucher also decided to ditch the corporate life and create a 20-acre sunflower farm in a field in Beaverton, Ontario.
Ursula Kressibucher
On my visit the field was filled with sunflowers as far as the eye could see. Seen from above, the trails through the fields form the shape of a sunflower. As a matter of fact, it’s Canada’s only sunflower-shaped trail! Knowing that sunflowers bloom for a short period of time Ursula staggered her plantings so that she’d have flowers for longer. When the petals finally fall, Ursula harvests the sunflower seeds for bird seeds and also offers other programs such as outdoor yoga and bouquet workshops.
The farm is very popular with photography sessions and are usually booked solid. For families, Ursula keeps the little ones in mind with a small petting zoo that has a couple of goats that love being held. We met a milky white kid called Feta who was the hit of the day as she went from person to person seeking out hugs.
Lavender Blu
Lavender Blu can be found on the Sideroads of Scugog route near Lake Scugog. This is another of the many family-run businesses that visitors can find along the rural routes of Durham Region. The property is owned by Ludmila Haynes-Owen and her family.
Ludmila Haynes-Owen
Apart from the hundreds of lavender plants, visitors can find an artist workshop/studio, a small berry farm, a hobby farm, and spots where visitors can sit and relax. They also make lavender-based products such as essential oils, cosmetics, and even lavender products for cooking.
No fertilizers are used as there’s a lot of wildlife in and around the garden. In addition to no fertilizers, there are also no irrigation systems in place throughout the property. According to Ludmila “We rely on the rains of Mother Nature to help us grow everything”. Clearly Mother Nature is really doing her part!
Tindall Farm Market
One the Leaskdale Loop Route is another family-owned farm, Tindall Farm. This 360-acre farm is home to a surprisingly modest building that houses the Tindall Farm market.
Throughout the year they produce hundreds of thousands of pounds of vegetables. According to owner Karyn Tindall, they grow 100 acres of pumpkins, 250,000 pounds of cabbage, and 250,000 pounds of broccoli as well as kale, lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes.
The farm is multi-generational, originally started by her husband’s grandfather. Their produce ends up in grocery stores around the province as well as the Ontario Food Terminal. Karen is responsible for turning their produce into other popular products. For example, on the morning we visited she was making strawberry jam from strawberries left over from an earlier harvest. When she’s not making jam, she’s baking from scratch, and these goodies are also sold in the market.
Disclosure: This article is a sponsored post in partnership with Durham Region and The Blogger Collective. As always all opinions expressed above are 100% our own very own.
