Canada: Charter cruise on the Kawartha Lakes

Read the first part of our travel report on the Trent-Severn Waterway here:

• Canada: Charter cruise on the Trent-Severn Waterway

My gaze alternately wanders from the next buoy I'm aiming for to the map and back again. We carefully make our way from one sea mark to the next, winding our way through countless small islands and rocks, some of which protrude only a few centimetres out of the water, worryingly close to the fairway. A breathtaking sight that all too quickly tempts us to let our gaze wander and be distracted by the buoy line.

Heaven and hell so close

We pass the legendary Hell's Gate. A passage that we were warned about when we picked up the boat a few days ago. It is not without reason that the passage from Clear Lake to Stony Lake has been given this respect-inspiring name. The glorious September sun makes the island world seem like paradise and belies how quickly you can lose your way a few fatal metres when visibility is poor. In the middle of the "Gates of Hell", a piece of heaven suddenly appears: a white wooden church, only slightly smaller than the rock itself, sits enthroned on a flat rock to the left.

The 111-year-old St Peter's on-the-Rock is only accessible by boat. It was built after the first wealthier families from the city began to enjoy holidays at the end of the 19th century. More and more people flocked north by train, coach and steamboat to spend their summers on the shores of the Kawartha Lakes. The devout Anglicans did not want to do without their Sunday church service, so they quickly built a place of worship on one of the many rocky islands.

The Kawartha Lakes: pure Canada

As we leave Hell's Gate behind us, I breathe a sigh of relief. The most difficult passage is over. Ahead of us lies a chain of lakes stretching westwards with an area of around 2,500 square kilometres, countless islands and densely wooded shores. We start with Stony Lake. The most easterly of the Kawartha Lakes lives up to its name: stones protrude from the water everywhere. It is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway. After the first part of our charter trip with the houseboat provider Le Boat, we followed the narrow canal with its many locks from Peterborough via Lakefield to Young's Point, the next few days await us with vastness and pure nature. We are in Ontario's Cottage Country, a popular excursion and holiday destination for many Canadians about two hours' drive north-east of Toronto.

Our destination for today is Lock 28 at Burleigh Falls. Where the water from Lower Buckhorn Lake to the west flows through a rocky narrow section towards Stony Lake, the rapids were a major obstacle when the Trent-Severn Waterway was built. And so a 190 metre long lock channel was blasted into the solid granite rock north of the falls. The lock, which compensates for a height difference of 7.30 metres, was completed in 1887. There used to be two four metre high barrages here. Since these were merged into a double hydraulic lock, there is no longer a number 29. Compared to the smaller locks we have passed so far, the huge steel gates here seem enormous.

Burleigh Falls: Hidden paradise behind the motorway

However, when we reach the lock at around 4.30 pm, it is already closed. The jetty just before the entrance belongs to the Burleigh Falls Inn, a traditional hotel and restaurant dating back to 1857. The moorings are for hotel guests only and overnight stays on the boats are prohibited. We moor in the lower part of the lock at the waiting area. There is no electricity or sanitary facilities, just a small picnic area with a fire pit. As we disembark, we are greeted by the piercing cries of "Tschip!" from some indignant chipmunks.

A steep staircase leads to the upper waiting area. There is electricity and a toilet block on the other side, but both are locked and the camper car park is deserted. Our walk takes us over the busy bridge of Ontario Highway 28, which is anything but idyllic. Our first view of the waterfalls, with the trucks roaring past us, is sobering. But after following a small path through the undergrowth, we reach a quiet spot with the literally intoxicating sight of the rapids carving their way over and through the rocks.

Rain, pancakes and heartache

The next morning it rains cats and dogs. As we have to wait for the lock to open at 10 a.m., we treat ourselves to a cosy Canadian pancake breakfast, including the obligatory Canadian maple syrup, of course. The rain doesn't bother us at all during the crossing of Lovesick Lake. On the contrary, we were actually hoping for it, because according to our travel guide, the "Ports Cruising Guide", a special natural spectacle can be observed on a rainy day: This is when the wet granite rocks glow a brilliant pink colour.

And so, despite the overcast sky, we initially enjoy the crossing across the lake, which owes its name to a legend of the First Nations, the indigenous peoples of Canada. According to popular legend, Polly Cow, the beautiful daughter of Chief Jack Cow, fell madly in love but was rejected. Broken-hearted, she fled to a desert island on the lake, where she almost died of lovesickness. Lovesick Lock is not yet in sight when the first flashes of lightning appear on the dark horizon. A thunderstorm is approaching. The rain is getting heavier and our windscreen wipers can barely cope with the masses of water. We count the seconds between lightning and thunder: four seconds to go.

When we finally reach the lock, I am sorry that the two young lock keepers have to emerge from their protective shelter for us and set the cranks of the hand-operated gates in motion. Lock 30 on the Trent-Severn Waterway separates Lovesick Lake from Lower Buckhorn Lake and lies between Millage Island and Wolf Island. We would actually like to explore the small island, which requires crossing an adventurous causeway, but the rain forces us to take a break. Hoping that the storm will clear quickly enough for us to arrive in Buckhorn in time for the last lock, we wait for a rain-free time slot for the crossing.

Buckhorn: Canada in the off-season

In view of the fact that we had already had neither electricity nor sanitary facilities for two nights, we booked into Buckhorn Yacht Harbour for the evening. When we reach Lock 31 just in time in the afternoon, we find out that we would have had electricity here too and that the overnight stay - as at all locks along the Trent-Severn Waterway - would have been free of charge. In the marina further south, which we head for, we pay 100 Canadian dollars, the equivalent of around 62 euros, for the night and have a 20-minute walk into the town from here, while we would have already been "in the middle of the action" at the lock. However, the latter is very modest, at least now that the main season is over. Apart from a few properties in the forest that we cross on the way to the village, the centre of Buckhorn consists of not much more than a dozen buildings, all of which are obviously designed for tourists and seem to be half in hibernation.

The canoe club, restaurant and ice cream parlour are closed. But we find some nice souvenirs in the lovingly designed craft shop in the old village church and drink a pumpkin spice latte in the Boathouse near the lock, which houses a café upstairs as well as a boutique on the ground floor. Buckhorn has only 150 year-round residents and lives mainly from the cottagers and boaters, i.e. Canadians who own summer houses or boats up here.

The Canadian Shield: the stone back of Canada

The town's supermarket is spectacularly located on the back of a large granite rock. An impressive example of how the landscape here is characterised by the Canadian Shield, one of the oldest and largest rock formations in the world, which covers almost half of the country.

With an estimated age of up to four billion years, it looks like the exposed memory of the earth. Endless expanses of grey and reddish rock lie open, polished smooth by the ice of millennia and criss-crossed by cracks in which water has collected. Ontario's lakes were formed during and after the last ice age and form the boundary between the rugged granite rock in the north and the hilly, heavily forested landscape in the south.

Other impressive witnesses to the Ice Age are the Adam and Eve Rocks, huge granite boulders that we pass on our way between the marina and the town centre. A local legend says that couples who hold hands while touching the rocks will experience eternal love.

Fog, locks and cruise planning in the low season

The next morning starts with dense fog. It is out of the question to continue our journey for the time being. Throughout the morning, we plan, rethink and discard several times before making a decision: This is the turning point for us. After all, it would be a three-hour one-way journey to Bobcaygeon. In view of the fog, we wouldn't be able to set off until around midday at the earliest. That would mean that we would only have two days to get back to Peterborough, and the locks are only open from 10 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. in mid-September.

Even though we don't actually have to hand over the boat until Friday morning, we have to manage the last lock at Peterborough the day before. And the weather is unpredictable, as we have learnt so painfully over the past two days. So it's better to relax and enjoy another two days. Once the decision has been made, we set off full of anticipation as the sky opens up at around 12 noon. Our destination is Lovesick Lock on Wolf Island, where our visit on the way there was cut short due to the rain.

After yesterday's rain, Lower Buckhorn Lake is in full colour today. On the small islands, crooked pines and spruces cling to the bare rock, their roots barely finding a foothold in the crevices of the ancient rock. The southern shores, on the other hand, are densely forested and have become noticeably more colourful in the few days since our departure. The blue sky and white clouds are reflected on the smooth surface of the lake, fishing boats are moored between the islands and colourful wooden cottages with jetties invite you to dream. Having a cottage like this, a little island, that would be great.

One desert island - without a bear please

We reach Lovesick Lock at around 2 p.m., this time in perfect weather. Nothing stands in the way of our hike across Wolf Island. However, following a note in the guidebook, we ask the porter beforehand how likely it is that we will encounter a bear.

Her answer is probably intended to reassure us, but still sounds adventurous: "Oh, we saw the last one in May." It's probably just too crowded here in summer: in the high season, it's supposed to be teeming with boats. The stay is therefore limited to one night. Now, however, our Horizon 2 is the only boat at the wall. And at 3.30 pm, the two lock keepers disappear with their small work boat. We are alone. There is no electricity, but we are told to keep all doors and windows closed at night and to keep all rubbish on board and take it with us. Firstly because the park staff would otherwise have to transport it to the mainland. But above all because of the wild animals. Once a bear, lured by food, actually tried to board a boat ... It's still 25 degrees. As the sun sets, we sit on the aft deck of our Horizon with a cold Canadian beer in our hands and enjoy being alone. Except for the sound of the weir, the chirping crickets and the chirping chipmunks, silence reigns.

Who would have thought that even the bathing ladder would be used again on a Canadian trip at the end of the season. But surprisingly, the water is still pleasantly warm. When another thunderstorm rolls in in the evening, we make ourselves comfortable in the saloon and bake pizza while the rain pours down and thunder rolls in the distance. When we've been cruising in Europe so far, we've often gone out to eat or spontaneously bought groceries. I'm glad that we've drawn up a meal plan for the whole week and have enough provisions. The vast majority of our overnight stops were far away from supermarkets or restaurants.

Canada: wilderness, vastness and friendliness

The next day, we are greeted at Burleigh Falls by the same lock keeper who was on duty yesterday with his colleague at the Lovesick lock: "Welcome back, ladies! Did you have a bearfree night?" he asks with a grin. And that's how it goes for us over the next two days in practically every lock all the way to Peterborough. Everywhere we go, we are greeted with a friendly "Welcome back, ladies!" and asked how our trip was. It's hard to find an answer that does justice to what we experienced. In the end, it was the perfect mix: breathtaking nature and nerve-wracking passages were well balanced with many relaxing moments of tranquillity. On the way back, many things no longer seem quite so awe-inspiring and we can enjoy the view of this unique landscape more intensely.

We pass Hell's Gate and the church on the rock - has it really only been three days since we passed here, via Stony Lake and Clear Lake? The leaves on the trees have become even more colourful in the last few days, and as we slowly make our way back through the narrow canal and the familiar locks from Lakefield into the hustle and bustle of Peterborough, we realise that the last few days in the countryside have taken us as far away from the action as these days ever could. In the vastness and wilderness of Canada, you can still find a precious treasure: the freedom to leave the world behind, at least for a while.

Area information Canada

Charter

Le Boat specialises in licence-free houseboat holidays in Europe and Canada. The fleet comprises around 900 houseboats, which are available in several comfort classes for two to twelve people. There are plans to expand the fleet to 1,300 boats over the next few years. Le Boat currently offers 18 cruising areas in nine countries, including Germany, France, Ireland and Canada.
More information on: leboat.com

The boat

The Horizon 2 is part of Le Boat's premium series. It is equipped with two double cabins and two bathrooms. There is a spacious, bright saloon with large sliding glass doors to the bathing platform. There is also a large sun deck with an outdoor sunbed, sunbathing area, table, barbecue and an outdoor shower. Thanks to the bow and stern thruster, she is - like all Le Boat houseboats - easy to manoeuvre and also suitable for holidaymakers without a boating licence or experience. Length: 11.50 m, width: 4.20 m.

Precinct

The area is licence-free. The locks are open from May to October. In the low season, however, they are restricted, sometimes only from 10 am to 3.30 pm. To indicate the intention to lock, moor at the blue marker at the waiting area. There are cables in the chambers to guide the lines. A vignette in the windscreen saves charter guests the fee. Overnight stays at the locks are free of charge for a maximum of two nights.

Literature

"Ports Cruising Guide: 2021 Trent Severn & Lake Simcoe", 47.95 CAD (approx. 29 euros); The travel guide lists marinas, anchorages, locks, restaurants, petrol stations and supply options and includes GPS coordinates, a practical distance table and aerial photos.

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