Driving along Highway 7 west toward Madoc, we blend into the traffic dotted with those pulling camping trailers and hauling canoes as cottage country calls them north on their seasonal pilgrimage.

An impromptu stop at Potter Settlement Artisan Winery eased us into relaxation.

The windy gravel road off Highway 7 leading us to the picturesque Tweed winery, transports us to a simpler time. Owner Sandor Johnson’s enthusiasm and knowledge of wine guides us through an entertaining and informative tasting with a theatrical quality. 

You’ll want to wait for the “Greatest Wine and Cheese Story Ever Told,” which blends the story behind the winery’s prized Portáge with local lore. No spoilers here. You’ll have to head there to hear the story for yourself.

Hastings County, located at the edge of the Canadian Shield, is the mineral and cheese capital of Canada. The winery’s organically grown grapes, combined with the mineral-rich soil, create truly unique wines.

Pick up a bottle or two of the award-winning wine to pair with dinner on your trip.

Fun Fact:

Potter Settlement Winery's Portáge has won the Potter Settlement Artisan Winery three gold medals at competitions in Madrid, London and Napa, California — making it the only winery in Canada to take all three top honours. 

Before heading further north toward Haliburton, we make a trek off the main highway to Coe Hill, a tiny hamlet named after William Coe of Madoc who formed the Coe Hill Mines Company after the discovery of iron deposits in the area. 

We were there to mine a local gastronomic gem: The Barn Chefs.


Chefs Sarah Woods and Luca Alvarez Molteni believe in good food, handcrafted with natural ingredients. The pair of highly experienced chefs sought out a quieter life with their children after traveling the globe.

You can taste the passion in their food. The family-run business delivers a personal touch - with recommendations that won’t disappoint. Their dry aged steaks are too good to pass up. 


 

 

Insider Tip:

The Barn Chef's cured meats and cheeses are a must to create your own charcuterie board once you get settled in your cabin in cottage country. Pick up the steaks for an elevated dinner in your cabin. It’s worth spending more for quality. If you’re able to go on Saturday, The Barn Chef offers pizza made fresh.

With food and wine secured, we meander north west to secure a slice of solitude at Cabinscape’s Quasi cabin, a remote waterfront cabin on Dog Lake in the Haliburton Forest & Wildlife Reserve. The off-grid cabin is the perfect base camp to unwind after a day of adventuring in the sustainable forest.

There’s no shortage of activity in Haliburton. We hung out among the trees on the longest canopy boardwalk in the world and immersed ourselves with wolves at the iconic Haliburton Forest Wolf Centre. The self-guided tour helped us learn about the forest’s animal inhabitants at our own pace. The wolf pack can be viewed through one-way glass.

The Haliburton Forest & Wildlife Reserve’s tree canopy tour brought us back to the outdoor field trips from our youth. 

We enjoyed the breathtaking views on a four hour-long tour that included a scenic drive through the private forest, a canoe paddle across Upper Pelaw Lake and a guided walk along the Pelaw River Rapids. Our wonderful guide Gary Black, shared his deep knowledge about the forest that surrounded us, peppering us with facts along the way.

Insider's Tip:

Check the hours of the Potter Settlement Artisan Winery, The Barn Chefs and the Haliburton Forest & Wildlife Reserve to plan your trip. If you don’t, you might not be able to visit all stops in one trip. You will need to call ahead for charcuterie boards at the winery and book your canopy tour in advance.

For a slower paced day in town, we wandered to the Haliburton Sculpture Forest in Glebe Park near the village of Haliburton. The forest features a collection of sculptures created by Canadian and international artists. 

A trip to town wasn’t complete without a stop at a local cafe. 

Castle Antiques & Cafe in downtown Haliburton offered us a unique opportunity to sip on a delicious latte and wander through the collection of antiques available for sale. 


With coffees in hand, we sauntered up to Skyline Park to take in the view of the village of Haliburton before heading back for our last night at the cabin deep in the Haliburton forest.

 

Storyteller:

Evelyn Harford

After fleeing the rat race of the city, Evelyn has embraced her new life on 25 acres of land in Lanark Highlands. As a rustic roamer, who likes the slower pace of country life, you can find her at local farmers’ markets and wandering the woods that surround her home. When she’s not writing for a local paper or reading the latest news, you can find her at home drinking way too much coffee, eating far too many butter tarts (or whatever treat she’s baked that week), and musing about how she can live a more sustainable life.

Summer