Canada Trip.co.uk

Of all the animals in the world, the wolf is probably one of the most popular animals.. to at least those who love wildlife. In history it was both man’s best friend and one of man’s hated competitors. In the UK, wolves are extinct.. hunted until every last one had been killed. However in Canada, these awe inspiring animals still survive, and if you go to the right place at the right time you may even be able to experience the haunting howls of these superb creatures.

Gray wolves are slender, powerfully built animals with large, deeply descending ribcages and sloping backs. Their abdomens are pulled in, and their necks heavily muscled. Their limbs are long and robust, with comparatively small paws. The front paws have five toes each, while the back paws have four. The forelimbs are seemingly pressed into the chest, with the elbows pointed inward, and the feet outward. Females tend to have narrower muzzles and foreheads, thinner necks, slightly shorter legs and less massive shoulders than males. Wolves are very strong for their size, possessing sufficient strength to turn over a frozen horse or moose carcass. (more…)

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Posted in Alberta, Algonquin Provincial Park, Canadian Wildlife, Muskoka, Ontario | 3 Comments »

Well, it’s back to all things normal again, and back to Canada to carry on with our usual recommendations of places to see and do!
Somewhere new today! While out last month we headed north to check out a little place called Sundridge, North of Bernard Lake. While we were there we made sure to stop by somewhere which would give us a superb photo opportunity – and it’s one I’d recommend you stop by if you’re in the area!

Where as a couple of our look outs featured have either been low down by Lake Simcoe’s beaches, or high up looking over Minden and the surrounding hills and valley – this combines both height and Bernard Lake to give you a pretty breathtaking change of scenery.
If you approach from the south, travelling north up High Rock Road, you’ll see coming up on the right a lay-by parking area with sign letting you know that you have arrived. This is the best place to park as access to cars isn’t always possible down into the lookout its self.
We visited in the Fall, so there were some impressive displays of colour on show from many of the trees around this area, and actually gave us some of the best shots of the fall colours while we were out there this time round! (more…)

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Posted in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario | No Comments »

Canadian Affair, i guarantee you is THE company which will save you the most money on your trip to Canada!

Every time we have flown to Canada, we have booked our flights with Canadian Affair. My experience with them has been absolutely fantastic. The flights are by Thomas Cook, Air Transat and West Jet and the service on all of these airlines are as you would expect from Canadian Affair’s services amazing. From my experience of flying – i have flown Thomas Cook with Canadian Affair, as well as Air Transat – and here’s why booking flights with the following airlines – with Canadian Affair:
(more…)

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Posted in Canada Trip.co.uk, Ottawa | 2 Comments »

Well, regular readers may know, I’ve only recently returned from Canada a couple of weeks ago. One of the main reasons for going, was to visit Canada, in the month which gave it it’s well known red and white flag ~ Autumn or – Fall.
If there was a country which symbolised a season, Canada would certainly be the country which symbolised Autumn. We decided to go to Canada in the first full week of October, generally it and the following week is the best advised week to go if you want to see fall colour in Ontario – but this is open to speculation as the change in colour can be late or early depending on the year, but this was the week we chose – and it turned out to be perfect.

First let’s think of autumn in the UK. If we were to think of autumnal colours here, we’d think of browns, and yellows, and very very occasionally browny orange and red. In Canada, it would be Yellow, Orange and Red. After seeing what I’ve seen in Canada, even some of the most brightly coloured trees at home here in the UK, are paled into insignificance by the brilliance of the colours that can be seen at this time of year in Canada. The leaves there seem to almost emit light, rather than just reflect it – in dazzling arrays of oranges, yellows and of coarse brilliantly bright red. (more…)

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Posted in Algonquin Provincial Park, Canada Trip.co.uk, Lake Simcoe, Ontario | 2 Comments »

Well, last Tuesday i got back from another trip to Canada, more specifically just north of Toronto, Ontario.
We flew from Manchester to Toronto, having booked the flights about 3 months prior to travelling. Booking through Canadian Affair I’ve always found easy, and when selecting seats, again it’s as simple as clicking the seats you want to reserve and then confirming. Obviously you don’t have to reserve your seats, we simply do it to make sure we get a window seat and we don’t have to worry about where we will be on the plane while we’re waiting to check in our luggage.

A Thomas Cook A330 at Toronto Airport October 2010

When you have paid you will be given a booking reference which you can then use to keep tabs on your flights online. You’ll instantly be able to access a paper version of your invoice, and closer to the date of your flight you’ll find another option. Since Canadian Affair don’t issue you with tickets, they issue you with a “TRAVEL ITINERARY” which is a nice simple sheet of paper which tells you all the information you’ll need for your flights. You’ll need this particular sheet however to check in – so remember passports and this piece of paper and you’re on your way! You can either print the sheet off on your home PC or you can wait for them to send it you in the post.

Some people have asked, do Canadian Affair do online check in? Well unfortunately that’s no, they don’t – however if they ever do offer it i’ll be the first person to let you know since I’d love to give it a go, having never checked in online previously! My personal tips for check in (though i know you’ll all have your own rituals when you’re heading off on holiday) is to get to the airport about 1 hour to 30mins BEFORE your check in desks open – this means you have time to find the check in desks you’re going to be checking in with, and be hopefully the first in the queue – that means you can get through security and go have plenty of time browsing the shops – or what i like to do – relax and have a coffee!

I wont go into the security at Manchester Airport T1 as it has nothing to do with Canadian Affair specifically, no matter who you fly with at Manchester you’ll have to go through security – so if you want to read about my thoughts on Manchester Airport check out my article on it!

Our flight set off 40 minutes late going out to Toronto, this was caused due to the previous flight arriving a late its self. In my experience, you’ll get off on time 9 times out of 10, i’ve only known the flights be late taking off twice in all the time I’ve flown with them.

Now, the flights we took this October were Thomas Cook, and flying on their Boeing 757s there and back. I’ve heard from some people travelling Thomas Cook that the legroom on their planes were terrible, but i can 100% assure you this is NOT the case with the flights Canadian Affair charter. I’m 6ft 5inches tall, and i have absolutely no problem with legroom on these planes. They’re leather seats and pretty comfy! Oh, and if your kids want a good view of the engine if you’re flying on these 757s you’ll want to book the seats from row 7 to around 5 (we were on row 7 and you could see the engine pretty well from there..) (more…)

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Posted in Flights/Car Parking/Hire etc, Toronto | 2 Comments »

One thing you will have to experience while out in Canada, is something everyone in the UK has to have heard of or seen in various movies – the Drive-In Cinema. If you’re in Canada in drive-in season (typically May to October) Make sure you look out for your nearest Drive-In. Sadly they aren’t as common as they once were, but some passionate owners keep them going for your enjoyment. One such place is the Muskoka Drive In. They charge VERY reasonable prices and your admission usually includes two films played back to back, with a short break in between.

The Cinema comes complete with a snack-bar, toilets and even a kids play area so while you wait for the sun to set you can let your kids go to the play area, which is thoughtfully placed just below the screen so you can sit in your vehicle and watch the kids without having to strain your neck or turn your car around!

The very reasonable ticket Prices at the cinema are as follows:
Adult (2 Movies) $9.00
Adult (Add Bonus) $10.00
CARLOAD THURSDAY $15.00
DUSK ‘TILL DAWN $12.00
DISCOUNT TUESDAY $5.00
Child (6-12) $2.00
5 and under FREE (more…)

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Posted in Muskoka, Ontario | No Comments »

Today, I’m featuring something that if you love historical war planes (like me!) and you’re in the Toronto / Niagara area, then this is a place you’ll want to head down the QEW to get to!

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum is a major Canadian aviation museum. It is located at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport on the outskirts of Hamilton, Ontario. The museum is a non-profit organization whose mandate is to acquire, document, preserve and maintain a complete collection of aircraft that were flown by Canadians and the Canadian military services from the beginning of the Second World War to the present.

The Museum’s collection includes aircraft that really fly and several that remain on static display and are interactive workshops. A large collection of military aircraft that have played a major role in the Canadian military are displayed, including one of two airworthy Avro Lancasters and a Supermarine Spitfire. The museum is also in the process of restoring lesser known but historically significant aircraft, including a Westland Lysander and a Bristol Bolingbroke (a version of the Bristol Blenheim).

The Avro Lancaster flown out of the museum, one of only two airworthy Lancasters in the world, is known as the Mynarski Memorial Lancaster in honour of Pilot Officer Andrew Charles Mynarski, and is painted in the markings of his aircraft. The other is the City of Lincoln, which I’m sure is very familiar to most people in the UK as it is the only Lancaster you will have likely ever seen in the air at national celebrations, along with local ones. An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum by the province to commemorate Eileen Vollick’s role in Ontario’s heritage. Eileen Vollick was Canada’s first licensed female pilot (more…)

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Posted in Niagara, ON, Ontario, Toronto | No Comments »

Well we decided to take a look at Deerhurst Resort, and well, let’s just say if you want somewhere truely special, this is the place you’ll want to base yourself on your visit to Canada.
Nestled on 800 acres of rolling, wooded countryside on Peninsula Lake in Muskoka, Ontario, Deerhurst Resort radiates the charm of its natural setting and rich heritage. Famed for its 1,600 fresh water lakes and striking granite outcroppings, Muskoka has been a celebrated vacation retreat since the 19th century.

Nearby Algonquin Park, immortalized on canvas by Canada’s most acclaimed artists, the Group of Seven, offers a legendary Canadian wilderness experience. Since 1896, Deerhurst Resort has made the most of this year-round natural playground setting with a full palette of leisure pursuits, guest comforts and engaging service. The centerpiece is the Pavilion, where guests enjoy full amenities under one roof – a new hotel wing, elegant conference center, restaurants, art gallery, lounge and indoor sports complex with a full service spa. Clusters of low-rise condominium style accommodations are tucked throughout the resort landscape by the lake, ideal for families or a getaway with friends. (more…)

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Posted in Algonquin Provincial Park, Muskoka, Ontario | 1 Comment »

The Ontario Regiment (RCAC) Museum, an accredited Canadian Forces Museum, is one component of the Oshawa Military and Industrial Museum located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. This ‘living museum’ traces its roots back to 1980, having grown out of The Ontario Regiment Museum’s Historic Vehicle Section, more commonly known as The Ontario Regiment Ferret Club.

The club and museum are more than just a showcase of vintage military vehicles and equipment. The museological functions of acquisition, storage, conservation, research, exhibition also contribute to our understanding of Canada’s military history during the past three centuries.

Their volunteers, aided by serving members of the Regiment, crew and operate vehicles at nearly every Regimental function, D-Day and VE-Day commemorations throughout Ontario, the annual Coe Hill Labour Day parade, CNE Warriors’ Day parade, and Oshawa’s Fiesta and Remembrance Day parades.

In honour of the Regiment’s contribution to several United Nations peacekeeping missions across the globe, they have painted and displayed many of their vehicles with colours and markings reflecting Canada’s half-century contribution to international peace-keeping and peace-making operations. (more…)

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Posted in Ontario, Toronto | 1 Comment »

Today’s  mini article is literally because this may be a small place on the grand scheme of things in Algonquin park, but often small places have big features, and that’s one of the reasons i thought I’d feature it!
The two rivers store is located at km 31.4 along highway 60 within Algonquin Park. It’s main feature of coarse is its store, which provides a whole range of Canadiana souvenirs, and a suprising variety of clothing!

The other big feature of this store is that it also has a small cafe-style restaurant! It serves a variety of foods from chicken to burgers, but mainly in Take-out style. So if you’ve been living on camp-food for the last week or so while camping out in Algonquin, this place can offer you some much need, and well earned comfort food!

Remember if you’re going to park up anywhere in Algonquin Provincial Park or do any of the trails, you’ll need to pull up at the gates (big buildings just off the side of the road either end of Highway 60) and go in to get a Permit. These are $15.00 currently but the rates do change depending on the time of year, so remember to check out their website (linked at the bottom of the article!) (more…)

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Posted in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario | No Comments »