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I love letting you all know of little hidden secrets and gems, ones which many would never find sometimes even in a lifetime.. so one of these places that I’d like to introduce you to – is the Country Fare & Inn. To do it though, I’m going to set the scene, with the story of how we came across it!

While we were out in Canada last week, we went to a family wedding, and the reception was at a place, around a lake we’d never been round before. Unfortunately, after we’d picked up the truck and had driven out to the area, we had forgotten the name of the place we were going to and we had to rely on the sat nav to take us to the place it suggested. One thing about the place our sat nav had taken us was that even if this place wasn’t the place the wedding reception was going to be – it sure had one amazing view over a beautiful lake, surrounded by sheltered bays, all bathed in woodland with the slight glimpse of the odd cottage scattered along the shoreline on the far sides. We weren’t blessed with the best weather that day, and there were quite a few clouds around, not to mention the large looming raincloud off to the left of us, so i hopped out of the truck and took some photos of this beautiful scenic lookout – beside a store.

We set off to Bancroft to get something to eat while trying to decide on what was best to do – we just couldn’t remember the name of the place the wedding reception was at and we were doubting our sat nav.. had we put the right address in 118 village road? or 188 village road.. so we headed back to that store, where the sat nav wanted us to go – with the beautiful view and tried to ring someone who would know on the pay phone just outside. Unfortunately the person we were trying to ring was in a no-signal area. . . but as the rain started to pour, things started to click in place. This place wasn’t just a store. On closer inspection, having got out of the truck one more time, there seemed to be tables set, down some steps behind the store. This gave us a little hope. We knew we were in the right area so we decided the best thing was to wait, and see if we saw anyone we knew passing by in their vehicles..
Finally, someone did.. and parked right up beside us! This place, as we finally were reminded – was the Country Fare & Inn, Baptiste Lake!

The store we visited twice and took photos from its car park was the Country Fare Store, located above the restaurant and near the hotel rooms. Unsurprisingly we breathed a sigh of relief – but now we could finally get to take in the location of this Inn.

One thing i had been checking out when we arrived and i took photos was the Totem pole, as well as the railway car wheels which are set beside the car park to the venue, so as if the signs which are clearly out on the main highway weren’t enough, along with the signs on the building its self – you’ll know you’re there when you see these! If you hit upon a day with better weather, feel free to snap up some photos – this place is stunning, and in the right light will offer some amazing picture postcard photos… (and if you get some don’t forget to let me know about it and i may very well put them up on here!)

This place, as you now know is not simply a shop, it is a mixture of everything you’ll need on a short break or trip. My personal thoughts would be if you’re traveling north from Toronto, Newmarket or Orillia, going for a trip to Algonquin Provincial Park.. head out east and stay here the night. They offer spacious rooms with all the facilities you’d need – including high speed Internet, satellite TV, coffee maker, a fridge, microwave and sizable beds. If you need to stock up on any provisions, the store is in the same building, so you can pop in and get your things before walking just feet back to your room to settle down… But this isn’t all the rooms offer. Each of the main rooms at this very cosy place have a private balcony, giving you absolutely the best views you can get of Baptiste Lake.. that stunning view from the car park can be yours for your stay here as you relax on the patio furniture with a drink overlooking a beautiful sunset listening to the crickets chirping around you.

After the main meal, we noticed the sky had cleared up and the sun had set, though it didn’t stop me getting my camera out. It was a fairly warm and humid day, and after the rain the water had started to evaporate in an ankle height mist across the ground, so check out the sunset photo below – taken from just outside the Restaurant

I would really recommend the food here. Canada has some amazing quality food – and the restaurant here cooks to a high standard – and i was lucky to have chance as the restaurant is not open currently, they intend on opening it back up for next Summer. Though you can still get great take out pizza from the store! So if you’re planning on heading out to Canada next Summer – don’t miss out on visiting this Restaurant – you can even sit out under the canopy at the back enjoying the evening air by the lake.

If You’re looking for a little longer stay here, you can always rent the Inn’s own private cottage. This is amazing value – you get the luxury of having your own little cottage just over the road from the Store and Inn its self, it comes fully equipped with microwave, coffee maker, Satellite TV & VCR and will sleep up to six persons. All this, as your private little place for $99.00 per night Sunday to Thursday or $109.00 per night Friday & Saturday based on two people staying – that’s around £60, so a whole cottage for a day for the same price as you’d pay for a room at Premier Inn! Why not stay a couple of nights, soak up the sights and visit Bancroft, the closest town to the inn, and then head on up to Algonquin park for the day – before coming back to rest in your cottage.

The Country Fare & Inn is located at 188 Village Street, R. R.#2 Bancroft, Ontario, Canada K0L 1C0 – trust your Sat Nav! It’s only 1 hour from the East Gate of Algonquin Provincial Park, so you don’t need to worry about driving for a hours after your hiking or exploring in the park, and as i say you can relax on the balcony with the cool breeze coming in off the lake

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So this is the Country Fare & Inn! Don’t miss staying, eating and soaking up this fantastic place with friendly staff, welcoming warm atmosphere and spectacular views.
You can contact them by:

Phone: 613-332-2408
Fax: 613-332-2497
or visit their website to email them, and find out more information about what to do and more photos of the rooms, cottage, store, restaurant and of coarse the lake

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This entry was posted on Thursday, August 27th, 2009 at 8:31 pm and is filed under Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.