50 acres hosted by Sara R.
1 tent site
Presently offering a tent camping site only, but working to bring you an off grid glamping experience soon in our 19th century former granary by our lake! Parking is at the campsite, following a 400m tractorway over grass. This tractorway enters and exits onto the county road independent of the host’s private home driveway.
Our small, bio-diverse farm is in a quiet location but only 10km from shops and cafes. Our property is run with minimal chemical inputs and a lot of hard manual labour producing hazelnuts and chestnuts, sometimes heartnuts and pecan, in our tree nut orchard, and alfalfa: grass hay. We also run a seasonal farm shop selling our produce and crafts. We are very lucky to have a 1.5 acre lake which you are welcome to explore by our canoe (canoe, two paddles and life preservers provided) supporting sun fish, bass and perch with midland and snapping turtles and thousands of tree frogs in the spring, and the occasional musk rat, beaver, woodland ducks, and heron. You may also see bobolinks, barn swallows, and bats in summer, ask to borrow our bat detector to listen to their chirps at dusk, or binoculars to watch wildlife. Check out our ancient Jesuit pear tree, 65’ tall, you may never see another as it is a very rare tree. We are on the migration routes of Tundra swans and Monarch butterflies. Star gazing is very good, there is very little light pollution. Tall poplar trees provide shade and shelter as well as pleasant sounds of the wind.
We provide free 5G drinking water per day, firewood (unless there is a ban), use of fridge/freezer, electric outlet for short term use eg charging a battery, all picked up or found at the farm shop (5 minute walk). We provide a rustic recycling station including kindling, matches, and we collect clean, washed recyclables, compostable veg scraps and paper and garbage after your stay. Please don’t bring your own firewood, even if you intend to burn it right away it can still import plant pests that may harm our crops, thank you.
Footwear is advised. Conditions underfoot are usually extremely good, soils are free-draining sand and gravels, but there is lakeshore mud and fluctuating water levels in our groundwater-fed lake. Our floating dock and deck may be slippery when wet. We do try to keep poison ivy in check but it does pop up here and there.
We experience a modified continental climate with the effect of the Great Lakes. Winters bring often fluctuating temperatures ranging between plus 10 degrees and minus 20 degrees. Winters are long, once the Great Lakes freeze they keep air temperatures quite low until late Spring; daffodils and tulips emerge and flower in May, by when snow flurries and frosty nights are usually over. June is usually pleasant t-shirt weather and hay-making month with little or no dew. You can expect hot, sultry, stormy days and nights in July, and some daytime temperatures in the low 30s Celsius before the humidity index which can push the experienced heat into the high 30s and keep night time temperatures in the upper teens to low 20s. July is the best month for spectacular thunderstorms and strong winds with risk of a tornado. August is appreciably cooler at night so much so that you may need a blanket or extra layer of clothing, and footwear to withstand heavy dew. September sees the beginning of crisp days and the turning of vivid fall colours of red, gold, pink, orange and yellow which develop even further into October. November is when the leaves are all falling or fallen, with relatively mild weather and frequent rainfall and snow flurries through to Christmas, with more snow in January and February. The typical snow season lasts from November until April, interspersed by rapid thaws and rainfall. Rarely does this create significant problems underfoot due to our soils being free-draining sands and gravel, but occasional localized flooding can occur in low-lying spots over icey ground.Lakeside campsite in grassy mowed spaces nestled in a working nut orchard farm.
Park your car and pitch your tent near a private lake, 400m from the nearest house or road. Explore the 1.5 acre lake in our canoe (life preservers provided, and required to be worn) or watch the stars, wildlife and changing colours in the landscape. Enjoy a firepit in a designated location. Laze around on the dock, or in a swing-hammock chair that you can move to where you want. You are welcome to explore around our fields and orchard, check out our Jesuit pear tree which dates from before 1760, a legacy of French settlement, a history we are still researching. We will indicate the route through growing crops by mowing a trail. Or, just sit back in a bar chair and enjoy the sounds of nature in the quiet and privacy of our small, pretty farm.
We are a working farm growing hay and hazelnuts, and we sell some produce and plants in our own shop that is open every day including Christmas Day from morning til well after dusk. In season you can buy fresh free-range duck eggs for your breakfast, or some hazelnuts or chestnuts, to eat raw or roast on a fire. Other produce available by chance, including honey, oak-grown shittake mushrooms, vegetables, beeswax candles, and whole duck.
There is a large deck that can be enjoyed during your stay with a small kitchen area (propane griddle and burner for pots or kettle), plus an outdoor solar-heated 1000 litre shower to provide full bathroom conveniences with a rustic outdoor composting toilet in a separate shed. A semi-floating dock into your private lake provides convenient access to the canoe (included free of charge) as well as wildlife watching, and a fun place to sunbathe.
There is a fire pit too, with grill, griddle and basket for cooking, plus an oven mitt and BBQ utensil. Firewood (a generous bundle) and up to 5 gallons/day of water are provided. Wifi can be used close to the farmhouse (please ask us for password). Garbage, clean recycling and compostable waste (veg scraps, paper) will be collected, we provide bins.
Must love dogs - we have two working farm dogs that are not leashed and will want to say Hi!
Rare visits by timber wolves, more commonly by coyotes, and occasional red foxes, are possible. Please familiarise yourself with the sound of their night calls (especially the red fox) as they can otherwise be very alarming on a dark night!
