Photos | Nithin Bekal

Wakefield, QC

2025-08-31T00:00:00+00:00

The late summer weather was perfect for a day trip from Ottawa, so we headed north to Wakefield, Quebec. This picturesque town is just a 30 minute drive from Ottawa.

Wakefield Mill

Our first stop of the day was the Wakefield Mill, which dates back to 1838, when it was a flour mill powered by McLaren Falls right next to it. Today, it's a hotel and spa, but their restaurant is a great place to grab brunch with a view of the waterfalls.

After a delicious brunch, we headed to the little private area next to the building with one of the better views of the waterfall.

Riverside

Next, we made our way down to the Riverside Drive. On one side you'll find restaurants and shopping, and on the other is the beautiful Gatineau river, lined with cottages, and the historic covered bridge visible in the distance.

As you walk by, you'll come across an abandoned train station. This has been here since 1892, and operated all the way to 1980s. Given the sorry state of Ottawa's public transit these days, it's shocking that there used to be four trains running daily on the Gatineau Valley rail line once.

Wakefield covered bridge

Once we left the town centre, a 20 minute walk brought us to the historic Wakefield covered bridge. Built in 1915, it was destroyed by arson in 1984. A 15-year long community campaign finally led to the bridge reopening in 1997.

Fairbairn house

As soon as you cross the bridge, you will come across the Fairbairn house, dating back to the 1860s. There was a wedding in progress on the grounds, so we weren't able to explore parts of it, but I still managed to get some amazing photos.

Second Winter

2025-04-08T00:00:00+00:00

Spring in Ottawa is unpredictable. At the start of April, we’d already had a 20°C day, but just a week later the city was hit with a snowstorm. That morning, I walked along the Rideau Canal to capture these photos.

Smiths Falls

2024-08-03T00:00:00+00:00

Smiths Falls is a charming little town in Eastern Ontario. Located along the Rideau Canal, it is less than an hour by train from Ottawa. We spent a long weekend exploring this historic town, and its surroundings, including the beautiful villages of Perth and Merrickville.

Our first stop was lunch at the Lockmaster's Taphouse, with a patio overlooking the Rideau Canal Visitor Centre and a dam on the Rideau river. The visitor centre is housed in a 19th century stone mill, but it was unfortunately closed for renovations at the time.

Railways

During the latter half of the 1800s, the town became an important transportation hub, with rail lines from Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian Northern Railway stopping in the town. Today, the CN railway station is a National Historic Site of Canada, and the home to the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario.

The telegraph operator's bay and the station's waiting room have been carefully preserved, maintaining their appearance from a century ago.

Outside, you will find a collection of locomotives, passenger cars and other equipment. They even had cabooses that you can rent and stay in.

An interesting attraction here is the last remaining dental car in Canada. Dentists used to live in these cars, and provide dental care to remote rural villages. There's also a beautiful dining car from the 1890s that gives a glimpse into what train travel looked like back then.

Bascule bridge

The Bascule bridge, built in 1912, is one of the most iconic landmarks in Smiths Falls, and a National Historic Site in Canada. This movable bridge allowed trains to pass over it, but could be moved to let boats pass through the canal.

Heritage house museum

The heritage house museum is one of the earliest houses in the town, built in 1861. These small museums are a great place to get a sense of local history.

Strolling around town

When I finally walked back to the hotel, it was getting quite dark, and walking across all the boats in the evening light was a beautiful sight.