Bellamy Ravine

The Bellamy ravine flows down from Kingston Road in Scarborough south into the shores of Lake Ontario.  I've written before about the Bellamy Ravine (see Gates of Gully' in this blog).  The official name for the trail is the Doris McCarthy trail in honor of the renowned Canadian painter who occupied the first house on the Scarborough Bluffs, just above this site.

I had mentioned previously about a shipwreck of the Alexandria that sunk at the foot of the beach in 1915. There are very visible pieces of metal left over from the wreck and it is amazing how this remains here in the water after so many years.

I took another photo of the metal sculpture located at the base of the trail called, "Passage" done by Marlene Hilton Moore.  From this angle, it resembles a pair of hands folding (well from a distance anyways).

Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Honor of Steve Stavros, former owner Maple Leafs

This post is in follow up to the recent trip through Rosedale Belt-line trail which continued through David Balfour Park.  In that I had indicated you could enter the trail through Mount Pleasant Cemetery from the south.  In the picture below you can see just off Moore Avenue in Toronto, where the entrance is to the belt-line trail to Moore Park Ravine on the north and Mount Pleasant on the south.  I didn't realize that I had been there before, but I began recognizing some of the familiar statues.  

In a minute or two a jogger went by, and then a couple of cyclists had pulled over to hover under an elm tree because of a sudden downpour.     The pictures appear a little moody as was the day they were taken.  Within a span of an hour there was rain, sun, wind and even hail.  I've never seen such a switch like that before, but spring in Ontario can be like that. 

Eaton Mausoleum

Mount Pleasant Cemetery on left, Moore Park on the right

Mount Pleasant Cemetery is situated from Yonge Street in the west to Bayview Avenue in the east and is divided right down the middle by Mount Pleasant Road, hence the name.  It began in 1873 as a 200 acre piece of luscious farmland with rolling hills and 12 kms of carriage drives throughout.   The setting was so unique with its distinct and rare trees and botanical gardens.   What added to its establishment and to its wonderful reputation made it a final resting place for many famous people and the grounds are said to be the most beautiful in the world.  

Royal Air Force

What made this place so special was that it was a resting place for all people.  Not just those of a specific religious denomination.  

Prior to Mount Pleasant Cemetery, believe it or not only people of Roman Catholic church were allowed to be buried within the city limits.  This is what makes the foundation of this place so beautiful.

You will be amazed by the architecture and the ruins and in fact it was designated by the National Historic society as a National Historic site in Canada in 2000.

War Monument

Some of the more famous people on the grounds are people such as Timothy Eaton (Eatons), magnate of Eatons company and Steve Stavro, founder of Knob Hill Farms, and former owner of the Leafs. There are several Mayors of Toronto, Premiers of Ontario, and other politicians like Sir Lyon MacKenzie.  My favorite scientists ever, Banting and Best and several war veterans.  

ewwww.....a worm!

The tree collection has grown into North America's finest arboretums, and with it come the birds and other wildlife, that contribute to it's park-like setting.  I still only get pictures of robins since they are the easiest.  :) Artists have created wonderful monuments and sculptures which you'll see throughout.     An epitaph on a plaque, a statue of strength and a myriad of memories of people of all walks of life.

Cullen Gardens Miniature Village

The Entrance Hall

When my two sons were little, their father and I took them to Cullen Gardens Miniature Village once or twice a year.  

I thought it might be an idea to to see whatever happened to that beautiful and wondrous place known as 'Miniature Village'.  It was a place where little people lived together in a tiny village where everyone seemed to be so happy.  

Even as an adult I was lost in the imaginative world of the miniature people, so I can imagine how it must have been for children.

Entering the village

Some pretty bullrushes

Miniature Village was set in a very adult world of breathtakingly beautiful displays of flowers and gardens.  In the summertime, the lawns were of an deep emerald colour never before seen and the trees were manicured to take on shapes of animals or birds.  

 Everything was meticulously arranged to create a small town feel in a real world setting.  In a word, it was adorable. 

A beavers doing

Sadly, as children grow up and change, so does the world around them, and we must let go of the old to make room for the new.  So, on January 1, 2006 Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village closed for good.  The land is still accessible and these pictures were taken quite recently.  It is still used by joggers and photographers alike.  Although the property is owned by the Town of Whitby, it is a municipal park for now.  Although the gardens are modestly maintained, it isn't to the extent as it once was under the former owners.  

Mind you, Cullen Gardens was in the business of selling flora, shrubs, and landscaping services; therefore their business was on display as well as their gardens.  The town of Whitby does not have the same purpose.  

a lovely creek

I don't know exactly what will happen with this land, but there are several scenarios.  One is that it may link up with the Heber Downs Conservation Area (this I hope holds true).  If you check it out on a map, it really is the best way to use the land as Heber Downs Conservation area is only a few kilometres north.   

The Lynde House - circa 1812

After a little reading up, I easily found out that May 14, 2013 (no I didn't plan this) is the closing date of the Purchase and Sale Agreement between the Town of Whitby and the Auberge et Spa Le Nordki Inn. (owners: Chelsea, Quebec).  

It appears, much to the dismay of the locals, they have bought 3 hectares of land located on the 34 hectare property formerly owned by the Cullens.  There are still 31 hectares of property left remaining.  The good news (to me) is that the current buildings will be utilized again. I would have preferred to see it as a historical site, but apparently they are transporting a few of the older buildings to a museum site (ie the Lynde house and the log cabin).  This is a great scenario.  The spa will open all year with two restaurants and a retail boutique, all within existing dwellings.  This isn't my cup of tea, but at least the area will come alive again with a new generation of people to enjoy its surroundings.

Just like yesterday's memories, we found it nostalgic that someone had stuck a poppy in the wooded bridge, so I took a picture of it to say I remember too.

Rosedale Beltline Trail

Glen Bridge

It was a totally unexpected journey last week while walking through the Rosedale Beltline Recreational Trail.  It starts (or finishes depending where you are coming from) just south of the Mount Pleasant Cemetery and winds its way southeast through the David Balfour Park.  It then crosses over Mount Pleasant Road to the east and passes through Craigleigh Gardens.  This is the point where I began, around Bloor and Bayview Streets in Toronto.

Just a footnote: the Beltline trail continues northward along Bayview Avenue in through the Don Valley Brickworks Park traveling northeast through lovely Moore park until you meet up to the Mount Pleasant Cemetery once again.  This will be on another blog entry (Don Valley Brickworks Park).   

So to begin: from Craighleigh Gardens, we could see it was going to be a beautiful night and a whole two hours ahead to explore this part of the trail north along north of Castlefrank Road.

"Rosedale" is one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Toronto.  It is also one of the oldest suburbs as well and home to Canada's richest and most famous citizens. 

House after house, lawn after manicured lawn, it was a pleasure to see and to photograph, where it can be said that one can not possibly take a poor photograph of these homes.  I kept my camera down for the most part so as to keep their anonymity, but sometimes it proved difficult, but this was to respect their privacy.

We saw an entrance to Craigleigh Gardens, and yet no flowers here in bloom.  On exiting the gardens, we passed "Milkman's Lane" and continued west along the Glen Bridge where we passed some of the most beautiful scenery ever expected in Toronto.  

Slight decline to forest floor

My grandmother, who traveled the world over twice, had told me from a very young age that of all the places on Earth, she thought Toronto was the most lovely because of the amount of green space it kept here.  Although I think all cities have their own unique treasures, I will agree with her that for a city of this size, it is pretty amazing that its parks still remain intact.

Crossing Glen Bridge

Once you cross over the to the other side of the bridge, there is an entrance to the Rosedale Valley below.  It is along the side of a hill, but it isn't too bad so we decided to go for it, and walk along the slow decline into the forest floor below.

Under Glen Bridge

Under the expanse of the overhead bridge and trees, it isn't long before all is forgotten 'up there' in and away from the noise of a city of a million faces, we're lost in this quiet setting.  Awesome! 


A bit further along, and I notice a waterfall.  Well, more like a large storm outflow from behind fences and rails. There were a couple of people there, and they soon moved aside for me to take some pictures.  
I didn't think the waters that emerged from there were from Yellow creek, and learned later it was from the Spadina storm trunk sewer instead.  It sounds much worse than it is, its really more like a tributary, you know a runoff from the roads and sidewalks and from the Castle Frank Brook.  Mind you, although there's no odour, don't be fooled as these waters are not safe to wade around in.  Not exactly sure what those two were doing there before we showed up.

Spadina Storm Trunk Sewer

Wild Daffodil

Continue, don't you stop now... you are almost done.  David Balfour Park is just across the street at Mount Pleasant Road, and you won't be disappointed.  Here you'll see rows of trees, some native and some foreign to me.  Crack Willow, Black Cherry and Ash, White Pine and Red Oak.  I was the one who didn't know botany right?  Well, I looked some up.  The common varieties I knew such as ferns, shrubs and creeping plants.

Trees at Balfour Park

Massive arches at St. Clair Viaduct

As you can tell by the photos it was getting far too dark to continue taking pictures, so I tried to get as good as a shot as I could of the St. Clair Viaduct, which is this hulking triple arch bridge.  Looking way way up, its an incredible sight and fully functional as this bridge carries St. Clair Avenue over the ravine connecting two communities (Deer and Moore Parks).

Approaching St. Clair Viaduct

Well, the two hours are pretty near up and it has become far too dark to photograph any scenery anymore.  It's too bad because Yellow Creek may have turned out much nicer than it did.  I won't even bother to share what pictures I did take of it. There really wasn't much in the way of water flow to the creek anyways.  Who knows, maybe you will have better luck when you go exploring the trails!  Bye for now :)

I thought it was interesting enough

Brookbanks Park and Deerlick Creek

If you are heading northbound on the Don Valley Parkway just south of the York Mills exit, you may notice a small sign just off to the side which read, 'Deerlick Creek' the Don Watershed.  I love the Don Valley because it was my first exposure to the trails within Ontario, so with some time to explore, we decided to take the next exit at York Mills road.  

A quick look to the right heading eastbound and you'll notice a street called Valleywoods, which is a good starting point.  

The park isn't called Valleywoods, which I thought it should be, but instead it's called Brookbanks.  Just a short distance west of the entrance to the park, the Deerlick Creek flows into the park from the north. 


Shortly after entering the park, you'll go over a lovely bridge that will have you crossing over the Deerlick's west bank.  A quick look up at the expanse of tall forested trees along the path and a typical robin looks outward from a branch.  A mourning cloaked butterfly drops down to the path to say hello.  

The rocky creek bed is visible along the path, making it safe to take a closer look, or to skip a stone or two across the water.    Keep in mind that Deerlick Creek is part of the East Don Watershed project, so don't expect to go fishing or swimming here.  It's just a very pretty setting in the centre of a large community shared among residents in houses and apartments, so expect for the most part that you will be sharing the park with many. 

Historically speaking, as with any kind of modernization of civilization, much of nature gets uprooted, repositioned or destroyed to make way for the needs of city life.  This 1.85 km spot of preserved parkland is one of hundreds of projects in the city to bring back what was once lost.  

 Oh and by the way, the trail ends at Brookbanks Avenue...go figure :)