For countless Canadian city dwellers, a few days in cottage country is the quintessential summer pasttime. Every weekend from May to September, there is a mass exodus from city to country where everyone enjoys the great outdoors. The Labour Day long weekend marks the unofficial end of summer (with kids heading back to school immediately after), so this holiday is particularly busy.

My friend Justin graciously invited a group of friends to spend the long weekend at his family cottage near Pembroke, about an hour from Ottawa and a good 5 hours drive from Toronto. Here are a few photos from the three days of relaxing, taking in the local sights, and generally doing nothing but having a good time.

The Harris Cottage

Justin’s cottage is located on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River (Rivieres des Outaouais) just across the city of Pembroke. There are a few other cottages on the island, as well as access to a sandy beach right on the river. We put up a few tents and camped on the grounds. For the most part, the weather was good despite the occasional rain showers.

The Harris family cottage.

Pond behind the Big Beach.

Cottage neighbours.

Frisbee on the Big Beach. The waters are quite shallow here.

Campfire and chillin’ on the sand.

Dusk near the cottage at Little Beach.

Looking across Ottawa River – Pembroke in the distance.

Lighthouse on the other side of the island.

 Fort William

We had a great breakfast at the Hotel Pontiac bar and restaurant in Fort William (the hotel portion seems to be permanently closed, though they do have cottage rentals). The Fort is a popular summertime destination with boaters for family activities on the beach, as well as nightly entertainment.

Hotel Pontiac.

The bar and local watering hole.

Fort William beach.

An abandoned shed behind the hotel.

 Westmeath Provincial Park

We managed to squeeze in a short hike over the weekend. Westmeath Provincial Park is about 30 minutes drive from Pembroke, and this small park has a single 3-km trail that leads to a beach on the south shore of the Ottawa River. Winding through ponds and wetlands, the trail was infested with mosquitoes so this wasn’t exactly an enjoyable hike… We basically got through it as quickly as possible! Not many pictures taken since I was eaten alive if stopped 🙂

The trail through Westmeath Park.

Through thick woods and swampland – lots of mosquitoes!

Small lake on the trail.

The shores of Ottawa River at the end of the trail.

Worth 30 bug bites? Probably not…