True Brits

A muggy buggy start to Saturday May 16th...

We soon reached Hastings, where I tethered Lady while I went for a coffee and delicious raspberry muffin in the cool interior at Banjo's Grill , a small intimate café with a lovely riverside location right by the bridge.  Much recommended.
The bridge turned out to have a metal grill section, and to my horror I discovered the pedestrian walkway at the side also had a metal grill rather than the usual concrete surface.  There was no alternative, and if Lady refused to cross it meant a long detour of at least a day.  Would she do it?

 .. but she proved she is worth her weight in gold again by tramping across without hesitation.

After my coffee stop it was a relief to come across a convenient convenience ....

 

 A tunnel under Highway 2 on the very well maintained Lang-Hastings trail which forms part of the Trans Canada Trail.

 

I inadvertently caused consternation to a nesting osprey when I stopped to bug spray Lady...

 ..the nest was on one of two small platforms especially placed to encourage these glorious birds of prey.
Not sure what this hirsute gentleman is up to.......

 

...but I gave this ominous individual a wide berth...



...a snapping turtle well over a foot long about to cross the trail at a swampy section.

The trail appears to be little used by horse riders, so another rider approaching was a unique sight....

...but this was Alex Winship on her daughter Katy's appaloosa gelding Everest coming to guide me in to her Barn View boarding stables.  After a week of 'winging it' I had managed to phone ahead the day before to arrange accommodation for Lady, and it was a relief to have somewhere sorted and not have to worry about where I would be staying that night.
Alex and Bob are Brits who moved over from Coventry about six years ago and are loving Canada.  They gave me a tremendous welcome and even took me for a meal at the nearby Elmhirst's Resort where I had arguably the best meal I have had in Canada so far.
Not only that but I was provided with a peaceful bedroom with views out over the rolling countryside and had the chance to shower and put all my clothes including rank socks into the washing machine, and relax with my hosts and a glass or two of wine in the gazebo.  Thank you both!

Bob, Alex and daughter Katy who had just survived a car prang!  Older daughter Charlotte had also just averted a fire at her house, so the family were looking somewhat relieved to be intact.