If you’re travelling up to Meaford from the GTA, here’s a route that will make the drive almost as enjoyable as your arrival.  (It’s as nice in reverse, except for the fact that you’re leaving Meaford.)

Zero your trip mileage whereever you see the speedometer icon:

Find your way to Airport Road.  You can reach it direct from the city, or by meandering down scenic Highway 9 from as far east as the 404.

Head north on Airport, whose name belies the bucolic scenery it passes.  North of Highway Nine, signs advise you to be careful when passing, as the road dips and sweeps through the area.

Not long after Highway Nine, you’ll encounter a couple of wide sweeping turns, after which the road swoops into the green Hockley Valley.  As you climb after passing through the valley, glance back now and then to admire the view.  The hills continue as you reach Highway 89, where the Dufferin county museum has been raised like some massive barn, complete with green walls and a red roof.

The road continues to wind and dip and climb toward Mansfield.  Three km. after the highway, you’ll pass the unique Olde Stanton Store on your right.  Pass through Mansfield, and around the 8 km. mark, note one of many 19th century schoolhouses you’ll see on your travels today.

Almost 15 km from 89, you’ll drop into a glen, where County Road 21 heads west to Honeywood.  Turn left here, and wind through the tall pines of the Dufferin Forest.  21 bends and dips and climbs as you gradually work your way up to a ridge overlooking the valley formed by the Pine River on your left.

Shortly after passing through the hamlet of Honeywood, you’ll hit a stop sign.

Turn right, or south.  For awhile, you’re back on the straight and flat again.  Consider it a breather.  14 km down this road, you’ll reach Highway 4, at which point you’ll turn left, heading west.

About 12 km along, you’ll pass through Maxwell.  Immediately after the village, take note of the white church on your left.  It looks as if it had been lifted intact from P.E.I. and dropped in the Ontario heartland.

22 km along Four, turn right on Grey Road 13, at a Viceroy Homes office.  This road will lead you into the beautiful Beaver Valley.  Passing through Eugenia, take note of the large old house on your left.  As you begin your descent into the Valley, you may want to stop at the Beaver Valley lookout on your left.  The village nestled in the valley is Kimberley.

Just past the village, turn left on Grey Road 7.  When the bridge crosses the Beaver River, stop for a moment, and glance behind you.  Kimberley Rock, or Old Baldy, looms above you, a favorite lookout on the Bruce Trail.

Old Baldy, or The Rock, at Kimberley, from Google Earth

Continue on, past Talisman Ski Resort, and climb the other side of the valley.  Through the trees on your right, you may catch glimpses of the Blue Mountains and Georgian Bay.  At the top of the hill, stop to stretch your legs at the Epping Lookout, which offers a broad view of the Beaver Valley, and on clear days, the Bay beyond.

Continue over the top of the escarpment toward Meaford.  You’ll see a sign for the Old Mail Road on your right.  Try and set aside some time to explore this historic route during your stay.  Around this time, you’ll get your first glimpse of blue directly ahead… Georgian Bay.  Before long, the town spreads under leafy trees to your left, and the Bay and Cape Rich stretch off in front of you.

A left turn at the bottom of the hill takes you into town.  We’ll finish the drive with this description of Meaford by Lynne Barnes.  Writing in Daytrips on the Backroads “The best kept secrets of Southern Georgian Bay revealed.”

“If an artist were asked to paint a picture of the quintessential Ontario town, that artist would paint Meaford.  The view of this town as one enters from the east is one of the prettiest on Georgian Bay; the tower of the United Church stands tall among the trees, while in the background looms the massive wall of the Dobie building.  Initially, these structures overwhelm all else, leaving a lasting impression, but with the descent into town, one begins to notice the sidestreets, crowded with trees, the classic homes trimmed in gingerbread and white paint, and a downtown that seems untouched by time…

“…The history of this town remains alive in its streets, which are named for such British Admirals as Collingwood, Trowbridge, Nelson and Sykes, and in the extraordinary number of turn-of-the-century buildings that are still in use.”