Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Day trip to Tottenham

Trip to Tottenham



Last Sunday morning we woke up and decided to do something different. It was a nice sunny day and the weather forecast looked pleasant enough......

After checking 'google search' for interesting day trips from Brampton, we found some information on a little town called Tottenham, about an hours drive from our home. Their main tourist attraction is a lovely train ride through the un-touched Country side. After reading about the train ride on the website http://www.southsimcoerailway.ca/, we decided to spend the day there with some friends of ours.

We also read about the town of Tottenham and this is what Wikipedia had to say:

"Tottenham is a community in the town of New Tecumseth, in south-central Ontario, Canada. It takes its name from its first postmaster, Alexander Totten. The Tottenham Conservation Area is a recreational facility in the village, which is also famous for its Bluegrass Festival. There is also a restored steam train that is a tourist attraction, taking passengers to Beeton and back.
The town was ravaged by a fire in 1895, which began at the McKinney foundry. Eighty structures were destroyed, including the foundry and a Methodist church. Despite warnings in 1884 that the town needed a fire engine, none was purchased. To combat the 1895 fire, the town of
Allandale sent its fire engine, preventing further spread of the fire."

Once you get to Tottenham, the first thing you notice is that it is a little town with one main street going right down the middle. There you will find the bulk of the towns stores and restaurants. As the train ride was at 1.30 and then another at 3pm, we decided to first go to the station, buy the tickets for the 3pm ride, have lunch and then come back to the station.

THE RATES

2009 EXCURSION SCHEDULE and FARES:

Excursions begin Victoria Day weekend and run through to the weekend after Thanksgiving.
The train operates every Sunday and holiday Monday, departing at 10:30, 12:00, 1:30 & 3:00. In addition, the train also operates Mondays and Tuesdays in July and August, and the first three Saturdays in October, at 10:30, 12:00, 1:30 & 3:00.
Fares: Adults $12, Seniors $10, Children $7 including all taxes. Babies under 2, not occupying a seat, are free. Children's fares apply to age 15 and under; senior fares to age 65 and older. Visa, MasterCard & Interac are accepted for payment.


For safety reasons, strollers and infant car seats are not permitted on board the train

The Cedars Kitchen (#5, Queen st, South) was the little restaurant where we had lunch. From Bacon-lettuce-tomato (BLT) sandwiches, to hotdogs, burgers and wraps.....they had a nice spread and it was not very expensive either. The kids meals came with a juice or milk, and the kids got a cute cup with their drink that they could keep. Crayons and a fun sheet was given to the kids to keep them occupied before the food came. Food-excellent, service-friendly and fast, Price-reasonable.

At about 2.45 we walked back to the station (just five minutes away) and found out seats on the train. Seat numbers are printed on the tickets. There were three compartment ( I almost said the Indian term...bogie).....the first had a private birthday party for a three year old which is an option you have in case you want to have a party on the train. We sat in the second compartment.

No food or drinks are allowed on the train...so it is clean! Windows are open and the train only travels at a safe slow speed so you enjoy the fresh breeze and the open view of the country side. The ride takes about fifty minutes, you reach a half way point and then you switch sides with the passengers sitting on your side so that you can see a different view on your return to the station. All done quickly and efficiently!

Hope you like the pictures I uploaded...we had a great time and would definitely recommend this if you want a change of scene and just want to do something for the day.

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