The Collingview
A lit gas fire bowl and navy sectional on the rooftop terrace, with the escarpment ridge and a strip of Georgian Bay on the horizon

Summer stays

A summer rental with the bay in the morning, and the roof at nine.

Georgian Bay is a short drive one way and the escarpment is on the horizon the other. In summer the house mostly functions as somewhere to come back to, and then nobody goes inside.

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What summer here is

The day is a plan. The evening is the point.

In July the light holds until well past nine, and the whole shape of a stay here bends around that. Whatever the day was — the bay, the trail, the orchards, a hill — it ends outside, and the house gives you three separate places to do it.

There is a full-length deck off the main floor with a six-seat table on it, and a covered deck beside it for when the sun is still too much or the rain has arrived. On the ground there is a fire ring in the open, with the pond and the field beyond. And on top of the building there is the rooftop terrace: turf underfoot, glass railings, a gas fire bowl, a barbecue and a hot tub facing the ridge.

The practical effect for a group is that people spread out. Someone is swimming at four, someone is asleep in a chair, the children are on the lawn, and dinner is being cooked on the roof. That is harder to arrange in a house where the only outdoor space is one patio.

The composite deck running the length of the house with a black metal railing and fields beyond
The full-length deck, which is where breakfast happens whether or not anyone planned it.
A covered cedar deck with timber posts looking out over the pond and drive
The covered deck, for the hour after a summer storm.

The bay, and how close it is

Near the water, not on it.

Said plainly, because a lot of listings in this region are vague about it and the difference matters when you arrive.

The house is inland, on a rise, with the escarpment ridge running across the horizon and a band of Georgian Bay visible above the tree line from the roof. It is not waterfront and it is not a beach house. What it is, is a short drive from two separate stretches of shoreline in opposite directions, which in practice is more useful than being fixed to one of them.

Meaford sits west along the shore with a harbour and a town beach. Thornbury sits east with a harbour, a beach, and the fishway on the Beaver River where the trout and salmon run, which will hold a child for twenty minutes. Both are working small towns, not resorts, which is most of their appeal.

The bay itself is clear and cold. It warms through July and August into something you can swim in for a long time, and before that it is a swim you talk about afterwards.

The area in full — towns, trails and harbours

Days worth having

Trail, orchard, valley, harbour.

The Georgian Trail
Flat, paved and traffic-free along an old rail bed between Collingwood and Meaford, running close to the shore for much of it. The best thing in the region for a group with mixed cycling abilities, and the only one where a nine-year-old and a grandparent can do the same ride.
The Bruce Trail
Follows the escarpment itself, so this is hiking with a climb and a view at the end, not a flat path. Sections of it are within easy reach in both directions.
Apple country
This is one of Ontario’s main apple-growing areas and the Apple Pie Trail links the orchards, cider houses, bakeries and farm stands through it. A slow afternoon that ends with more food in the car than you intended.
The Beaver Valley
The valley the Beaver River runs through, inland and south. The best drive in the region in any season and an exceptional one in early October.
Thornbury and Meaford
Two harbour towns, twenty minutes apart, both with somewhere decent to eat and neither of them a resort. Thornbury has the fishway; Meaford has the harbour and the hall.
Scandinave Spa
Outdoor hot pools, cold plunges and steam in the woods below the escarpment, with a silence rule that is enforced. As good in August as in February, and it books out on weekends.
Golf
Several courses along the shore and the escarpment between Meaford and Collingwood, some public and some private members’ clubs. Check that a course takes visitors before you plan a round, or ask us and we will point you at the public ones.
Drive times
About 10 minutes to Thornbury harbour, 15 to Meaford, 25 to 30 to Blue Mountain, half an hour to Collingwood, and 50 minutes to an hour to Wasaga Beach. Routed estimates in normal conditions; allow more in snow and on summer weekends.
The full front elevation at dusk: stacked charcoal steel and concrete volumes lit by warm soffit lights, with a round porthole window and a rooftop terrace above

Booking a summer week

Four weekends everybody wants.

Victoria Day, Canada Day, the August civic holiday and Labour Day are the four dates that go first, in that order of difficulty. If your summer depends on one of them, ask about it in the winter. It feels absurdly early and it is the only reliable way to get them.

Midweek in July and August is a different market entirely: usually open, usually better value, and considerably quieter everywhere you would want to go. A Tuesday on the Georgian Trail is a better experience than a Saturday on it.

Minimum stays
Two nights, and three over the long weekends: Victoria Day, Canada Day, the August civic holiday and Labour Day.
Summer rates
Quoted for your dates and the size of the group, properly rather than approximately. Long weekends carry a three-night minimum.
Group size
Eight to twelve, across four bedrooms and four bathrooms. Tell us the households you are bringing and we will say how the house divides.
What summer needs from a house
Somewhere shaded, somewhere for wet towels, a laundry, and more than one outdoor space so people can be apart. All four are here.

Summer getaways here start earlier than most people expect. The May long weekend is often the best value of the season: the bay is still too cold to swim in, and everything else is open and empty.

Ask about a summer week.

Tell us the dates and who is coming. Long weekends move early, so it is always worth asking sooner than feels necessary.

Check availabilityComing with another family?

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Summer questions

Is this a good summer vacation rental in Ontario?

For a group, yes. Summer cottages in Ontario are mostly small and on a lake; an Ontario summer vacation rental that takes eight to twelve on its own acreage is a different market. A luxury summer getaway here means the bay in the morning and the roof at nine, and a summer vacation home you take whole, not share.

Is it a nature retreat?

In the practical sense. A private nature retreat in Ontario usually means driving a long way; this is a countryside escape ten to fifteen minutes from two towns, with the Bruce Trail and the Beaver Valley on the doorstep and open farmland in every direction. A nature retreat with a dishwasher, if you like.

Is there accommodation near the Bruce Trail?

The Bruce Trail runs along the escarpment and through the Beaver Valley, with trailheads within about half an hour of the house. As a Bruce Trail cottage rental it works well for a hiking getaway in Ontario: you can walk a different section each day and come back to a house with four bathrooms and a hot tub, which matters more than it sounds after a long day on the rock.

Is this a good base for a cycling getaway?

The Georgian Trail is thirty-four kilometres of flat converted railway between Collingwood and Meaford, passing through Thornbury, and you can join it within about fifteen minutes. It is easy, scenic and safe for mixed abilities. The road cycling on the escarpment is a different proposition: long climbs and real traffic on the shoulder.

Is there golf near Meaford?

Several courses run along the escarpment and the shore between Thornbury and Collingwood, some public and some private. A golf getaway here works, but check access before you plan a round. As with the ski clubs, some of the best ones in this region are members only.

Is The Collingview on the water?

No, and it is worth being clear about that. The house sits inland on high ground with the Niagara Escarpment across the horizon and a band of Georgian Bay visible above the tree line from the roof. The harbours and beaches at Thornbury and Meaford are a short drive, not a walk. If you want water at the door, this is not the property for you.

Where do you swim near Meaford and Thornbury?

Georgian Bay, from the town beaches and harbour areas at Meaford and Thornbury, both a short drive from the house. The bay is clear and cold; it warms up through July and August and is bracing before then. There is also a hot tub on the rooftop terrace, which is a different proposition entirely.

What is there to do here in summer besides the beach?

The Georgian Trail runs flat and paved along an old rail bed between Collingwood and Meaford, which makes it good cycling for mixed abilities and families. The Bruce Trail follows the escarpment for proper hiking with a climb in it. Thornbury has the harbour and the fishway. The Beaver Valley is the best drive in the region. And this is apple country: the Apple Pie Trail runs through orchards, cider houses and farm stands.

Are long weekends harder to book?

Yes. Victoria Day, Canada Day, the August civic holiday and Labour Day are the four weekends everybody wants, and they go earliest. Those carry a three-night minimum, so ask early.

Is this a good summer cottage rental for several families?

It is built for it: separate sleeping wings, more than one kitchen, three distinct places to sit indoors, plus a full-length deck, a covered deck, a ground-level fire ring, a lawn and the rooftop terrace. In summer the outdoor space does most of the work, which means two households are far less on top of each other than they would be in winter.