Tuesday 24 May: Merrickville was named Canada’s Prettiest Village in 1998. We visited this town, 45 minutes from Ottawa, to have dinner at the Goose and Gridiron pub. More about that later.

Settled by William Merrick in 1793, Merrickville was once one of the largest industrial centers on the Rideau with grist mills, woolen mills and sawmills, all powered by the river. There’s a nice exhibition in one of the old buildings which shows artifacts from the 19th century and illustrates the early evolution of this town.

When Colonel By constructed the Rideau Canal (1826-1832), he built three locks here. The original blockhouse, built for defense purposes, still stands beside the Canal. Today, Merrickville is a favourite stop for boaters and shoppers, as well as history buffs. It’s very much an ‘arty’ place. There are shops to buy quilts, artwork, wools, wooden items etc. And there’s a ‘no snowmobiles’ sign on the main street.

We had tea in the Yellow Canoe Café, which leads into a Folk Art Gallery, followed by dinner at the Goose and Gridiron – I had a really fabulous homemade fish (two pieces of cod in an amazing beer and herb batter) and chips (in their jackets), and a pint of Wellington beer. There were lots of chocolate things for dessert but I refrained – I need to start thinking about my diet again