There is a lie we tell ourselves too often.
Road trips need to take you far and wide. They need to involve eight or more hours of driving and should remove you entirely from the place you call home.
Here is a corresponding truth that challenges this limiting belief: road trips can be the very thing that re-immerse you in the place you call home. They can refresh your perspective and take you to new parts of an area you’ve grown to know a certain way, casting a new light.
On a Sunday morning in June, I decided to take a trip to some local areas that I love dearly. With nothing but my bag and a desire to see what a local popular boutique motel brand had to offer, I set out for a two-day motorbike adventure from the June Motel in Kimberley to the June Motel in Sauble.
The days that ensued were exactly what I needed: a few quiet moments and a new perspective on Grey County.
On my way to the June Motel’s Beaver Valley location, I stop to take some photos of the Meaford Harbour. There is an aesthetic haze hanging in the air that feels reflective of the sun-packed days prior. As I sit on a bench, I feel peace. I’m so used to ripping around this part of the world in a frenzy that I forget it can be the best place to escape the chaos of everyday life.
In Meaford, I stop in at Lovebird or “Brasserie Lovebird,” to grab some beer for later. Lovebird makes what they call an “approachable” assortment of beers, something I think extends to their atmosphere and manner. In the warmth of the restaurant, I felt welcome and grounded in the brief conversation with the beer-tenders.
The next stop on my drive is Thornbury. I’ve been amassing a small reading list, so I pop into Jessica’s Book’s in search of one of the titles before hopping across the street to grab an espresso. The Thornbury pier is one of my favourite summertime swim spots, so taking my coffee for a walk to the end of it feels right. The sky is bright, the town is quiet, the beach is clear and a couple is swimming in the waves, despite the temperatures of early season.
Making one more crucial stop, I enter the Ravenna Country Market in the early afternoon, leaving with a loaf of lemon blueberry sourdough.
Arriving at the June Motel’s Beaver Valley location, I’m struck by how immersed in the perfect scenery the hotel is. Standing near the village of Kimberley, the place feels so inviting for anyone who loves nature, a good cottage and the sound of the Beaver River moving in your backyard.
The sun has made its way through the clouds and is poking through the windows of the hotel’s parlour as I explore the grounds of the June. Inside, the parlour is warmly-lit and decorated, inviting guests to post up on a couch in front of a great fire place, to have a drink at the BYOB bar or to sip a tea or coffee from the comfort of one of the set tables while enjoying the underrated view of the forests beyond the river.
Behind the parlour, a simple kitchen, is stocked with essentials like an expresso maker, an assortment of tea and s’more kits for evening fires.
Settling in quickly, I realize that the attention to detail and the intentionality behind everything that goes into this space is prevalent. More than that, it’s welcoming. It feels like the designers and hotel staff thought of everything so that you don’t have to. Retro-inspired rooms with subtle details like gallery walls, dim lighting and coupe glasses make you feel like you’re stepping into the English countryside. It’s a room with a view, and no TV (nice touch.)
Kimberley, one of the area’s best kept villages that emanates charm from its pores, sits only a couple minutes from the motel. I step into the wood fired, cabin-esque dining room of Justin’s Oven, right next to a Rrampt favourite, the Kimberly General Store. At this restaurant, everything is cooked in a wood oven, and let me tell you; it really works. The brisket might be the best sandwich I’ve ever purchased in Grey Bruce Simcoe. Truly, an experience in the genre of handheld nourishment.
At night, the June’s Parlour is dimly lit in the best way. The space balances the ideal ratio of organized clutter and modernist design, giving you all the elements of an upscale riverside cottage, while maintaining a tasteful approachability.
I spend most of the night fireside outdoors, sipping the beers and reading a friend’s new book. As the night grows darker, I enjoy the way the motel’s exterior blends into the river’s edge, and how just past the building goslings are following their parents through the grass.
My post-fire ritual is a 20 minute stint in the barrel sauna. I’m not typically a heat guy, but I can’t resist the view of the river’s chevron through the sauna’s circular glass.
In the morning, after a quick workout in the motel’s sunlit studio and a dip in the cool river, I help myself to a flat white and breakfast from the motel’s kitchen. Before leaving town, I cheat and drive to the top of Mt. Baldy. The view never gets old.
Next stop: Sauble.
With the sun returning from a couple days of well-earned rest, I speed down the backroads, accessing one of my favourites near Hepworth and enjoying the warmth as I dodge potholes and tractors on my 1972 CB350 that, to my delight, is growling happily. Crossing Jubilee bridge through the conifers that line the Sauble River, I feel the air shift and and get lighter.
Entering the June Motel in Sauble, I’m warmly greeted by the staff and immediately offered some sparkling rosé as a welcome to the premises. The June Motel in Sauble is the second location that April Brown and Sarah Sklash developed. You know, the one they made the Netflix doc about.
The hotel feels elevated; from the complimentary drinks to the surf-chic rooms, the poolside service to the lobby bar and the overall sense of composure. Everything feels upscale, but homey in the same breath. The hotel acts as a great jumping off spot for the growing number of actives you can get up to in the area, but also feels like a place you could happily spend a few days without leaving.
The town of Sauble Beach and Saugeen Beach, itself holds a special place in my heart. I lived here in a small cottage, during my summers between college and still feel a certain magic whenever I visit. There are establishments, like D&L’s diner (my personal favourite breakfast spot) and the Home Hardware that feel etched in time for me. New additions like Gigi’s and Cafe Gilou are bringing a cool culinary vibe to this area.
Walking the beach at sunset, I lose myself in thought and keep wandering until I’ve nearly reached the north end of the beach. People are decorating the beach with blankets, sprawling out and watching the sun set, finishing off ice cream from Scoopers, and I’m reminded again why I love it here so much. There’s still an actual beach here. Not 20 or more liquor licensed establishments, no air of a Floridian strip mall; just a beach that feels like a beach should.
After my walk, I take a quick nap in the balcony hammock back at The June, then take my book to the pool for some reading before dinner.
Pretty blissed out, I make my way to dinner at the Heydays restaurant as the sun is still somehow hanging in the sky. Joined by a couple of friends, we order blackened shishito peppers, mussels, burrata with sourdough, smash burgers and shoestring fries along with a couple rounds of the signature Heydays N’Ice Cold Beers, and I have to say they deliver…big time. Like everything else The June associates itself with, the quality is high, the service is top notch, the experience: easy.
As the sun finally dips beneath the horizon, I’m back in the hammock swaying to Tom Petty’s ‘Highway Companion.’
On this trip, I feel like it’s already a summer long-weekend. Not only for the weather and the relaxed atmosphere in both the Sauble and Beaver Valley locations, but for the fact that I feel a way I typically don’t feel until I’ve been on summer time for a month or so.
In the morning as I sip black coffee with a warm croissant, I’m reminded again of the importance of indulging in our own backyard. There’s so much good up here, in this region that it’s almost a disservice to ever leave.
Words by Marshall Veroni
Photos by Marshall Veroni, Oscar Sheppard and Mike Walker
