Remember our business trip In September? It went very well and we are currently in Port Elgin just about finishing a Pizzaville store. We’ll be heading home just in time for Christmas and a second province-wide lockdown, but not before we start telling you about a new Ontario road trip.
Saugeen Shores was amalgamated in 1998 to include Southampton, Port Elgin, and the County of Saugeen. Our next few posts will feature these beautiful Lake Huron communities as we explored them in September, with some intrusions from the past few weeks.
We will start with the community of Southampton, a quaint town just north of Port Elgin. We will definitely need more than one post to tell you about this little town. Naturally, the first thing to do upon arriving to a coastal town is to look for the beach/shore/harbour, and this was exactly what we did.
Looks like we made it just in time!
Southampton Harbour
The harbour, at the mouth of Saugeen River, is a photogenic little harbour guarded by a lighthouse and a break wall.
It is also a port of entry to Canada by boat, now closed due to Covid.
It was a beautiful day with a few clouds in the sky, the lake was still, and the tourists absent (except for us).
The air was calm and the lake was still.
Here it is again on another day; a dreary one. Still pretty!
Pioneer Park
As we walk south along the shore we came across Pioneer Park 
A small park right by the beach
the canons deck seems to be the place for social-distancing gathering
and the Propeller Club has some interesting interpretation about storm signals
Check out the Propeller Club website for more information and pictures of the storm baskets!
There are also baskets on display at the local museum.
Next time we will take the boat to Chantry Island. Looks like there is more to explore!
and here is a peek of the lighthouse again
No Grasses, No Dunes. No Dunes, No Beach
The extensive shoreline turns into dunes. Just like dunes along other shorelines, the extensive dune complex in Southampton is in need of protection.
Especially with high water levels
that seem to chomp away chunks of land.
There are multiple boardwalks and lookout platforms that keep you off the dunes, but we couldn’t help but notice the many footprints on the dunes…
Along the Shore
Southampton is such a quaint and very ocean-like community.
We continued along the shore. Here is another one of those butterfly gardens.
And another one. This one has a library. With a butterfly theme of course!
and there is enough variety in the landscape to keep your interest as you walk along the trail along the shore.
We could have walked forever,
but the lighthouse beckoned us back.
And so we walked back north.
Last view of a Chantry island,
and another sunset.
Here’s to hoping that this is not the last time! And this was only the shoreline…more to come.
Southampton looks so charming. We’re planning on taking a road trip along the Ontario portion of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay next summer and I’ll have to add this to my itinerary. I love the names of some of the boats!
You will love it! We have quite a few more posts about the area coming up so keep an eye out. Both the Huron Shoreline and the north shore of Lake Erie are amazing. These were areas that for some reason we never explored (always headed towards Algonquin and the likes). It gets really busy with tourists in the summer, so if you can aim for shoulder season it may be easier to get camping spots.
Looks like a very picturesque area and a bit of history. Thanks for sharing and have a Merry Christmas. Allan
Thanks for coming along, Allan, and a very Merry Christmas to you too!
I enjoyed reading the sign about the storm signals as I think it’s interesting to read how boaters gained information prior to modern technology.
I also found this very interesting! Merry Christmas if I don’t talk to you before Christmas!
Such a lovely place. Thank you
It’s really lovely! Thanks for coming along, Linda!
What a pretty area. It looks cold though! Plenty of room for social distancing.
It is very pretty! It’s cold in the winter as it tends to be in Canada, but in spring, summer, and fall it’s fine!
Lovely sunset over the waves. Thanks for sharing this trip.
Thanks for coming along!
We have a dear friend from Port Dover who moved to Southampton a few years ago and we visit when we can. It’s wonderful to have a driveway in town to park our Banff. The bicycle trails in the area are really nice too.
We really enjoyed the trails! Along the beach, the rail trail, and some trails in the woods and along the river. Just wonderful!
that does look like a nice quaint little town to visit. Beautiful sunset!
We really enjoyed it! Thanks, Jim!
Lovely post. Southampton is a place I’d love to take Sladja to, if we ever get round to planning a trip around England. Hope you guys have a great Christmas!
Thanks! This Southampton in Ontario has a lot of Brits for some reason, maybe it reminds them of the other Southampton. Merry Christmas!
I should’ve also said that I would love to see this one too! Just don’t know if we’ll ever make it to Canada. Hopefully one day!
Hopefully you can make it, but who knows now when we can go back to normal travel. I hope you at least make it to Southampton UK with Sladja!