district 3 - bewdley/rice lake - bewdley cottage resort

[slomo]

For those wanting to ride district 3 in this area and want the convenience of on-trail accomodation, choices are kind of limited. There is Elmhirst Resort on the north shore of Rice Lake close to Keene, but their web site has the word 'spa' in it, which is usually short hand for  'expensive'.

 

So, decided to give Bewdley Cottage Resort a try. Initially, staying at this place you get some disincentive as the owner does not take credit cards  - cash only - and the reservation procedure on the website is rather onerous - fill out a form and mail along with a cheque for $200 deposit. However, in the winter months, all I was required to do was send an email to the owner asking for accomodation and he readily agreed to book us in without any pre-deposit contingent on 'cash on arrival'. Total for two nights in a one bedroom cabin was $203.40 including HST - comparable to most motels and specials in the chain variety.

 

Web site is here:

http://www.bewdleycottageresort.com/index.html

 

The resort is on the shore of Rice Lake and a quick ride out the end of the property gives access to the trail. Most services needed are available in Bewdley.

 

 

 

Our one bedroom cabin was actually a 3 bedroom, with 2 bedrooms locked. Plenty of space and closets for your gear - hangers supplied. The kitchen was well equipped - stove, fridge, microwave etc. and a nice large table. Plenty of hot water in the unit and the baseboard heaters worked well. No problem with WIFI, ask for password. The cabin was very cheerful in the daytime with curtains opened on nice large windows. Our check out time on Sunday was 12 noon - good for getting a last little zip in on the sled.

 

 

The adjoining living room was comfortable - good selection of TV channels, although small TV

 

 

and the window joining the two rooms facilitated communication between person on couch to the person in kitchen to bring stuff

 

Outside, those with large trailers would be presented a challenge with parking. Owner suggested we back into the parking drive, but after unloading sled our trailer was small enough to unhook and move. Your situation might be different.

 

 

 

Only one key was available for the unit we had. We got around this when on different activities by locking the cabin key in the truck and each of us had a key for the truck. In addition to double vehicle keys, you need to bring bath towels/wash clothes, hair dryer, and a spare blanket or two would come in handy.

 

A few hints - this place is pretty self-serve, the owner is laid back and absence of any type of service oriented attitude might throw some folks off. The cabin is clean, but well used - expect a few holes in the carpet and some wear and tear. For those not used to wells, be prepared for the smell of sulphur while turning on water taps - the water itself is fine. It might also be a good idea to phone ahead once you are on your way to the place and ask the owner to turn up the baseboards in your cabin as we arrived to very little heat. (did heat up eventually once we turned up the heat)

 

Given all the above, we would have no problem returning here at some point and enjoyed the cabin and the trails.