This is a unique lakefront cottage, a quaint rustic retreat. A great spot for a nature enthusiast, stays include the use of kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, a pedal boat, etc. This is a quiet spot with only a half dozen camps on this end of the lake. Think relaxation, not rip roaring excitement. It is family/couple friendly, not for parties. Quiet lake in rural NB.
The space
What you can expect…
Do you like the comforts of home? Stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, ceramic tiles, hardwood floors, huge 4 piece bathrooms bathrooms, unlimited wifi and great cell phone reception? We do too. But if you are expecting any of the above at this cottage you would possibly be happier elsewhere. This is for the true nature lover, not for the self professed one who claims to like it because it's the cool thing to do.
It’s not really a high tourist area, it’s more for hiking, four wheeling, snowmobiling, sitting by the bonfire, reading a book, listening to loons.
There is no ideal guest, but typically people who truly love nature, have an adventurous spirit, don’t mind some aspects of roughing it, would love to pry their teens off their devices (…oh wait that is me). It’s a great place to come, bond as families and friends, reconnect, sit around a campfire telling stories over s’mores, float in a tube, throw your fishing line out. I could go on.
This cottage was whimsically built, renovated, renovated, renovated yet again and is now an official work in progress.
It is also in the middle of nature, so you can expect to see some wildlife. Frogs, fish, leeches are all normal in the lake. It is a clean lake, so we think that is why the critters like it too. The garden snakes love to hide out near the garden and under the boats. We think they are trying to give people heart attacks. The loons sometimes put on quite a show, and if you are really fortunate you may be treated to an early morning alarm via them (it is heart stopping to be suddenly awakened by the haunting call of the loon). The black flies and mosquitoes are also out for blood in May and June in particular. We do leave some stuff in the black armoire to help with that. You could see a mouse, squirrel or chipmunk, and we even had a bat (not extinct apparently) plop ungraciously onto our patio table. Oh don’t forget the spiders, we think at some point they mutated with tarantulas and that is why they are so big. We do spray for them with nature friendly spray and our son Brandon sweeps for webs every time, but they keep reappearing, I guess they like it there.
When you enter into the cabin, you are immediately on the ground floor. The downstairs is an open concept and includes kitchen, dining and living room area. The entire space is cozy and has a warm feel with it’s golden wide, pine floors (that have admittedly some nice scratch marks as a souvenir from some beloved family pets who are also allowed coming). The kitchen is spacious and includes a full-sized fridge, stove, microwave, coffee maker and toaster. The appliances are older and you will have to make your own ice (don’t worry, we can share our well guarded recipe). It does not include a dishwasher but has a charming old farm sink. There is no shortage of pots, pans, dishes, cutlery, etc. And there are also cutting boards, so please use them and not the butcher block counters. Repeat after me, the counters look like giant cutting boards but they are not. There is an area under the stairs and behind a green curtain that is not meant for guest use. It has our cleaning supplies, etc. And if you can’t help but look, it is just a perpetual state of disaster.
The living room has a sofa that pulls out into a double bed, an electric fireplace, ceiling fan and tv with DVD player (a small selection of movies provided). If you were brave enough to share your space with all your friends, the window ledge can double as seating. Otherwise hopefully a sectional sofa is in our budget in the future.
There is a dining room spacious enough for six, with an overhead deer antler chandelier. An indoor wood stove to take the chill off when the weather turns cold, a supply of wood is provided. A large picture window overlooks the lake with breathtaking views.
Don’t expect the cottage to be clutter free, it’s not. There are whimsical collections, relics left from former guests, closets full of linens, life jackets in many sizes, I could go on. But if you are looking for a cozy blanket to cuddle into, you’ll find it. A marshmallow roaster? We have that too.
There are two heat pumps and they work great. You have to close the curtains to the scorching afternoon sun and in the bitter cold. But if there is a breeze off the lake, Mother Nature is much better at cooling than an ac.
Long weekends require Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night to be booked as we value our own family time.
Outside, a spacious deck has some large wooden benches, it is a perfect spot for your morning coffee. Under the shelter of the porch, you will find seating for six. An additional table can be set up ro add more seating. There is an outdoor barbeque under a sheltered roof for cooking. There is a firepit area and wood is supplied, but we encourage you to check for fire bans.
Owners kayaks and canoe available for your use, including a supply of life jackets (as a side note, I am not being nosy when I ask for your kids ages, I am trying to determine what size life jackets to leave out) We swim at the lake all the time, I have been leech free for 25 years. I can’t say the same for everyone who has swam there. There is a wooden floating dock for your use if you wish to swim out. The floating dock is not typically in the water until the water is warm enough to swim in (towards the end of May is typical). Because honestly, hypothermia is not on our wish list. The pedal boat is ideally suited for smaller people or older children. Even if you think you are helping us, please do not bring it into shore. Damaged rudders are a pain to repair. It is not a huge lake, it is smaller in size. Some of the neighbouring cottage owners have been able to jet ski, use small motorized watercraft, etc. If you wish to bring your own motorized boating equipment, we suggest you figure out where you can safely use your equipment (there are some spots that are too shallow to navigate any motorized boats). We are not responsible for damages due to shallow spots.
On the smaller back deck, there is an uninhabited, decorative hornets nest by the window (but you should let us know if you observe hornets themselves there or elsewhere trying to build a nest).
To the left when entering, a flight of stairs leads you upstairs. An open hallway houses a small bed suitable for a younger child (about a ten year old), a double bed, and a twin bed tucked under the eaves of the roof (note: this is an open area without doors). To the left is the larger master bedroom, to the right is a smaller, but good sized bedroom. Access to the washroom is through the smaller bedroom and the open dorm style area. The king bedroom has a heat pump and there are fans to circulate the air, otherwise if it is breezy and not rainy we leave the windows and patio door open (a side note, the window in the smaller room is a vintage slider straight out of the 70’s and you have to really shove against the opposite end of the patio door to lock and unlock it, I guess things being level wasn’t important when the cottage was built)
The master bedroom has a king size log bed and we hope you like it because that baby is never leaving unless it is via chainsaw. There are also some antique trunks and bureaus. Both rooms have ceiling fans. The master bedroom’s source of light is via patio door leading to a private deck overlooking the lake. The deck is complete with a porch swing and bistro set.
A note on the decor; the decor itself remains the same, however since we launder all used bedding every time; quilts, comforters, duvets, etc. may not be exactly the same as pictured. (I have gone through one washing machine already in three years).
The bathroom has a tub with overhead shower, sink and composting toilet. Whenever possible we encourage you to use the facilities in the detached wash house (obviously in the winter you use the indoor washroom). The indoor washroom has limited capacity and will be overwhelmed by general use. It is intended for your use in inclement weather and nighttime use as excessive use puts a strain on our system. If you have never heard of a composting toilet, you should be aware that it functions much like a normal toilet except it uses a very minimal amount of water for flushing. Only human waste and toilet paper should go in the composting toilets. Everything else should go in the garbage. It is very similar to an rv toilet. So if you have ever used an rv toilet and swore to never use one again, probably not the best place for you.
The second bedroom has a queen bed, a large window, an armoire for closet space. Except you will find that I steal a lot of closet space for linens, my bad.
In the hallway there is a custom made bed suitable for a younger child, a double bed, and a twin bed. It is a large, loft style, open concept area.
With the help of a booster, guests should be able to get cell phone reception within the camp. We have found you can send texts quite easily and make emergency phone calls. One of the owners has an older Samsung phone and needs to routinely reset on the flight mode for a few seconds to get bars.
We provide drinking water via a dispenser set up in the kitchen. Extra bottles are in the double cupboard under the toaster and coffee maker. The water for washing, showering and laundering is filtered lake water.
Up the hill, there is a wash house that has a second composting toilet, a sink and a sheltered shower. Think of a cross between a campground shower and a spa, that is how we like to think of our washhouse shower. We encourage larger groups to use the wash house for their needs as excessive use of the indoor washroom with larger groups would put a strain on our system. Only human waste and toilet paper should go in the toilet; anything else should go in the garbage.
So that is it! You can expect a nice space (subject to opinion), reasonably clean (again, nature, bugs, spiders). Those who love it, love it a lot and fight to come back every year. Those who don't, well it isn't for everyone.
Guest access
The whole camp is available for your use. There is an area under the stairs, behind a green curtain that is for staff. Seriously don’t recommend looking there if you are OCD. If you need something, please ask. We have delivered everything from Coca Cola, to firewood, to kids Advil. It’s especially handy if you have been floating in the tube all day with a beer in the cup holder.
Facing the lake, to the left there is a wash house. There are two locked areas where we keep tools, maintenance equipment etc. There is a tiny shed that is shared with the neighbours where we store garbarge, recycling and returnable bottles. Do not be surprised if the owner comes by to do routine maintenance outside, especially for those staying longer than two days. We will try to send a message if we are going to be by.
Other things to note
There is some cell phone service. The best service seems to be in the kitchen/dining room area. Sometimes we have found that setting our phones on flight mode for a few seconds helps detect the booster better. Sometimes it will not work and we have found that we have to drive to the top of the hill (about 2 km), but 95% of the time it works fine.
The camp is in the woods, off the beaten path and on a dirt road. Being on a dirt road means certain times of year a four wheel drive is necessary. Spring is especially muddy and can be difficult with a car. During the winter guests with cars or front wheel drive vehicles need to park at the top of the hill. The hill is steep and gets icy. The road to the camp is not maintained by the government, so any repairs to the road are approved and paid for by the lake counsel and we apologize if they are rough at times; take your time and you will be fine. Generally you can drive right to the cottage in a car from May-october.
The camp is in the wilderness, so you can expect wild animals and insects of various kinds. There are frogs, squirrels, snakes, mice, birds, etc. The most probable animals you will see are squirrels and loons. Bears and coyotes are in the area, but garbage is not left out to attract such, so we have yet to have problems. May and June is typically black-fly and mosquito season, the breeze off the lake does help. The loons can sound deceptively like coyotes and/or wolves. In short, we love nature, and nature hosts animals and insects so don’t be surprised if you see some. We do our best to maintain the outside areas, however spiders like to claim their space by weaving their webs within days.
The hunting and fishing are good in this area, the tales of such are even better.
Our end of the lake is shared with about half a dozen camps and joins up to the wheeler trails and logging roads.
We are 25 minutes services such as grocery store, liquor store, gas station, restaurants etc. come prepared but ask if you need something!
