Flamboro Valley Camping Resort is a family-run campground located near Guelph, Ontario. It is actually run by two families, and is a relatively new operation. As such, there are a number of new buildings and facilities that really give the campground a modern look. The other advantage of being newer is that there are not as many seasonal trailers, so there is a wider variety of other campers who are on shorter term stays.
The first thing that impresses a new visitor is the little valley itself, which you can see from the front gate. The gate is on a rise, and down a road to the woods you can see the trailer sites in the distance. There is a large cedar and pine stand on the one side of the woods, and there are fantastic tenting sites throughout the trees.
We booked the site unseen, and were a little surprised when we arrived. It was a bit of a disappointment only because we were in a central lawn with no trees around on a corner lot. Well, what do you want for a last-minute booking. The site did have full hookups, which we are starting to appreciate more now that we have the bathroom running properly in the trailer (another article about that coming up soon).
For kids activities, there is a playground area with swings, a well-kept outdoor pool, and a small arcade in the main building. Adult activities were actually far more extensive, and while we were not able to break away from the 3 little ones long enough to participate, we did see a lawn bowling competition, a horseshoe tournament final, a church service, and an evening dance on the Saturday night.
We have been to a few campgrounds that in my opinion were a little nicer in terms of the sites and the scenery, but one significant thing that Flamboro Valley has going for it is the sense of community.
On Saturday afternoon we had a visit from Michael and Melanie, and there daughter, which was quite fun. At this point things were a little hectic, as the kids were all worked up and we all did not sleep very much the night before as the baby had been crying throughout the night, most likely due to teething. So I am sure we were all a sight for sore eyes when our visitors arrived. Anyways, we got to work setting up a dinner which turned out really nice. Smoked sausages, corn on the cob cooked directly on the grill (ask me how to do this, you will be surprised), and lots of desert. And it was nice to see that the kids were in to the healthy food first, and desert later.
Keeping the kids hemmed in to our campsite was a bit of a challenge, as we were in a wide-open area without any real boundaries. Nicholas fell off of his bike a few times on the gravel roads, but no major damage. And Patrick found that it was too difficult to ride over the gravel with his tricycle.
The kids had a great time running around and playing with all of the stuff kids find on a campsite. The bugs were an especially big hit.
After dinner, Michael and Melanie joined us for a leisurely walk through the campground, weaving in and out of tenting sites. Oh yes, and I think the kids were there too.
Flamboro Valley was not the nicest place we have visited this summer, but activity-wise it was the most active. While it was not a bad place to play for the kids, I think we will be looking for a more nature-oriented location.
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