Named after the ruins of the former Villa located on the east side of Highway 6, this trail follows the old laneway to the Villa ruins on the banks of the Speed River. The Old Villa was a summer home for the Jesuits who were studying and living on the west side of Highway 6 at the St. Stanislaus Novitiate.
On the East side of the highway is http://ignatiusguelph.ca – “A Place of Beauty and Sustenance”
The road to the trail head was tough to spot since it looked like someone’s driveway but after passing it the 3rd time, we nailed it. Driving past a few houses brings you to an abrupt end with a small circular “parking spot” that might fit 3 vehicles. But only if each vehicle’s owner considers there might be other people wanting to park.
Walk past the informational kiosk, past the black plastic sheet pond(?) and into the forest. The “ruins” are early on the trail but are just a few old walls left from the mill that used to exist.
Once you have imagined what life might have been like back when they were milling something and have taken in the full old wall experience, return the way you came and bear right deeper into the forest. You will be treated by beautiful cedar trees, many mushrooms and if you are lucky, some cute Chickadees flitting about. If you are unlucky will may be blessed with the sounds of some screaming children ‘enjoying nature’.
Snarkiness aside, it is a really beautiful trail that is easy to traverse, peppered with short boardwalks, a windy path that teases you with peeks of the Speed River as it makes it’s way to the Guelph Lake.
After a few kilometres, the trail loops to the left and opens to a large meadow with a sheltered picnic or possibly a sermon area. There are a few fruit tress that I suspect will be a good draw for birds but it was cold and rainy when we went out, so there were no birds and just enough wind to make the scant flowers difficult to take photos of.
After looping around the meadow the trail leads back into the forest and quickly meets the starting point. This is a trail we will return to in the spring and summer to see what is living in there.
