After packing our bags again on Day 6 were out on the trails a little after 9am. The entrance to the Rail Trail to Brantford was across the street from our Airbnb in Copetown so it was easy to get on our way. The trail in this area is near some boggy water so there were more insects than the previous days, but we were prepared with bug spray so the damage wasn’t too terrible.
All in all the hike to our first stop of the day, China King restaurant, was about 15km. About halfway some saintly human had set up a portable toilet and left a cooler full of water bottles for trail users. It was greatly appreciated as we had drank a lot of coffee that morning!
Once in Brantford we stopped at China King for lunch. We were very hot and sweaty by the time we arrived and our backpacks always grab a lot of attention so our server had a lot of questions about what exactly we were doing. He was very helpful in recommending dishes we should try (eggplant and orange chicken – both delicious) as well as what areas of Brantford to visit. He said the Bell Homestead is a must-do and while it was already on our list we were glad to hear from a local that it is worth a visit!
After lunch we continued walking a bit but not only did it start to rain a little, but we also realized the place we were going to watch the Blue Jays game was actually really far and we didn’t want to spend hours getting there only to miss half the game (it was an afternoon game despite it being a Thursday.) We called an Uber and went to Sociable Tavern which was a great spot to watch the game and have a bevvy.
After the game we Uber’d to our Airbnb, a very cute and comfy place called The Copper Flat. After settling in and cleaning up, the next order of business was dinner at On The Lam. We were able to walk to the restaurant from the Airbnb and were very excited as we had heard great things. We had some fresh oysters, raw scallops, pork belly, pickerel, puffed potatoes and bok choy. Everything was excellent and the team working at the restaurant, from the servers to the kitchen staff (there is an open kitchen!) were professional and their dedication showed in the results. After dinner we had a delicious sponge toffee dessert and cocktails (Jon had a sponge toffee espresso martini!) to end the night.
We walked back to our rental apartment after dinner and overall clocked in about 24km of walking which was the most of the trip to this point. The next day was going to be another scorcher but luckily we had another day in Brantford and didn’t have to lug our packs with us. We turned in and prepared for another day of exploring!