Southwold Earthworks

You can find posts about our 25 km from WTF adventures here
or visualize them on this map.

Southwold Earthworks National Historical Site is one of our favourite places for a short walk. The site preserves the remains of a pre-contact village site of the Neutral people, who occupied the site about AD 1450 to 1550. It is also within an easy cycle from WTF and, on a beautiful August weekday, I took my bike and headed out.

One of the cool things about the area is that the Trans Canada Trail is routed along both roads I was cycling. Given all the rain we have this year, the fields of corn and soybean have been progressing ahead of schedule.

Trans Canada Trail Sign on Lake Line

When I arrived at the Earthworks, I had it all to myself. If you are visiting for the first time, the various plaques throughout the site do a good job of explaining what you are seeing. With the grass recently cut, the double embankments of the settlement were very clear.

I pressed on to the little village on Iona, which was just a few kilometers further along the same road. There were still a few old buildings in the village but they looked like they have been mostly unused since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. On the other hand, there were several new houses under construction through the village, so perhaps a revival is in the future.

I turned back for home and made one last stop at the end of Iona Road to look out over Lake Erie:

Lake Erie from the end of Iona Road
Barry Cott Written by:

Barry is one of the driving forces behind Station Studios. An avid photographer and outdoor enthusiast, when he's not traveling, he calls Port Stanley, Ontario home.