Home Adventure One-Hour Walk: Kemptville, Ontario

One-Hour Walk: Kemptville, Ontario

by Laura Byrne Paquet
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Downtown Kemptville is a wonderfully compact place for a walk—an hour’s stroll will take you through most of it. Along the way, you can check out some nice shops, skate outdoors (in the winter), go kayaking (in the summer) and reward yourself with tasty scones. And the best part? Kemptville isn’t far from Ottawa. It’s just a 20-minute drive from Manotick and a 40-minute drive from Parliament Hill. So grab your walking shoes or winter boots, and come along on a one-hour walk around this Eastern Ontario town.

A few route notes

The map above starts and ends at Riverside Park, but you could start anywhere you choose along this route. Note that this is a largely flat walk. Some streets have sidewalks on one side only.

If you’re looking for a public restroom along the way, you’ll find some at the North Grenville Library in the Norenberg Building at 1 Water Street (at the corner of Prescott, just south of the bridge over Kemptville Creek). The large, accessible washrooms are just to your right. Check the library website for opening hours.

Metal shelves of fritters, doughnuts and other baked goods, with chalked prices below them.
Grahames Bakery

Once you’re on the north side of the creek, turn left to head east along Clothier Street East. Pop into Grahame’s Bakery (115 Clothier Street East) for doughnuts and bread fresh from the wood-burning oven, which dates back to 1885.

Just past the bakery, you could veer south at Barnes Street and pick up the pedestrian Waterfront Trail along the creek instead of walking along Clothier. (I tried to show that on the Google Map but it just gave me grief, but you can see it if you zoom in on the map.)

Large inflated Van Turken turkey with a pilgrim hat and a checkered banana, sitting in a wooden hut.
Inflatable Van Turken waiting for her turn to come out and play in Curry Park

In recent years, a section of the creek beside Curry Park has been groomed in winter to become the Kemptville Skateway, so bring your blades. If you come on the second Saturday in February, you can pick up free snacks and get your picture taken with a giant turkey—well, an inflatable turkey or a human in a turkey costume—on Van Turken Day (a newish festival with a fun back story). In summer, you could follow up your walk with a paddle, as there’s a boat launch in Curry Park.

Red brick two-storey home with gingerbread trim and white picket fence, and smaller wood-framed home in background, with snow falling
Just a few of the many pretty heritage homes in Kemptville Doesnt this look like a Christmas card

From Curry Park, head up to Oxford Street and walk west to Rideau Street. Walk two blocks south, then turn right onto Clothier Street West and walk a few blocks to see several of the town’s prettiest heritage churches. The road is quite wide at this point, so the walk is a bit nippy on windy winter days. (Believe me, I just did it, and I was glad I was bundled up!)

Large heritage grey stone church with portico and silver spire
Holy Cross Catholic Church on Clothier Street West in Kemptville

For lots of detail on the many historic homes in downtown Kemptville, check out the four detailed historical walking tours of different areas of the town put together by Explore North Grenville.

grey stone and red brick buildings from 19th and early 20th centuries, with arched windows and interesting roof details, along Prescott Street in Kemptville
Vintage commercial buildings along Prescott Street in Kemptville house lots of independent businesses

Why do this walk?

  • At 409 Oxford Street East is a house that some believe was once a hangout for 1920s gangster Al Capone. (This post by local historian Arlene Stafford Wilson has details of rumoured bootlegging and secret tunnels, back in the day.) Like all the homes mentioned in this post, it is private property, so just observe from the road, ‘kay?
  • Kemptville is just a lovely place to meander around, with streets lined with Victorian and Edwardian buildings. That’s why I’ve routed you along Thomas Street; it’s just a quiet, residential street, but it’s pretty.
coffee shop counter with baked goods under glass domes on wooden counter and chalkboard signs with menus behind
Bubba Bugs Coffee Bar Kemptville So many baked goodies
  • Pop into Bubba & Bugs Coffee Bar (146 Prescott Street) for cookies, scones, muffins, breakfast treats, sandwiches, loose-leaf teas and specialty coffees in a festive atmosphere (how many other coffee shops do you know that have a chandelier?).
  • Swing by one of my favourite independent supermarkets, B & H Your Community Grocer (301 Rideau Street), to find foods from local producers. There’s usually a display right by the front entrance of items such as honey and sunflower oil.
woman in blue jacket and red hat walking along winter trail with ski poles
Look at me being all outdoorsy in Ferguson Forest in Kemptville Photo by Heather Currie
  • Kemptville offers lots of options for additional exercise. Ferguson Forest has over 20 kilometres of hiking trails, a kayak dock and a popular dog park. It’s just a short drive from downtown. (Tip: If you’re visiting in winter, the Turtle Trail is a good bet for hiking or snowshoeing. It runs through the woods along a quiet stretch of Kemptville Creek and, unlike some of the other park trails, is not open to snowmobiles.)
people in yellow and blue kayaks kayaking from dock on small creek
Kayaking from the dock in Ferguson Forest Photo courtesy of the Municipality of North Grenville
  • Kemptville Campus (75 Campus Drive) has a network of trails ranging in length from 500 metres to 3.5 kilometres. You’ll also find a working sugarbush on the former college property, as well as greenhouses that are open to the public at selected times. Again, it’s just a short drive or a longish walk from downtown.
  • In summer, Riverside Park is a great place for families, with picnic tables, a playground, a skate park, a beach and other recreational amenities. It’s a few blocks west of downtown Prescott Street.

Getting to Kemptville

Kemptville is 58 kilometres south of Parliament Hill. The easiest way to get there is via highways 417 and 416; take County Road 43 (exit 34) west from Highway 416 to Kemptville.

I’ve picked the corner of Reuben Crescent and Riverside Park as the starting point for this walk because there’s a large, free public parking lot there (which is well signed from the main drag, Prescott Street). However, you could start just about anywhere downtown, as street parking is generally easy to find.

For more tips on exploring this area, see my detailed day tripping to Kemptville and North Grenville post.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy this one: One-Hour Walk: Old Ottawa South.

Looking for more ideas for things to do around our region? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or pick up a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide.

As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.

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3 comments

9 very short road trips from Ottawa - Ottawa Road Trips May 16, 2022 - 4:10 pm

[…] Kemptville is a great destination for dog lovers, as the Ferguson Forest dog park offers lots of off-leash fun for Fido. There are even separate areas for large dogs and small pooches. The forest itself has over 22 kilometres of mixed-use trails, open to hikers, cyclists, horseback riders and leashed dogs; in winter, there are five kilometres of ski, snowshoe and fat bike trails. After all that outdoor fun, reward yourself with coffee and a treat from Bubba and Bugs Coffee Bar or Brewed Awakenings. For all the details, see my big guide to Kemptville and North Grenville and my one-hour walk in Kemptville. […]

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7+ eco-friendly adventures in and around Ottawa - Ottawa Road Trips May 19, 2022 - 11:18 am

[…] guide to a one-hour walk in Kemptville will take you around much of this small town just south of Ottawa. Make sure to leave time to drop […]

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5 Eastern Ontario coffee shops you must visit - Ottawa Road Trips November 12, 2022 - 8:00 am

[…] you’ll know if you read my post about walking in Kemptville a few months ago, Bubba & Bugs Coffee Bar is an eye-catching spot. How many coffee shops have […]

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