Grey Gables Channel:
Is immediately behind the house and can be reached by going through the gate at the side of your patio, down the steps and you will find yourself in nature's wonderland.
The channel is a man-made project by the Department of Fisheries & Oceans as part of their salmon enhancement programme. It is completely self-contained, fed by the natural drainage of surrounding properties and by a large filtration unit buried in the burm to your right when looking toward the snow-capped Golden Ears. The channel is linked to the South Alouette River and has thus formed an island of the land over the bridge. The project was started in 1988 and fine-tuned over the years to its' present state. To our benefit and the benefit of our guests, it is totally private and only accessed through Grey Gables Farm and two neighbouring properties. Birds and wildlife are happy to call this area home; the deer put in an appearance most mornings and we have black bear roaming through occasionally. The heron family is resident together with many kingfishers; you will see eagles nesting in the trees to the north and hawks love to hover to catch anything small that moves!
Enjoy the chimena (Mexican fireplace always stocked with wood) in the evenings whilst watching the beavers. If you sit quietly on the bridge at dusk you should see them at work. They are very shy animals and will dive deep into the water with a huge splash if they think they are threatened. In the morning there is always evidence of their nightly endeavours - bare branches floating in the water. The government took great pains to make the channel ‘beaver friendly' by building a large box which houses a pipe through which the salmon swim, and therefore dissuading the beaver to build a dam. The water drains at the west end through pipes into a rocky outflow and back into the South Alouette. You can see all this by strolling to your left over the bridge.
The Farm:
Feel free to wander the farm. Jenny, the donkey will possibly wake you in the morning with her call. She is a good ‘watchdog' and alerts us when anyone comes onto the property! . We have a few purebred Southdown Sheep, they are the ones with wool growing right down to the tip of their noses and their toes. The others with longer wool are cross-bred, Dorsets with Southdowns. The hens roam the property at will. The result of their free range diet gives us large brown eggs every day which our guests enjoy at breakfast. Although they appear to be always on the driveway, they learned very early to move when vehicles approach!
The Black Sheep Pub:
There are paths throughout the island to be enjoyed by our guests and the Black Sheep Pub at 23227 Dogwood (12900 block 232nd Avenue) can be reached on foot by following the path to the east and going through the housing development there - ask for instructions. Currently this path is getting rather overgrown with blackberries! Walking along the street is an alternative. Appropriately named, but not of our doing, The Black Sheep is our ‘local' and offers good wholesome ‘pub' fare.
Sports:
If you are interested in any of the indoor/outdoor sports offered extensively in this area we have information on most places.
— Swan-e-Set and Meadow Gardens Golf Courses will give you a good rate on a round of golf, once again, please ask about this.
— Golden Ears Equestrian Centre is also just a walk away over the bridge. They have horses for rent and also organize trail rides.
— Maple Ridge Equestrian Centre is behind us on 132nd Avenue.
— There are canoe rentals at Alouette Lake.
— Maple Ridge Leisure Centre has full fitness facilities with hot tub, saunas and pools, including a shallow one.
— To continue your fitness regime there are also several gyms with reciprocating memberships.
— Planet Ice is a 5 minute drive away and has two rinks.
Golden Ears Park:
Golden Ears Park can be reached by following the signs on 232nd Street - see map. Alouette Lake is a popular spot during the summer months and provides good hiking in that area all year round. Maps of the trails can be found at various locations on the way into the park. It is a wilderness area, so if you plan longer hikes in the park please let someone know your itinerary - Maple Ridge has a good Search & Rescue group whom we would prefer not to have to call out!! Take warm clothing and something to eat and drink in case your sojourn is longer than you expect.
UBC Malcomn Knapps Research Forest:
Situated just north of us up 232nd Street merging into Silver Valley Road is a beautiful research forest overseen by the University of British Columbia and covering hundreds of acres. There are trails of every length and in the summer months organized hikes take you on an educational voyage into the forest - you will learn tree species and all sorts of plant life. Parking is at the gate. As advised above, if you plan a longer hike, please let someone know.
Pitt Meadows:
Located just west of us and only a 10 minute drive away, Pitt Meadows offers wonderful easy hiking on the dyking system. After Grey Gables Channel, this region offers some great bird watching. Pitt Lake is reached by driving north on Neaves Road. There are canoe and kayak rentals at the parking lot there during the summer months.
Fort Langley:
Across the Fraser by ferry, is Fort Langley. It is a trendy little village with good restaurants of all types, antique shops and clothing stores. The ferry runs every 15 minutes during the day and takes just 5 minutes to complete its' trip across. If you prefer to not take your car across, then there is limited parking on the Maple Ridge side, and it takes about 15 minutes to walk into Fort Langley from the ferry terminal on the other side. The attached map shows the route to get to the ferry from here.
Miscellaneous:
Once again, any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. We are here to make your stay as enjoyable as is humanly possible!
Your hosts:
Millie & Terry Wilding
e-mail: info@greygablesfarm.com
web page: www.greygablesfarm.com
tel: 604-467-3447
fax: 604-467-3554
cell: 604-889-2451
Contact us: by phone: 604-467-3447 or e-mail