“Glamping” at Pine Brae near Perth, Ontario: Camping with the comforts of home

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Disclosure: I stayed at Pine Brae for free as a guest of the owners, who neither reviewed nor approved this post. All opinions are my own.

I’ll admit it: When I first realized that my “glamping” (glamour + camping) cabin at the new Pine Brae Wilderness Escape near Perth overlooked a pond rather than a lake, I was a little disappointed. A pond seemed like a poor substitute for the classic Ontario cottage-country lake view.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. If, like me, you’re relatively unfamiliar with the delights of wilderness ponds, let me enlighten you. (And, don’t worry—Pine Brae also has waterfront on Long Lake, which I’ll tell you about later.)

Wildlife galore

First and foremost, this pond was teeming with wildlife. I mean teeming. Late at night and early in the morning, it sounded like a Lanark County version of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. Frogs croaked like an orchestra of demented bassoons. Loon cries echoed across the water. The most distinctive sound, however, was a persistent evening bird call I didn’t recognize. When I asked Pine Brae’s Blair Copland what it was, he quickly solved the mystery: it was an eastern whippoorwill. If you’ve never heard their pretty song, listen to it on the link below.

At Pine Brae’s other rental cottage (there are only two), my friends Katharine and Eric spotted a deer near the pond. And Blair says he and his partner Connie Higgs spent an hour one winter day watching an otter fishing through the pond’s ice.

It wasn’t just the area around the pond that felt like a wildlife preserve. As Katharine, Eric, my daughter Stephanie and I strolled along an old road leading to Blair and Connie’s home on the other side of the pond, we caught sight of what we thought was a large black dog at the edge of the woods, bounding through tall grass. It was a few moments before one of us cried, “That’s not a dog. It’s a bear!” And indeed it was.

When we got to the house at the end of the road, Connie cheerfully explained that she’d shooed the orphaned juvenile bear away from her henhouse a few minutes before we arrived, and that he wasn’t an aggressive sort. Unfazed, she offered us a plate of Indigo Rose tomatoes from her organic garden.

After noshing on the yummy tomatoes, we communed for a few minutes with the equally unfazed chickens.

As we continued our short hike to the pond lookout, however, we did keep our ears open for any crackling branches or other signs that the bear had decided to join us on our hike. Suddenly, the air horn supplied with each cottage seemed like much more than a frill. And, speaking of the cottage, it’s time to take you inside the beautiful little off-grid gem where I stayed.

My glamping cottage

Pine Brae currently has two glamping cabins for rent: the Coorie, close to the water’s edge, and the well-named Aerie, above the pond on a granite outcrop. Both share the same innovative design, and each is carefully distanced from the other. Each has a maximum capacity of two people.

Steph and I, staying in the Aerie, couldn’t see Katharine and Eric’s home at the Coorie, and we could only hear a slight murmur of voices in the distance if we concentrated (and the frogs weren’t croaking). And the only sound we heard from Blair and Connie’s similarly invisible home was the faint squawk of a chicken one morning.

If you’re used to camping or staying in rustic cottage rentals, you’re in for a treat at Pine Brae. Our visit started with luggage service to our door; since the road to the cottages is rough, Blair meets new arrivals in the parking lot with an ATV and trailer. Our gear got a ride while Steph and I walked behind; it’s about a four-minute easy stroll from the parking lot past the Coorie to the Aerie.

At the spotless Aerie (strict COVID-19 cleaning protocols are in place), we all put on masks so Blair could give us a tour. To be honest, the place was posher than our house, with granite kitchen counters and island, a custom-made bed and nightstands, funky pendant lamps, huge windows, and folding glass doors opening onto the pièce de résistance: a fully-screened sun porch with a propane fire pit, which in turn leads to a deck with a gas barbecue.

Since the area sees frequent summer fire bans, campfires aren’t permitted at Pine Brae, but the fire pit does provide a cozy glow at night (even if roasting marshmallows on it is forbidden).

What’s included?

What’s included in the cottage, you ask? Just about everything you could possibly need for a stress-free stay in the woods. Solar panels provide abundant electricity, at least on summer days; a gauge in the kitchen indicates the power stored in the battery, and it barely dipped below 100% in the two days we were there. (Blair does have a backup generator in case the solar power fails, but he hasn’t had to use it yet.)

The kitchen has a gas cooktop, a bar-sized fridge, dishes, cutlery, cooking utensils, dish soap, tea towels, a coffee maker, a stovetop kettle (hooray from this tea drinker!), and a good range of pots and pans. There’s also a large plastic tub with a snap-closing lid where you can store your non-refrigerated perishables, so the smell won’t attract bears and other critters (who have been known to visit the cabins).

Drinking water is provided in a large dispenser. The cottage’s water supply is safe for other uses, such as cooking and showering.

In a very nice touch, you’ll also find some basic grocery items—salt, pepper, olive oil, canola oil, balsamic vinegar, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, cream, sugar and coffee—along with a bowl of fresh eggs, two big homemade muffins and two yogurt-and-fruit parfaits (so no need to worry about bringing breakfast supplies for your first morning).

Elsewhere in the cottage, there are life jackets, towels, bedding, a flashlight, an umbrella, a broom, bug repellent and the aforementioned air horn. When you book a cottage, you’ll receive a detailed list of anything else you should bring.

Living lightly and focusing on service

Blair and Connie have worked hard to ensure that their cottages leave a light footprint on the land. Blair is fond of saying that they bought the 100-acre property in 2013 in order to save it.

After a career in hospitality and restaurants, Blair decided to pursue his dream of building and running eco-friendly accommodation. To gain experience, he worked at the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort in British Columbia, where he observed that preserving land to appeal to tourists saved it from being used for extraction industries. “The First Nations out there discovered that rather than selling off a logging contract to a logging company and getting a one-time payment, by preserving it instead and not chopping it all down, they get repeat customers year after year.”

Blair and Connie worked closely with their contractors, McAdoo Construction in Perth, to design and build environmentally friendly cabins that had the feel of tents. That’s why the roof of the sun porch is screened, with a canvas sail overhead. That’s also why the cabins were built on piers, so they can be removed completely if necessary. The solar power is part of the plan, too.

When it came to the plumbing, building codes prevented Pine Brae from installing some high-tech toilets they’d considered. Even so, the flush toilet, vessel sink and elegantly tiled hot shower are much more luxurious than any campground comfort station I’ve ever seen. From his time at Clayoquot, Blair learned that “glampers” love their ensuites. “I just knew that that was an amenity I had to provide,” he says.

Pine Brae opened in June 2020. While the property is zoned for up to five rental cottages, Connie and Blair hope to limit themselves to just three. That will reduce the impact on the land, keep each cottage private and secluded, minimize traffic on the trails and at the lakefront, and—crucially—allow them to provide flexible, all-encompassing service as much as possible.

“I’m available completely all the time for people…I’m a service-oriented guy,” Blair says, explaining that guests are welcome to call him for anything they need. (We took him up on that offer when Steph’s fishing rod broke and he kindly lent us Connie’s.) “This is what’s different than an Airbnb,” he adds.

The comforts of these cottages extend beyond the buildings themselves. Here’s what you can enjoy elsewhere on the property.

At the lake

As I mentioned earlier, Pine Brae has a network of hiking trails. The one I used most often was a five-minute route leading downhill from the Aerie to Pine Brae’s 300 metres of shoreline on Long Lake.

Here, again, Blair and Connie have tried to ensure that guest have everything they need, including space. There are two widely separated decks, each with a pair of Muskoka chairs, a small table, and thoughtful hooks on nearby trees for hanging up wet towels and life jackets. Between the two is a large dock perfect for tanning, jumping off and fishing.

Off to the side is a boat launch with a canoe and four kayaks (paddles are also supplied). The launch area is rocky and drops off fairly quickly. Make sure to take Pine Brae’s advice and bring boat shoes or rubber sandals with good grips if you want to use the watercraft. If you’re not experienced in getting a canoe or kayak into the water from a rocky shore (or getting into the boat once it’s launched), Blair is happy to come and help.

The lake is dotted with small islands, so it’s a scenic place for paddlers.

Two other notes: There’s a “sanitation station” with disinfecting supplies nailed to a tree near the boat launch. On another tree, you’ll find a mailbox filled with flashlights, which I can imagine coming in very handy. Darkness can come more quickly than you expect, and these trails are pitch black at night.

Speaking of night…

That pitch blackness makes the deck an amazing spot to stargaze. One night, I wandered out shortly after midnight and actually caught my breath at the spangled sky above my head. With the frogs and the whippoorwills keeping me vocal company, I stood there gazing up with my jaw hanging open for a good half hour. I still can’t believe I was only 15 minutes from Perth.

I also have to say, however, that walking up from the parking lot alone at night is a rather spooky experience for city folk. I did it one night at about 10:30pm and, thoughts of the bear at the top of my mind, I sang the Proclaimers’ song “500 Miles” (for some reason) as loudly as I dared all the way up the trail. Better safe than dinner.

A few last tips

• If you’re sensitive to morning light, do bring a sleeping mask. In the Aerie, there’s only one blind, on the window nearest the bed. On cloudless mornings, sunlight pours into the east-facing cottage.
• If noise bothers you at night, you might not find those frogs and night birds as restful as I did. Pack a set of earplugs.
• Even if you’re staying for a week, don’t bring a week’s worth of food that requires refrigeration, as the fridge is fairly small. Grocery stores in Perth are a short drive away.
• Bring books and other low-tech amusements. Blair and Connie planned to supply games in each cottage but have put that idea on hold because of COVID-19.
• Leave your furry friends with a friend. No pets are allowed at Pine Brae. (Edited on August 6/20 to add this info.)
• Plan to unplug. There’s no wi-fi. Cell service is dodgy at best—with Rogers, I could get a bar or two on the cottage deck, but nothing inside the cabin. You might pick up a signal at the dock on the lake, or you might not. Unless you’re trying to contact Blair and Connie, you won’t miss it. Trust me.

What to do in the area

I know I could happily spend days just hanging out at the Aerie or down by the lake. However, if you want to do some day tripping, you’re in luck. You can actually walk from Pine Brae to the entrance of Murphys Point Provincial Park, although the park’s main attractions, such as the day-use beach, are a few kilometres from the entrance (and if you want to check out the Silver Queen historical mica mine, which is fascinating, you’ll probably want to drive).

As mentioned, Perth is about 15 minutes away, while you can reach Smiths Falls in about 25 minutes. If you’re up for a half-hour drive, you could head to Westport, home to a brewpub, a winery, cute shops, a pretty harbour and Foley Mountain Conservation Area. Don’t forget to bring and wear your mask if you’re heading into any of these towns.

Looking for more detailed ideas? Check out these posts (note that they were both written before the pandemic, so some things mentioned in them may be temporarily closed):

• Things to do in Perth, Ontario—a great day trip destination!
• A road trip to the Perth Pie Company for Pi Day pie

If you go

Pine Brae is located at 2112 Elm Grove Road, Perth. Cottages are limited to two people maximum, and the minimum age is 18. Rates start at $250 per night and $1,550 per week. For more information, see the Pine Brae website.

Note: Post edited on August 4, 2020, to correct an error. I mistakenly wrote that Pine Brae has a beach, when I meant to say it has a lakefront. Sorry for the error.

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