~ Skating on the Rideau Canal in Winter ~
We might be approaching summer here in the northern hemisphere, but I thought it was the perfect time for a throwback to one of my favorite winter activities here in Ottawa; Skating on the unique Rideau Canal Skate-way!
Every winter, the world famous 7.8km Rideau Canal freezes over and is turned into the world's longest skating rink, stretching from my school, Carleton University, all the way to downtown Ottawa under the shadow of the Parliament of Canada.
One of the best parts about having the frozen canal skateway here in Ottawa is that for a couple of weeks every year, hundreds of students have the opportunity to get out on the ice and skate to school from their homes.
The picture to the right shows a happy skater making his way down the last stretch of the Canal with Carleton University's famous Dunton Tower looming in the background.
The majority of pictures which I took for this blog were actually taken as I made my way back from school one evening this last winter
The Rideau Canal was first created in 1832 and stretches more than 202km from Ottawa to the old Canadian capital of Kingston. It is still used today during the warmers months as a waterway to carry people and goods to and from the Ottawa river and the great lakes. As of today, the Rideau Canal is the oldest operating canal system in North America.
In the 1970s though, the city of Ottawa for the first time transformed a 7km stretch of the Canal into a skating rink during the coldest months of the year. Every year since this time, the skate-way has been opened to the public and has become a huge tourist attraction for the city. In festivals such as Winterlude, hundreds of thousands flock from the whole country into Ottawa to enjoy the canal.
However, preparing and maintaining a safe 7.8km skateway used by thousands every day is no easy task. While the Canal usually opens in January, teams begin to prep the canal as early as October the year before, to drain water from the canal. During the winter, the canal is cleared of snow, iced, smoothed and cleaned daily to allow for daily use for almost a month every winter.
When I first came to Ottawa nearly 4 years ago, I had no idea about the Rideau Canal skate-way, but now, it is one of my favorite attractions in the city and one of the things I look forward to the most every winter. So I thought that it would be fitting for me to share this wonderful attraction with you all.
I know that many of you lovely followers of my blog also reside in the Great White North, so if you are around Ontario or Ottawa next winter, make sure to take some time out to come and skate on this incredible, world record holding skate-way. I can assure you wont regret it!
Skate rentals are always available at the canal throughout the skating season and there are always a bunch of fun activities on the ice. Let me know if you do decide to come next year, and I will take you on a personalized tour of the city :)
I always love writing blogs about the city I live in, so thank you so much for reading! Would you consider coming to skate on the Rideau Canal after reading this? Let me know in the comments below!
Until next time,
Tristan
Check out yesterday's A picture a day post here
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