The Date Almanac
A fall day around Thornbury
Apple picking, Craigleith Provincial Park, and a local market
Start with apple picking at Goldsmith’s Orchard Market, then Craigleith Provincial Park a few minutes on, and finish at the Thornbury market. 3 stops, none more than 11 km apart, all around Thornbury.
- 1
Pick the patch · Thornbury
Goldsmith’s Orchard Market
An on-farm grocery that grew out of a 1960s roadside fruit stand, stocking fruit and vegetables from its own 200-acre farm plus local meat and cheese and an in-house bakery known for its Thornberry pie.
- 2
Shop and refuel · Thornbury
Thornbury Farmers' Market
Runs Sundays in Smith Memorial Park beside the town hall, with local growers, artisan makers, and food vendors set out along the grass near Highway 26.
- 3
Walk it off
Craigleith Provincial Park
A short stretch of Georgian Bay shore where flat brown shale plates hold trilobites and other fossils 455 million years old; you can hunt and photograph them at the water's edge but collecting is not allowed.
Before you go
- Confirm Goldsmith’s Orchard Market is open and in season the day you go; what is ready shifts week to week.
- Bring water and bug spray for the walk at Craigleith Provincial Park; the footing is easy but shaded and buggy in summer.
- The Thornbury market runs limited days and hours, so check its schedule before you build the day around it, and bring cash.
A free day out from the Home Almanac. Every stop is a verified place; days change with the season, so print it the week you go. Data (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, openstreetmap.org/copyright.