I still get a real kick from the discovery of wild, solitary places in this urban sprawl.

We hiked 11.5 km at the weekend along the shores of Ontario’s shining waters, first down the ravine bounded by a tumbling stream to Bea McCowan’s sculpture Passage; then along an empty gravel road beneath the bluffs and then back up to the cliff top, through woodland glades jewel-studded with wild-flowers. A lovely walk – very hard to believe that we were still in the city.

[Route: The Doris McCarthy Trail, along the shore and up through Guildwood Park, following the cliff as far as possible before cutting through the leafy streets to Sylvan Park and back to our starting point]

More photos in the Scarborough Bluffs Gallery in our Toronto Album