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This week’s Heads Up has the scoop on rental sports gear in the Outaouais, a farm-to-table dinner in Munster, a new bus to the Ottawa airport, a new restaurant in Kemptville, a bike ride near Eganville, açaí treats at St. Laurent Shopping Centre, day tripping to New Edinburgh and Rockcliffe, and more. Enjoy!

Cheese shop getting close to 100 percent Canadian stock

As you already know, I’m a big fan of supporting Canadian products—just check out my big guide to shopping locally. So a recent Facebook post by the Balderson Village Cheese Store, just outside Perth, caught my eye. The store’s owners have been making a concerted effort to stock 100 percent made-in-Canada foods. They’re about 75 percent of the way there and hope to have 100 percent Canadian stock by the end of the year. Well done!

You can rent scooters, pontoon boats and more in the Outaouais

Want to explore the great outdoors in the Outaouais, but you don’t have the gear? Tourisme Outaouais has this handy list of companies that rent out kayaks, paddleboards, canoes, electric bikes, scooters, pontoon boats and more.

OC Transpo to launch new bus to the airport

Perhaps finally realizing that folks travelling from Ottawa’s east end to Ottawa International Airport don’t much fancy taking three trains to reach their destination, OC Transpo is launching a direct bus service connecting the St. Laurent, Train and Hurdman stations to the airport. According to this CTV Ottawa story, Route 105 will launch on Sunday, August 24, and will run every half hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The bus is anticipated to take 33 minutes to travel from St. Laurent to the airport.

Quebec loves its Nordic spas

Quebec seems to have embraced the Nordic spa concept—the circuit of hot tub or sauna, cold pool or shower, relaxation and repeat—more strongly than just about anywhere else in Canada. I’ve written a post about some of my favourite Quebec Nordic spas, and it barely scratches the surface. My friend Hilary Nangle recently wrote a post about her favourite Quebec Nordic spas and while there’s a bit of overlap between the two pieces, she’s discovered quite a few spots that I haven’t made it to … yet.

Science fiction, fantasy and horror book convention is coming to Kanata

I wanted to mention this event on the website last year, but by the time I heard about it, it had sold out! So if you’re a fan of Canadian science fiction, fantasy and horror novels, you might want to get your ticket to Can*Con now. You can meet authors, buy books, take classes, pitch your own book to agents and more. It’s happening at the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata from October 17 to 19.

New restaurant opens in Kemptville

Named for a famous local Holstein bull, Goldwyn’s restaurant opened this past weekend at 25 Clothier Street East in downtown Kemptville. It promises diners “a modern take on the Wild West at our elevated country western saloon.” Sounds like fun!

You can take a staycation in New Edinburgh and Rockcliffe

Fancy staying close to home? I have just the suggestion: a day spent exploring New Edinburgh, Lindenlea and Rockcliffe. From the new(ish) NCC River House on the Ottawa River to a posh grocery store and a great place to pick up consignment designer clothes, you can read my day trip tips in the Ottawa Business Journal.

Saunders Farm Pig and Corn Roast tickets are available

Most years, the farm-to-table Pig and Corn Roast at Saunders Farm in Munster sells out. So if you want to go to this year’s event on Sunday, August 24, you might want to get your tickets now.

Scenic August bike ride will take cyclists along Eganville backroads

If you want to challenge yourself to a self-supported, non-racing bike ride through the hills and along the backroads near Eganville, now’s the time to register for this year’s Tour de Bonnechere on Sunday, August 24. You can choose from 50km, 65km and 100km routes, as well as a 20km family ride.

You can try a superfood at St. Laurent Shopping Centre

Perhaps açaí berries are old hat to you. I’d heard of them but hadn’t had a chance to taste the Brazilian “superfood” until I was invited to try it at Rio Açaí at St. Laurent Shopping Centre. (The owners also have a location at 35 allée de Hambourg in Gatineau.)

Açaí berries have become trendy in recent years for their health benefits. At Rio Açaí, you can try them in a bowl with your choice of other fruits (I picked mangoes, strawberries and blueberries). The consistency of puréed açaí is a bit like tapioca pudding and it isn’t super sweet, so it made a nice combo with the sweet, dense fruit. You can also try other Brazilian specialties at the takeout spot, such as warm cheese bread (it’s really good) and, of course, coffee.

(Disclosure: I received free products for review purposes. The shop did not review or approve this post. All opinions are my own.)

Looking for more tips on things to see and do in and around Ottawa? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide.

As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.

This could be because in that two and a half hours, parents can expect an average of three toilet stops, four requests for snacks, and three tantrums, Yoto’s survey of 2000 UK parents of children under 10 in July 2025 found.

What drives parents round the bend?

60% of the parents surveyed said that travelling with children is “quite” or “incredibly” stressful. But why is this?

The survey found that kids ask the infamous phrase ‘Are we nearly there yet?’ an average of 10 times in one car trip.

30% of the parents said that their kids getting bored in the backseat caused their stress, while 25% said that having to listen to the same song on loop was a factor in theirs.

To cope, 82% admitted to lying about when they would arrive to placate their kids. Other parents admitted to threatening to cancel the holiday (26%), confiscating sweets (26%), and even saying that they would leave their kids at the side of the road (17%)!

Yoto has a screen-free solution

To help frazzled parents everywhere Yoto has launched a 2.5 hour-long playlist, perfectly timed for the average car journey length.

It can be streamed for free through the Yoto app, and includes a mixture of music, stories, and fun facts to keep kids entertained without the need for screens.

Jess Tarrant, content director at Yoto, said: “We understand that summer road trips with children can often be a test of patience for many parents. Our research highlights just how quickly backseat chaos can set in, that’s why we’re doing what we can to help make those journeys a little smoother and more enjoyable for everyone.

“Our free 2.5-hour playlist, specially curated to match the average UK car journey, is packed with stories, music, and activities from our best-selling Yoto Originals series to keep kids entertained and engaged, all without the need for screens.”

And if you’re travelling between the 4^th and 8^th of August 2025, Yoto is hosting mini pit-stops at Welcome Break Service Areas in Rotherham, Gordano, Fleet South and South Mimms. Here, kids can trial a Yoto Mini, access an exclusive 20% discount, and get free goodies like a Yoto card.

For further information please visit the yoto.space website.

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