Grand River Loop: Walking Tour of Historic Galt
4 km round trip in Galt, Cambridge (about 1 hour on foot)
William Dickson purchased 30,000 acres of land along the Grand River in 1816 and hired Absalom Shade to manage his property. Shade built a mill, a distillery and a general store at the junction of Mill Creek and the Grand River. As farmers flocked to the mill with their crops, other businesses arrived and prospered. Many of the buildings were built of local limestone, which gives the city its distinct character. In 1827, when the post office arrived, Dickson renamed the community, Galt, after a Scottish novelist who was the Commissioner of the Canada Company, hoping to attract Scottish settlers to the area. In 1973, Galt was amalgamated with the town of Preston and the village of Hespeler to become the City of Cambridge.
This walking tour loops back and forth across the Grand River, offering spectacular views of the river and the stone architecture of the buildings lining the banks. Notice some of Galt’s impressive mural artwork along the way.
PARK
The instructions for this tour start at the north-east corner of Park Hill Rd W and George St N, where there is a public parking lot (1). There is also parking available on Dickson St (7) and Water St S (21) to the east of the river, and behind Queen’s Square (23), on the west side.
STAY
There are a number of hotels on Hespeler Rd near the 401.
Cambridge Hotel and Conference Centre
Or
For a special treat, stay at Langdon Hall Country House Hotel in the village of Blair to the west of downtown Cambridge.
Grand River Loop: Walking Tour of Historic Galt
13 km round trip on foot or by bike on paved roads and off-road multi-use trail
Start your tour at the Park Hill Road Parking Lot (1) at the corner of Park Hill Rd W and George St N on the west side of the river. Turn L onto Park Hill Rd W. Stay on the north side of the road and cross the bridge over the Grand River. There is a good view of the Cambridge Mill (2), formerly the Dickson Mill, named after John Dickson’s son, Robert Dickson, which has been renovated into an upscale restaurant overlooking the river. Cross Park Hill Rd W at the lights and walk through the stone ruins of the Turnbull Woollen Mill in Mill Race Park (3). Note the Morris Lutz House (4), at the south end of the park, which was built in about 1850 of local limestone rubble. Morris Lutz was the first mayor of Galt, elected in 1853.
At the end of the park, cross Water St N at the lights and walk up Dickson St. Note the impressive mural (5) on the side of a building at the back of the parking lot on your R. Continue up Dickson St past Ainslie St towards Cambridge City Hall (6). The first building on the L is the Cambridge Farmers Market, founded about 1830, and open every Saturday morning. After you pass the market, you will see Wesley United Church, built in 1878, at the back of the parking lot. The next building, built of dressed limestone, is the old Galt City Hall, built in 1857. The clock tower was added in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s jubilee. The new, architecturally modern building at the back of the civic square is the modern LEED certified new Cambridge City Hall, opened in 2008 to serve the amalgamated city. The final building, on the corner of Wellington St, is the Cambridge Arts Centre. Cross Dickson St at the lights, and go back towards the Grand River. Take a detour to the L at Petty Pl and look at the murals (7) on the back walls of the buildings in the parking lot. Then return to Dickson St turn L.
At Ainslie St, turn L and walk south to the next street. Turn R onto Main St. Take a break (8) at Sugar Daddies, a keto-friendly bakery and café, or Healthy Rabbit, a vegan restaurant. Continue across the Main St bridge, stopping to admire the view of the Grand River and the majestic octagonal spire of Central Presbyterian Church (9), built in 1882, by a dissident group of Presbyterians. Queens Square and the Galt Cenotaph (10) are at the end of the bridge. To the L of Queens Square is the original Knox Presbyterian Church (11) with its less-imposing spire, built in 1860, now Grace Bible Church. Pause for a coffee at the Grand Café (12) on the L at the end of the bridge.
Turn L onto Melville St S and walk past the University of Waterloo School of Architecture (13), located on the edge of the river in a converted century-old silk mill. Follow the trail through the parking lot at the end of Melville St S to the Galt Horticultural Society Garden (14) and the Cambridge Sculpture Garden (15). Follow the scenic trail along the river all the way to its end at Grand Ave S. Turn R onto Grand Ave S and walk past Java Jax Café (15) and MacDougall Cottage (16), a stone labourer’s cottage, built in 1860, known for its beautifully painted walls and trompe l’oeil ceiling (open afternoons, Friday to Sunday). If you have a craving for fish and chips, continue a few metres more along Grand Ave S to (17). Note the Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge(18)on the other side of the road, where you can catch a live theatre performance year-round. Otherwise turn R onto the trail at the Cambridge Sculpture Garden (14) and cross the river on the new pedestrian bridge (19). Stop to photograph the magnificent views of the architectural gems of Galt along the banks of the Grand River
Turn L at the end of the bridge and walk beside the river down to Water St S. Stop for lunch or dinner at EVO Kitchen and Bar (20) on your R, or at Thirteen Food and Beverage (22), on the corner of Water St S and Main St. If the weather is good, sit on the patio at Thirteen and watch the world go by as you enjoy local food and craft beer. Then cross the Main St bridge again, and turn R onto Melville St N. The church with the square tower at the end of the road is Trinity Anglican Church (24), built in 1844 on land donated by William Dickson. Cross Trinity Park diagonally on your left and turn R onto Grand Ave N. Walk past St Pauls Lutheran Church (25), built in 1912, to the end of the street and turn L on Park Hill Rd W, and cross at the lights to return to your starting point (1).
