Friday 26 November 2019--Kilmarnock lies about eight miles upriver from Merrickville, five by road. There's a canal lock, a simple swing bridge, and not much else. Nor was there ever, as far as I can tell. Truth to tell, I was drawn by nothing more than the Scottish name, the reason for which seems to have been lost to history. The canal channel cuts off a sharp turn in the river, taking advantage of a snie--a dry flood channel. If nothing else, I've learned a new word.

I'm actually on my way to Perth, at one time, according to Wikipedia, "the military, judicial, political and social capital...of the whole of the Ottawa Valley." The reason for this Scottish name is documented: it was in honor of Governor-General Sir Gordon Drummond, native of Perthshire. Its importance diminished with the growth of Ottawa, and perhaps a bit more with the rise of Smiths Falls. I nonetheless find an attractive stone-built town of about 6500 residents, with a lively and charming commercial center. It sits five or six miles west of the Rideau River, probably near double that via the Tay River, and when the canal was built, the town petitioned the government to be linked to it. The request was ignored, so local merchants ponied up to have the Tay canalized privately. The work was not very well done, the route was not successful, and the locks fell into disrepair. It was not until the 1880s that the town's influential MP persuaded the government to do a proper job, up to Rideau Canal specs. Recreational boaters today can dock at the Tay Basin, right downtown, if their vessels are small enough to pass under the several low road bridges. Larger boats can dock at Last Duel Park, a few blocks away. (The park was the site of the last fatal duel in Upper Canada, in 1833.) On a stroll about town, in addition to restaurants and boutiques, the visitor might see:

• a replica (just a big metal cylinder, really) of the 22,000-pound "Mammoth Cheese" that the town sent to the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893;

• a Crystal Palace built of recycled Ottawa bus shelters alongside the Tay Basin, site of farmers', craft, and Christmas markets;

• a statue of champion show jumper Ian Millar on his most famous mount, Big Ben (Millar Brooke Farm is just outside town);

• numerous handsome heritage buildings, including the 1863 Town Hall;

• Stewart Park, where an interpretive sign claims a "Scotch whiskey distillery" once stood. (It may be pedantic of me to note that "whisky" is the preferred spelling in both Scotland and Canada, but it's no small point that whisky not made in Scotland isn't Scotch whisky.)

Stop on my way out of town for a pint at the Weatherhead Brew Company [now Bridge Masters Brewing Company]. I like Perth...wouldn't mind basing myself here for a few days, for further exploration of the area.