Poets' Pathway—Colonnade Section
Plaque 5 on the Poets' Pathway, located on the recreational pathway near Citiplace (Colonnade Rd near Prince of Wales). The poem featured is 'Down the Merivale Road' by William Wilfred Campbell.
The Poets’ Pathway is a heritage walking and biking trail, commemorating the work of the Confederation Poets, our national poets, who lived in Ottawa. It honours the land, and Canada. The Pathway runs about 37 km through Ottawa greenspace, from Britannia Beach on the west side, curving in a large semi--circle along creeks and through parks and greenspace, south to Merivale and Colonnade Roads, east across the Rideau River, then curving north again to end at Beechwood Cemetery, where the Confederation Poets lie.
Along the way, there are plaques every three km or so, each with a poem about the land near the plaque. The fourth and fifth plaques are installed on large boulders along the recreational pathway near Citiplace (Corinth Pvt.), just west from the east end of Colonnade Road.
This walk through Colonnade is one of twelve walks making up the Pathway. While we are talking about this walk today, we should also reflect on how the Poets' Pathway as a whole combines our cultural and natural heritage, and we should keep in mind the need to protect and preserve it all.
We’ll meet at the fourth plaque to hear these poems, "Le croquis" and “Down the Merivale Road”, and learn why they are here, and learn a little about Alfred Garneau and William Wilfred Campbell, poets and federal civil servants who lived near this spot.
And we’ll learn some stories of the history of the ponds and soccer fields that are found along the path toward Merivale Rd. We’ll walk between the waters of the ponds and Nepean Creek, past the soccer fields, enjoy the greening leaves and woods and most certainly the many Canada geese and ducks who inhabit these ponds.
And we will hear a few more poems from our Confederation Poets, who wrote about the fields, streams and trees, the birds and wildflowers of Ottawa, of this land. As well, we will talk about current land issues, the plans of the NCC to sell precious greenspace land in the area to developers.
If you have any knowledge you’d like to share of the ponds and fields and woods, or anything else, come out and tell us! If you want to discuss the land issues, come out! If you want to hear or share some poetry, old or new, your own, published or unpublished, come on out!
Most of all, come to walk and share this beautiful neighbourhood with greening trees, calm waters, hawks, and a heron or two, in early Springtime Ottawa!
