Ottawa Winterlude Festival – Rideau Canal Skateway Fun! Feb 23, 2007 Photo Album (English eBook C9

This photo album show cases the incredibly fun Ottawa Winterlude Festival which is held every year during the month of February from the 2nd to 18th. Winterlude is all about enjoying fun outdoor winter activities be it skating on the Ottawa Rideau Canal Skateway, cross country skiing in the Gatineau Hills, or downhill skiing at the four local area ski resorts. This photo album takes you skating on the Ottawa Rideau Canal on Feb 23, 2007 with additional bonus pictures from Feb 17, 2007. Plan to go skating on clear cold days and skiing on those wonderful snowy winter days. The Ottawa Winterlude Festival is a family event and so make sure to bring your kids if you have any! You will not be surprised when I tell you then that 50% or more of the people on the Ottawa Rideau Canal Skateway are kids and they definitely know how to have fun! If your kids are too young to skate do not worry at all. Bring your stroller onto the ice or bring a toboggan to pull your kids or rent one of the popular the sleds to help push your kids and other family members around. The Ottawa Rideau Canal Skateway is very lenient in this regard and very family friendly. If you are accustomed to having to follow a lot of rules at your local skating rink you will find the Ottawa Rideau Canal Skateway to be a much more enjoyable and inviting experience. The most important rule is bring yourself, your friends, your family, your kids, and (almost) whatever it takes to help get from one end of the ice to the other and then back again. At 7.8km (5 miles) long the Ottawa Rideau Canal Skateway is the longest outdoor ice rink in the world. A round trip is 15.6km (10 miles) and it is a fantastic way to get outdoor exercise and fresh air in the winter time. To help make your skate more enjoyable and give you lots of energy there are Beavertail Huts spaced at strategic locations along the length of the Ottawa Rideau Canal Skateway. They are great places to purchase a delicious Beavertail Pastry topped with your favorite ingredients and to get a hot chocolate to warm you up if you get a little chilly. On snowy days when the ice is hard to skate on just grab your downhill or cross country skies and head up to the local ski hills. There are four to choose from, Camp Fortune, Mont Cascade, Edelweiss Valley, and Ski Vorlage all within 15-30 minutes of downtown. Most of all though enjoy Ottawa's Winterlude Festival. It is the event of the year!!