Here's a brief quotation taken from the Roncesvalles Village website about this part of the city:

"Much of the land west of Roncesvalles was once part of Sunnyside Farm, owned by John Howard, Toronto's first surveyor and one of Canada's greatest architects. In 1873, Howard donated a large chunk of land to the City of Toronto. In 1890, he also donated his beloved Colborne Lodge and the surrounding land. These great gifts formed most of what is today High Park, the largest in Toronto.

Today, Roncesvalles Village is a diverse, vibrant community, attracting people of all backgrounds. You can see new parents pushing strollers, as seniors enjoy a quick walk to High Park. Artists and musicians bring vitality and creativity to the neighborhood, helping to sustain historic cultural venues such as the Palais Royale and the Revue Cinema, one of Canada's oldest movie houses."

This walkabout is scheduled for July 28.  The plan is to meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Tim Horton's on Wellington (304 Wellington Street East), next to St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic School, in Aurora. Rides can be arranged at that time for those who need them.

Please verify your intention to participate in this walkabout by registering below.  You will not be able to see the signup form until you are logged in.

The following is the itinerary for this activity:

• Meet at Tim Horton's (304 Wellington Street East) at 9:30am -- the usual Tim Horton's located next to St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic School.  For this particular walkabout it is very important to know who needs a ride down because parking at High Park is limited and it's probably best if we only take a few cars.  I'm happy to drive so I'll be able to give a ride to as many people as would fit in my car.  Again, I would appreciate it very much if people register online for this event so I can better gauge how many people will be there.
• After arriving at High Park (around 11:00 am) and parking the cars, we'll do a walkabout around High Park.  There are many things to see and photograph here so I would estimate we would need about two hours.
• At the end of our walk around High Park it'll be time for lunch.  There is a wonderful little cafe on Roncesvalles called the Butler's Pantry which is reaonsably priced and which makes some great lunch dishes.
• After lunch we can walk along Roncesvalles and enjoy the sights there.  Again, there are quite a few photographic opportunities so it'll probably take a good hour or more.
• As we walk down Roncesvalles we can make our way down to the lake and enjoy the sights there.
• I would estimate that we will be ready to head back home between 4 and 5 pm.

Here is a Google map to the location:

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