Bobcaygeon is the prettiest of the lockside villages on the Trent-Severn Waterway, sitting on a narrow strip of land between Pigeon Lake and Sturgeon Lake. The lock itself — Lock 32, the first one built on the waterway, in 1833 — is the focus of summer life: a busy parade of cruisers, houseboats, and pleasure craft passing through every twenty minutes from June to October.
The village is small enough to wander in an afternoon. Bolton Street is the main strip, with cafés, ice cream parlours, and a couple of decent restaurants overlooking the water. Bigley's Shoes, opened in 1916, is a regional landmark and worth a stop. In summer the village's population triples; outside July and August it is quietly attractive.