Wakefield is a picturesque village on the Gatineau River in the Gatineau Hills near Ottawa. It is on the Quebec side of the river but is predominantly English-speaking.

Get in

By Car: Take any bridge from Ottawa to Gatineau but the Macdonald Cartier bridge from King Edward Street is the most direct. Take Highway 5 to Maniwaki. Go North About fifteen minutes past the Casino exit. Take Exit 28 and Wakefield Exit at the immediate roundabout. The Main Street is just down the hill. Total trip time from Byward Market area is about 20 minutes.

By Bus: Greyhound goes from the Ottawa bus terminal to Wakefield once per day and takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. A return ticket is about $15.

See

Walking trails around Wakefield.

• The Black Sheep Inn (Le Mouton Noir), 420 Riverside Drive, ☏ +1 819-459-3228. Has become well known for top quality musical entertainment. Check listings in Ottawa Newspapers, such as the Ottawa Citizen or on their web site. 
• Prime Minister Lester B Pearson's Gravesite. MacLaren Cemetery, behind the Mill. Turn on Mill Road off of River Road and then turn Right on MacLaren immediately after the Mill. The cemetery is at the top of the hill. A Nobel Peace Prize recipient, former prime minister, and contributor to the founding of the United Nations, Pearson died in 1972. 
• Wakefield Covered Bridge is an historic bridge that was burned down and reconstructed in 1996. Indicative of the area, the red bridge spans the Gatineau River near the centre of the village.
• Fall leaves in the Gatineau Hills are incredible. Usually best in late September and early October, the whole region is a feast for your eyes.
• During the spring months, and "break up time", locals place a barrel on the ice of the Gatineau River. Bets are placed as to when this barrel will sink. Nothing spectacular to see, but if you look for it, it will be there.

Do

Tourist Attractions

• Great Canadian Bungee. Is for the adventurous-inclined. 
• There are several small shops featuring local artisans and interesting articles.
• Artists in their Environment, ☏ +1 819-459-3233. Held in September each year and features many local artists. Visitors can tour the studios of local artists and acquire interesting creative works. 
• River Echo Language School, 735 Riverside Dr., Wakefield, ☏ +1 819-459-3670. As of 2010, was offering (Inter-)active language holidays which combine adult second-language immersion with a holiday adventure. French on a horse or dog sled? English in the canoe or an the greens? 

Outdoors

• Gatineau Park can be accessed from the village and from several other locations nearby. Hiking, walking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing trails abound. [1]
• Walking Trails starting from several points in Wakefield Village will give visitors historical or nature perspectives. Groomed and marked baths run along the outskirts of the Village and can be accessed by MacLaren House, near the Mill.
• Kayak and canoe in the Gatineau River or one of the hundreds of lakes in the area. Rentals can be arranged with Boutique Burro Borracho at 721-B Riverside Dr beside Solstice Books. Canoe trips can also be booked with Expeditions Radisson [2]
• Swim in the Gatineau River near the Wakefield Covered Bridge.
• Expeditions Radisson. Snowshoe and dog sled trips 
• Ski Vorlage, 65 chemin Burnside, ☏ +1 819-459-2301. Medium-sized ski runs. 
• Edelweiss, 538 chemin Edelweiss. Ski hill, snow tubing, equipment rental and repair, restaurant and bar on-site. $41/person (full day).  

Buy

• Captiva Farms, 189 chemin de la montange, toll-free: +1-877-459-2769. 9:00-sunset. Horse back riding on trails which wrap through the lush forests, open fields and wind through mountainous terrain. 

Eat

• Alpengruss Café & Motel, 831, chemin Riverside, ☏ +1 819-459-2885. Open 7AM. Omelettes, soup, bread, jager schnitzel. Casual. Breakfast $6-$12, lunch $12-$15, dinner $12-$20. 
• Café Pot au Feu, 794, chemin Riverside, ☏ +1 819-459-2080. Upscale restaurant in village's old train station on Gatineau River. French, Québécois and international cuisine. Site is the subject of a Philip Craig painting. $31-$40. 
• Chez Eric, 28 chemin Valley, ☏ +1 819-459-3747. Dining room, sandbox and patio. Café by day with superb specialty coffees, lunch specials, several innovative dishes and a bistro by night. 
• Pizzeria Mama Gen, 12A Valley Dr., ☏ +1 819-459-3999. Gourmet pizza featuring unusual ingredients on a herbed thin crust. 
• Wakefield Mill, 60 Mill Road, ☏ +1 819-459-1838. Two restaurants in the village's original mill, each with glass-enclosed solariums and views of the La Pêche Falls. The (not inexpensive) fine dining restaurant offers traditional French and Québécois cuisine, table d’hôte menu, six-course Discovery Menu, wine cellar. The Heron Room and bar lounge offers a casual tapas and bistro menu, wine, fish and chips, fireplace and live music. 

Drink

• Maison Earle, 1 Valley Dr., ☏ +1 819-459-1028. Resto-Bar at the main entrance to the village. 

Sleep

Inns & Bed and Breakfast

• Auberge de Mon Petit Chum Bed and Breakfast, 29 chemin Burnside, ☏ +1 819-459-1814. Downtown 3-room B&B, full breakfast, wi-fi, all rooms have private bath. Coffee, tea & hot chocolate available 24 hours/day. Several packages introduce visitors to local restaurants, Ottawa area museums, outdoor activities, local music venues and spas. $129+. 
• La Grange Country Inn, 37 chemin Rockhurst, ☏ +1 819-459-3939. Four-sun bed and breakfast close to the centre of the village, attractive barn-style architecture, several rustic rooms, some feature kitchenettes. Regular yoga sessions. $95-140. 

Le Moulin, 2007

• Le Moulin: the Wakefield Mill, 60 Mill Road, ☏ +1 819-459-1838. Restored mill on the La Pêche River at a small waterfall. Spa and restaurant. Rooms from $109/night, including continental breakfast. Dinner and spa packages available. 
• Les Trois Érables, 801 chemin Riverside, ☏ +1 819-459-1118. Four-sun bed and breakfast in the heart of Wakefield village in historic village doctor's residence, constructed in 1896, a beautiful building on lovely grounds. #129-199. 

Motels

• Alpengrus Motel, 831 chemin Riverside, ☏ +1 819-459-2885. Rustic European-styled motel, 16 rooms, on-site local restaurant. $70+ single. 
• Pension Wunderbar Hotel, 911 Riverside Rd, ☏ +1 819-459-2471, toll-free: +1-877-459-2471. Austrian-style Chalet on Greyhound bus route, near Vorlage Ski Centre. Apartment with wood fireplace & fully equipped kitchen from $89/99. $69 single/$79 double. 

Go next

• North along Hwy 105 for about 20km will take you to Low, Quebec. A small town with a hockey arena.
• Chelsea (Quebec), known for Gatineau Park, is the next town south on Hwy 5, the highway to Hull.