The Cobbled Path Bed & Breakfast 3738 West Main St. Stevensville ON L0S 1S0 Tel: 905-382-1963 Web site: www.cobbledpath.com e-mail: cobbledpath@sympatico.ca
	The Cobbled Path	Judy and Jim Schultz

Up the ramp from asphalt driveway	It's summertime!	Flowers everywhere

Your hosts: Jim and Judy Schultz - “Come in as a guest. Go out as a friend.”

Three rooms: two accessible

The Cobbled Path is the latest addition to bed & breakfasts in the Niagara Region, but unlike most, this one was remodelled with accessibility in mind. It is smoke-free, and offers two accessible rooms with en suite baths. When we audited it in March 2004, proprietors Jim and Judy Schultz were preparing for their grand opening later that month. The house was built in 1915, after a church, which was originally on the site, burned down. We went back in August to take more pictures of the beautiful gardens all around the house that Jim is developing. He's also building a garden shed and greenhouse otu back so we can look forard to more flowers every year. His zinnias are spectacular.

The Cobbled Path is located in the village of Stevensville, which is actually a part of the border town of Fort Erie, although some of the locals are reluctant to admit it. Stevensville sits in the heart of the Niagara Region and is less than 15 minutes by car to downtown Niagara Falls and has easy access to all the attractions in the Niagara region.

The parking area will be paved by the time the facility opens for business in April. There is a wide ramp from the parking lot at the left of the building to the main entrance.

As you enter, on the wall to your right there is a quaint framed picture with the inscription: “Come in as a guest, Go out as a friend.” The flooring is laminate for easy manoeuvring.

An old upright in the parlour

Parlour
The common parlour room is on your right from the entrance hall. It has cable TV and a VCR. Jim and Judy informed us they are planning on stocking some videos of area attractions that their guests can look at. They’re also getting a piano for the parlour.

The Country Garden Room	Instahanger closed	Instahanger open

Country Garden Room
You go through the parlour to reach the other accessible room. The Country Garden Room, again with laminate flooring, measures 13’ by 12 ½’ and has a 9’ ceiling. It has a ceiling light and a window that opens. It is furnished with twin beds on legs with a cheval mirror between the beds. There are two night tables with touch lamps and a clock radio. Jim told us he is planning on adding some shelving in this room. The closet was fitted with a unique Instahanger, providing a lowered clothes rack. This collapsible wall-mounted device will hold up to 60 lbs. and can easily be folded away when not needed.

Toilet area in Country Garden	Shower	Huge mirror over sink	Open counter top

En Suite Bathroom
The spacious bathroom features a moulded shower unit with built-in seat. There is a graded ¾” lip into the shower rising to 1 ½”. A moveable hand-held showerhead is on the wall to the left of the seat along with a soap/shampoo holder and a grab bar. The vanity is 32” high and the opening underneath is sufficient to take a wheelchair. There are four drawers on the left of the vanity and a large mirror above with a three-light unit. The vanity has an oval sink with a nice high faucet and lever taps. The toilet is 16 ½” high. There is a space of 7’6” from the door to the far wall; 5’9” from the edge of the vanity to the shower and 3’2” between the vanity and the toilet. A three-shelf white wicker floor stand is placed in the corner of the bathroom. Switches for the bathroom light and fan are on the bedroom wall just outside the bathroom door. These switches are illuminated at night.

Rose Garden Room

Rose Garden Room
The other accessible room, the Rose Garden Room, is immediately on your left as you enter through the front door. This room is attractively furnished with twin beds in a dark cherry finish. It has a small dresser/night table between the beds with a touch lamp and clock radio. A matching cheval mirror sits in one corner of the room and a coat/hat stand in the opposite corner. The room is nice and bright with a ceiling light and a window overlooking Main Street.

Judy in Linda's Wheelchair at sink	Shower is reversed in Rose Garden Room	Height of lip into shower

En Suite Bathroom
The spacious bathroom features a mix of the old and new with an old-fashioned tub on legs and a moulded shower unit with built-in seat. It is identical to the unit in the other accessible room except that the position is reversed. Again, there is a graded ¾” lip into the shower rising to 1 ½”. The shower has a moveable hand-held showerhead on the wall to the right of the seat along with soap and shampoo holders. An oval sink is set in the 33” high vanity, which has a 29” opening below. The sink has a nice high faucet and lever taps. There is a reach of 18” from the edge of the vanity to the faucet. To the right of the sink is a lowered section of the vanity 30” high. The toilet is 16 ½” high with grab bars.

	Deep old tub beside the shower

You will find plenty of room to manoeuvre in this bathroom, as there is 10’ from the door to the far wall; 4’ between the tub and the vanity; 6’2” from the front of the toilet to the shower; 3’6” between the toilet and the vanity and 8’6” from the shower to the window.

Dining area	Summer out back	overlooks creek and wooded area

Kitchen/Dining Room
The kitchen/dining room is directly in front of you as you enter the house. You pass through French doors, which will be wired for security and kept closed, except for breakfast, as this is also the family area. This is, indeed, a bright and lovely room in which to enjoy a relaxing breakfast. There are multiple low windows overlooking property at the rear of the house, which extends down to Black Creek. Jim explained that the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority is going to naturalize the property 30’ back from the shoreline with 50 shrubs and 700 native plants.

Judy is the certified chef-in-residence and will cook up a hearty breakfast to start your day off. The menu features such staples as bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns, omelettes, pancakes, porridge, muffins, in-season fruit, juice, tea and coffee. She will also cater to dietary needs.

Checkout time is 11 a.m.

As well as all the major attractions in the tourist hub of Niagara Falls, there is a lot to see in the immediate Town of Fort Erie across the International Peace Bridge from Buffalo, New York. One of the major attractions is the Fort Erie Race Track and Slots, which features thoroughbred horse racing and a casino. And Fort Erie is especially known for its bingo parlours, attracting participants from both sides of the border. If you’re a history buff, you might enjoy touring Historic Old Fort Erie with its fully restored British garrison used during the War of 1812. It is located at the mouth of the Niagara River and overlooks the City of Buffalo. During one weekend in August, it stages a re-enactment of one of the bloodiest battles of the war. A highlight of the summer in Fort Erie is the annual Friendship Festival, which Canadians and Americans celebrate together. This takes place over the Canada Day holiday July 1 and America’s July 4.

And while you’re enjoying the hospitality at The Cobbled Path you might like to visit the local Stevensville Garden Gallery, Niagara’s award-winning landscape and garden centre, which encompasses 2.5 acres and features an indoor petting zoo. For chocoholics Nigh's Chocolates is just up the road and around the corner.

Audited March and August 2004