Which is, you guessed it, in Ajax.
This is one of the hidden gems of Durham Region. Pickering Village was settled uphill from the mill (again) and eventually became a railroad stop (again), leading to Pickering becoming more popular. Eventually, the entire area became known as Pickering. Later, Ajax was carved out of Pickering, and Pickering Village merged with the Town of Ajax leading to the odd situation nowadays where Pickering Village is not in Pickering.
But that doesn’t change how lovely this place is and makes it all the more quaint! The “main attraction” of Pickering Village is on Old Kingston Rd, left over from a long-ago diversion to smooth out Highway 2. This creates a little sliver of quiet next to Kingston Rd that isn’t actually all visible from the Highway. In this, Pickering Village manages to pack a lot.
The village is well-kept and old, but modern at the same time. There’s a collection of fake Tudor houses that encircle a really nice courtyard that jas several shops and restaurants around it; a lovely place to sit on a warm summer’s day. The Tudor style is odd, but still manages to fit in, which is amazing. Other buildings original and not to the village line the street with a wide variety of businesses within. The street is quiet and comfortable for walking on and does a good job managing automobile and foot traffic. The area still feels lively despite this.1
The area outside this “main triangle” feels a little hostile to walk on, as Kingston Rd and Church St are fairly busy, wide roads. However, the St. Francis Centre is well-worth checking out.
Nearby is also an access to the Duffins Trail System, which runs alongside Duffin’s Creek. It is very nice. The trail is wide, flat, and covered in fine gravel, so it is very easy to walk. The forest provides shade, and there is much nature to look at. Unfortunately when we went, the bridge over the Creek just north of the Village was washed out, so we diverted to Finch instead. Still a nice walk.
Pickering Village is one of the hidden and oft-overlooked downtowns of Durham. Nestled perfectly between Kingston Rd & Old Kingston Rd, Pickering Village is easy to get to and well-worth a stroll around. It’s a place you can visit several times and feel content.
and despite the pandemic. ↩