Travellers Find More Ways to Visit Oxford

Off Highway Vehicles — OHVs or “four-wheelers” as they’re commonly known — have become a common sight in many rural communities in recent years. The Town of Oxford is considering a proposal from one enthusiast group to improve local facilities for visitors to town who travel the Trans-Canada Trail, which follows the former railway short line that has long since been converted for public access.

The Cumberland Trails Association is planning to upgrade the quality of the trail from Oxford to the Colchester County Line, and to improve the trails leading to Pugwash and Wallace. 

As part of those efforts, the Association is hoping to improve signage and create attractive “trail heads” for those who use the trails.

Councillor Wade Adshade says the Association wants to develop the staging area — where folks leave their trucks and trailers and offload their OHVs — in an area where it would have the most economic impact in the community.

He noted that while most people think of the gas station, donut shop, and motel as the best place for this, he suggests the area in South Oxford where there was once a train station, which is currently used by local residents to access the trail. Adshade notes that this would encourage people to pass through the downtown core and potentially drive new traffic to local businesses.

Chief Administrative Officer Rachel Jones noted that this is the area where the town has planned to install an information kiosk for residents, which could be used to provide signage and serve Trans-Canada Trail visitors as well.

Mayor Trish Stewart says the town owns the land currently used by trail users as a staging area, as well as the corner lot across the street which could be used as expanded parking for visitors.

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