Sunday October15 we will visit East Hill Farm, home of the Rochester Folk Art Guild, to enjoy their annual Apple Festival and a hike across their 350-acre hilltop farm and woodlot. The Guild is a community of craftspeople, producing fine quality handmade products in wood, pottery, fabrics, paper, toys, books and more. We will have an opportunity to visit their artisan workshops and Gallery Shop before or after the hike – for more information about the Guild and the Festival see
https://www.folkartguild.org/events/open-house-and-apple-festival/
Please arrive by 1:45 for hiking starting at 2 PM. Park on the road shoulder at 1445 Upper Hill Road, Middlesex (directions below). We will convene at the side of the East Hill Gallery, the first building on the left as you come in the driveway.
Climbers will head south through the Guild’s farm and neighboring properties, past a pond and sauna, through a spruce grove, and looping through woods and mowed fields to the Golden Valley, named for its spectacular fall color and views to the east across Italy Valley. We will return through the woods and pass an eclectic array of residential buildings, workplaces and gathering places, designed and built by community members over their 50 years of occupancy at the East Hill Farm. Total distance is about 3.5 miles. Tourists and Naturalists will make a shorter loop of about 2 miles. Trails are gently sloped and well cleared. As a hunting season precaution, please bring some bright colored outerwear, along with water, poles and dampproof boots. With showers possible, good rain gear is also advised (as we learned last Sunday).
Social: We will convene after the hike for a bring-your-own social on the grounds of the Guild’s main farmhouse, or inside. Homemade cider, local apples, lunch dishes and desserts will be on sale throughout the festival (11-5) or until everything runs out.
Directions: from Springwater/Naples: Take Route 15 south to Wayland and Route 21 east/north to Naples. Turn right on Route 245 opposite Bob’s and Ruth’s Restaurant, at the north end of the village. Follow Route 245 north to Middlesex, about 8.75 miles. Turn right on Route 364 and go up the hill, one mile. Turn right on Upper Hill Road and go 1.5 miles. East Hill Farm will be on your left, at #1445. Park on the road shoulder and walk in the driveway to the Gallery building, the white house on your left.
From points north: Head to Routes 5 and 20 via Bloomfield or Canandaigua. At the east edge of the City of Canandaigua (first light after Wegmans/Post Office), turn south on Route NYS Route 364 (a.k.a. East Lake Road). Follow Route 364 south 12.5 miles to Middlesex, where 364 turns to the east and you will make a left onto Route 245 and then an immediate right to continue on 364. Go up the hill, one mile. Turn right on Upper Hill Road and go 1.5 miles. East Hill Farm will be on your left, at #1445. Park on the road shoulder and walk in the driveway to the Gallery building, the white house on your left.