Collingwood is a paradise for leisure-time strollers, hikers and bicycle riders. In winter, it's also an excellent place for snowshoeing enthusiasts and cross-country skiers.

This four-season community, with a population of 19,500, attracts visitors from all over the world because of its proximity to southern Georgian Bay and closeness to the Blue Mountain Resorts.

Collingwood has 50 kilometres of walking/bicycling trails, many of those hug the waterfront and offer splendid views of Georgian Bay. Another 10 kilometres, or so, follow an abandoned railway line bed southeast to nearby Stayner, Ont., and 32 kilometres of trail run to the west connecting Collingwood to Meaford. the westerly trail is known as the Georgian Trail.

All of these trails are free for anybody to use and motorized vehicles are not allowed on them.

George Czerny's book "Collingwood's Walk of History" whets one's appetite for walking, or riding, the trails. It does so with a general look at Collingwood's trails and a specific focus on the Collingwood harbour area, where the Collingwood Shipyards once provided employment as the area's economic engine for 103 years. Czerny provides readers with insightful text and brilliant photographs that should encourage readers to visit Collingwood at any time of year.