Kirstyn Mayers, 28, isn’t your average Prince Edward County cottager. In fact there is no cottage — yet.

But there is a 4.5-acre land-locked plot in a speck of a place called Demorestville, north of the fashionable County hub of Picton.

Mayers and her husband Daniel wanted to buy a rural property close to her grandparents’ place, where she spent summers and had worked at a winery. They would check out listings and poke about for a handyman’s special when visiting the County.

In the end, their piece of paradise turned up on Kijiji two years ago.

“What is so attractive about the County is it’s beautiful but you’re right in the centre of Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and there’s so many people from the city that are out there either seasonally or full-time. I have friends like I have in the city. It’s not a culture shock,” she said.

Then there’s the reality of Toronto real estate prices that have made the Mayers doubt they will ever buy in the city.

“It seems like you have to be ready to spend $1 million to get a home,” she said.

“Affordable condos are usually in areas that are really over-saturated with condo buildings. Nice neighbourhoods that have a couple of condo buildings in them are really expensive,” she said, adding that maintenance fees make condos feel more like renting than owning.

In April the Mayors moved from a Queen St. and Ossington Ave. apartment and to a rental house in Don Mills where there’s more room for Freia, 2, and 4-month-old Mobias.

A key feature of the new Toronto location is its quick getaway access. They have a small trailer parked on their County property and try and go up every weekend May to Sept.

“It’s a five-minute drive to the 401, so getting out to the County in the summer is a lot faster. We’re still on the subway line so it doesn’t feel like we’re completely out of touch with everything,” said Mayers. “It’s like an hour shorter commute so if you’re leaving on a Friday night or Saturday morning it saves a lot of time.”

There’s no fixed timeline for building on their land. Right now Daniel needs to be in the city for work.

“When we bought it we had a timeline in mind, but every season that passes it gets pushed further back,” she said.