Tour
Total tour distance: 335 miles
Daily tour distance: 67 miles
Difficulty: 50 / 100
Description
Theatre to Theatre - PACKAGE BICYCLE TOUR GUIDE
NIAGARA ON THE LAKE - GRIMSBY -OHSWEKEN - STRATFORD - PORT DOVER -PORT COLBORNE
Rolling with a few hills, moderate. Loop route.
First Nations, beaches, historic, ships on Welland Canal, river valley, waterfront, wineries. We can make reservations for luggage transfer, bicycle rentals and accommodation to meet your needs at an additional charge. Get more information at bicycle ontario.ca
Half of this route is on bike paths and designated bicycle trails - on the Waterfront Trail, Friendship Trail and Niagara Parkway bike paths from Port Dover through Fort Erie to Grimsby and on the Grand River trails from Brantford to Paris. The rest of the route is on quiet paved roads. The route uses bicycle friendly roads with paved shoulders or where motor vehicle traffic is light so drivers can easily leave space around you. Ontario law requires all drivers of motor vehicles to maintain a minimum distance of one meter, where practical, when passing cyclists on highways.
This is a great bike ride and the ultimate theatre lovers tour - the classical Stratford Festival and Niagara-on-the-Lake Shaw Festival along with summer theatre at the Lighthouse Festival Theatre Port Dover and Showboat Festival Theatre Port Colborne. Performances depend on the seasonal schedules.
You will see the Niagara Peninsula and part of the Grand River Valley. Enjoy the scenic valley towns, lush rolling countryside and the large Six Nations native settlement of loyalist natives who relocated from the Mohawk valley of New York State in 1784.
Day One starts from Niagara on the Lake in Ontario’s first and best know premier wine producing area. It is the home of the Shaw Festival. The route goes near Lake Ontario through the wine producing area and then up the Niagara Escarpment, crossing over the Grand River to the central Six Nations town of Ohsweken for overnight. Suggested accommodation is a native operated inn with a touch of Six Nation’s heritage.
Day Two goes from Ohsweken through Brantford, passing Alexander Graham Bell’s family home and on the trails along the Grand River through Paris and across the Oxford and Perth County countryside to Stratford, which offers a choice of fine restaurants, accommodation and plays on five stages.
Day Three goes south from Stratford across scenic countryside, joining the railtrail through Waterford and Simcoe to the Lake Erie resort town of Port Dover. Riders can feast on local perch and pickerel, the specialty at several restaurants at the popular beach in town. The Lighthouse Theatre offers a variety of summer plays.
Day Four continues along Lake Erie through Dunnville, near the mouth of the Grand River to Port Colborne located at the southerly end of the Welland Canal. Riders can enjoy Nickel Beach and watch the ships as they move through town from several waterfront restaurants. The Showboat Festival Theatre offers another opportunity to see a play.
Day Five is the most spectacular part of the ride, from Port Colborne on the Friendship Trail through Fort Erie, along the Niagara River Parkway passing Niagara Falls and Queenston to return to Niagara on the Lake. Riders can see and hear the falls long before they arrive and walk through the ever-present mist near the brink. The Niagara Parkway offers many restaurants, gardens and attractions, such as the Butterfly Conservatory, Maid of the Mist, Fort George, Brock’s Monument and Riverbrink Art Gallery for those who wish to linger.
This unique route offers a way to experience some the most scenic and attractive parts of Ontario by bicycle while having the opportunity to enjoy a wide selection of the best theatre anywhere in North America.