Greater Toronto is Yours To Discover

We will land at Pearson with bikes safely folded in their cases, and by dinner that first night nobody will be thinking about the long journey anymore. That is usually how it goes. We have two days in Toronto to acclimatise, two nights under the escarpment in Hamilton, three nights in Niagara-on-the-Lake for the wine country and the Falls, then back to Toronto to close the loop. Nine days, eight nights, and not one of them rushed.

Finding our legs in Toronto

The first proper ride will run flat along the Martin Goodman Trail beside Lake Ontario, out to the ferry, and across to the Toronto Islands, which are car-free and about as gentle as cycling gets. We will stop at the Toronto Music Garden on the way back. For many of our riders who may not be as experienced, this is often the moment they forget to worry about falling off. That is the whole point of day one. Nobody remembers a fast start. Everyone remembers a comfortable one.

Under the escarpment

From Toronto we will move to Hamilton. We will tour the Royal Botanical Gardens, Canada's largest. The Rock Garden and the Lilac Dell, the country's biggest lilac collection, will both be worth the ride on their own, and Cootes Paradise will give us herons and swans and a proper marsh hush.

The following day is the one we call the escarpment day. Country roads link three of the prettiest spots on the whole tour: Webster's Falls in its stone-bridged glen, Tews Falls further along, and Dundas Peak, a cliff-top lookout over the entire valley that gives you the closest thing to a mountain view this trip offers. The steepest stretches will go by van, so the riding itself will stay gentle even though the scenery will not.

Wine, lavender and a lake that meets the sky

Niagara-on-the-Lake will be our base for three nights, and it will earn every one of them. The countryside loop through the wine estates is properly pretty riding, quiet roads, gentle rolls, vineyards on both sides. We will stop at NEOB Lavender for the scent alone, have lunch on the terrace at Peller Estates, and finish the day at Konzelmann, the only lakefront winery, with a glass of Riesling, watching the late summer sun going down over the water. We can also take a stroll to the white gazebo at Queen's Royal Park, right where the river meets the lake. The relaxed, photogenic spot will make it easy to linger for a while longer.

The next day will be the highlight of the segment. The river trail runs south from town, past the Floral Clock and into the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, forty hectares of roses our flower lovers will revel in. We will make sure there is time for the Butterfly Conservatory too. There will be two thousand butterflies flying free in the glasshouse. It will be magical. We will ride along the gorge rim, past the Whirlpool, and finally to Horseshoe Falls itself. You hear it before you see it. Our support vehicle will meet everyone at Table Rock, so nobody has to think about the ride home after a day like that. They can just stand there and take it in.

Back to the water

The last full day will bring us back into Toronto along the waterfront to High Park, where the cherry blossoms and the willow-lined Grenadier Pond will send everyone off in the right mood, past the wide white arch of the Humber Bay Bridge with the skyline behind it. A last pass through the Music Garden on the way in will feel like the trip closing its own loop.

We will fly in on Bromptons and we will cycle out on friendships. It is not something we plan for, but it happens on almost every tour. Solo travellers arrive not knowing a soul and leave with a group chat full of holiday photos from people they now call friends.

If nine days through Toronto and Niagara sounds like your kind of holiday, WhatsApp us on +65 8925 7912 or have a look at bromptonexperiences.com. We do the planning. You just pedal and enjoy the view.

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