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Freewheeling
By John Smith
Cycling the
Georgian Triangle
The Georgian Trail is a great multi-use recreational trail that runs
along the Georgian Bay, between Meaford and Collingwood. The hardpacked
gravel surface makes for an easy ride and the scenery is awesome
Iwas visiting in the Collingwood area, so I
took this to be to be a perfect opportunity
to check out the Georgian Trail on my
bicycle.
I began my journey on this enticing
recreational path in Meaford,
where I found a 0-kilometre marker
near the beautiful harbour area. I faced
a gentle ascent for about the first three
kilometres, and then the trail became
quite level. I passed several apple
orchards as I rode toward the village of
Thornbury (where I found another
cozy, lovely harbour). There were several
benches and picnic tables along
this picturesque route — and several
opportunities to access wonderful
beaches. Some sections of the trail
were well treed, offering protection
from the summer sun.
I crossed Route 26 once (east of
Thornbury),and I rode right through a
campground (Council Beach
Camperdown). I had spectacular
views of the Blue Mountains and ski
hills (such as Georgian Peaks) as I
rode along. I eventually left the trail
and took a short detour into the nearby
Craigleith Provincial Park (for a snack —
and a look at its rocky shoreline). Near the
east end of the trail, at Collingwood, I rode
past a golf course and then again left the
trail to check out Blue Mountain Pottery
(where I watched the local craftsmen at
work). Finally, I linked up with some community
trails in Collingwood and rode right
down to its harbour area where I found a
nice park with a memorial to the shipyard
workers who had lost their lives there.
Since much of the trail follows close to
Route 26, you could certainly do a loop tour, PHOTO:
September 2008 • 36 • Fifty-Five Plus Magazine
JOHN SMITH