Niagara Winery Tour
A two-day 155 K ride at Advanced Urban Roller pace
Riders must be capable of averaging at least 20 K an hour on this flat route. Mountain bikes are not recommended.
We ride from Burlington to Niagara-on-the-Lake on Saturday. On Sunday, we ride back to Burlington stopping at four wineries on the way. Consumption of wine at the wineries is optional. For those wishing to sample limited amounts, you can do the following:
- Skip sampling at some wineries.
- Share a flight (four one-ounce servings) with another participant (two each).
- Request an extra wine glass and split all four one-ounce servings with another participant.
The official departure will be at 11:00 am on Saturday, July 26 from Burlington GO Station parking lot, where you can park your car for free over the weekend. We will cycle mostly on the Waterfront Trail all the way to Port Dalhousie and then down the Welland Canal trail to Niagara College Residence (137 Taylor Rd, Niagara-on-the-Lake). Accommodation at the college will be in two-room suites with shared washroom and kitchen area.
For those who are interested, there is the option of riding all the way from Toronto to NOTL. This group will leave at 8:00 am from Mimico GO parking lot (free parking over the weekend) and meet the main group at Burlington GO at 11:00 am. Note that the ride from Mimico to Burlington will be at Tourist pace.
Some things to bring in a small backpack or pannier:
- A change of clothes for dinner on Saturday night (casual is fine)
- Cycling clothes for two days
- A small medium security lock
- A spare inner tube
- A couple of water bottles
- A rain jacket (if showers are in the forecast)
- Bike lights for the 3K ride from the Sunday dinner stop to Burlington GO.
For almost all of the winery stops on Sunday, our bikes will be close to us and within view but not always. That’s why a small medium security lock is advised. Two people can lock their bikes together with one lock. If necessary, the non-drinkers at those stops can take shifts watching the bikes.
We aim to maintain brisk Urban Roller pace at a speed of around 20 - 22 kph. At that speed, it should take around 5 hours to get to Niagara College. That means that we should get to the residence around 4 pm. Check-in starts at 3 pm. We have 7 pm reservations for the patio at the Play Bar and Grill in the White Oaks Resort (across the road from the Residence).
On Sunday, we can have breakfast at MacDonald’s, Starbucks or at a few other fast food type places within a 10-minute walk. We need to be on the road at 10:00.
Below is the itinerary for Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday
- 8:00 am Mimico GO (optional) to 10:40 am Burlington GO: 50 K 160 mins
- 11:00 am Burlington GO (start) to 12:30 pm Grimsby (lunch at Tim’s): 31 K 90 mins
- 1:10 pm Grimsby to 2:50 pm Port Dalhousie (WC): 27 K 90 mins
- 3:00 pm Port Dalhousie to 4:00 pm Niagara College Residence: 16 K 60 mins
- Total distance and time = 74 K in about 4 hours
Sunday
- 10:00 am Niagara College Res. to 11:00 am Creekside Winery: 17 K 60 mins
- 11:45 am Creekside Winery to 12:00 pm Honsberger Estates (lunch): 3.5 K 15 mins
- 1:45 am Honsberger Estates to 2:30 pm Back 10 Cellars :12 K 45 mins
- 3:15 pm Back 10 Cellars to 4:30 pm Leaning Post Winery: 22 K 75 mins
- 5:15 pm Leaning Post Winery to 6:35 pm NISI Greek Taverna (dinner): 23 K 80 mins
- ??? NISI Greek Taverna to ??? Burlington GO: 2.5 K 10 mins
- Total distance and time = 77.5 K in about 4.75 hours
After NISI Greek Taverna, we will cycle to Burlington GO station, from where we can take the GO train to Mimico, Union or any other stop.
Member registration opens February 3rd @ 7:30 am.
Costs:
- $80 for accommodation only. It does not include any of the meals or the wine sampling. Note that you must book your own accommodation at the college. The reason is that, as opposed to group bookings, all individually booked reservations can be cancelled and/or modified up until 24 hours prior to the arrival date. Instructions on how to book your accommodation will be provided upon registration.
- $28 (optional) for wine sampling at Creekside Estate Winery. Total for a flight of four one-ounce samples includes tax and tip. You must register and pay in advance to participate in wine tasting at this winery. The other wineries do not require advance payment. Although all wineries are very good, this one is the best.
For more information, contact the trip organizer, Ken Lackman, social@tbn.ca
