I was happy to introduce some of my London cycling buddies to the Sunset Diner in St Mary’s recently. I like the ride up to St Mary’s, 40 km there and then 40 km back from my end of town. You can see something close to our route here. I especially like it with breakfast in the middle. It’s trending uphill on the way there. Trending downhill on the way back. Perfect. There are also alpacas en route.
What’s not to love?
Okay, the big hill out of town, after breakfast? That I could do without.
Oh, and the owner of the Sunset recognizing all the bike traffic he gets, has installed a handy bike rack, pump, and mobile repair station. Convenient.
I think businesses that actively, positively respond to cyclists deserve our support. See you there for the healthy choice breakfast!
And here’s Nat and me, the last time we did this ride a few weeks ago. Okay I added the flowers to divert your attention from locals nonchalantly eating breakfast.
One last thing I love about St Mary’s. It’s also home to my favourite outdoor swimming location, The Quarry. Deep and terrific for swimming. We didn’t stop this time. But I think it would be a great idea for a future trip.
The famous Swimming Quarry is Canada’s largest outdoor freshwater swimming pool! It started out as a limestone quarry. Between 1930 and 1935, the quarry filled with water and was used as a popular swimming spot by the locals. In 1945, the town bought it and the adjoining Thames Quarry along with 50 acres of surrounding land for $2,200. Today, swimmers can enjoy a new water trampoline, large grassed area, sand volleyball and snacks from the Tiki Hut.
Great story. Nice pics also. Bicycling has always been a dream of mine but never had the chance to do it.
Looks great. And I have to check out that quarry some time.
I have one comment, which is that the bike rack in the picture is the worst kind of bike rack. Every scratch on my hybrid can be attributed to trying to use that kind of rack. And they’re not all that secure (very difficult if not impossible to use a u-lock through the bike frame on that kind of rack). So while I appreciate making a restaurant more bike friendly, I hope the presence of the rack doesn’t somehow obligate people to use it.
Nope. We just put the bikes against the fence and sat in the patio. No problem. No bike locking, all eating outside in view of bikes!
Sounds like a great bike ride.
Our grassroots groups started up a public campaign with signage for businesses who support cycle tracks….and cyclists as one of their customer groups. It is truly very important to have this type of endorsement from local businesses so we can cycle around , be safe and healthy.
http://www.yyccycletrack.ca/support Example of the logo and signage.
My family used to take a trip annually to the Elroy -Sparta trail in Wisconsin…..32 miles each way in a weekend. It used to be a rail line and now is dotted with bike friendly establishments to eat/shop at, open Vistas and fields, and generally nice people. Plus, 3 long tunnels with water to cool you off! Wilmington is working on becoming more bike friendly, but not that quickly.