Sam does more Island riding

Sam B

7 months ago

I love riding on islands.

I like big islands like Newfoundland and the South Island of New Zealand, and small islands like Big Island.

I’ve also ridden on Manitoulin (also in Ontario) and Bora Bora (definitely not in Ontario)

See Having a thing about islands for more detail. And read Sam likes riding around islands for even more!

Why?

Here’s what I’ve said before about why I like riding bikes on islands:

Both Bora Bora (32 km) and Big Island (15 km) are a nice distance. I confess we didn’t ride all the way around Bora Bora, but I am looking forward to that on my next trip, if I get to go to Bora Bora again. I want to!
It’s pretty hard to get lost since you can see the water for most of the ride.
Also, they both have just one coastal loop road.
There is no through traffic. People aren’t going anywhere else, just staying on the island. Both places expect cyclists, and the locals are friendly.

My latest island riding adventure was with Sarah in Toronto. It was a steamy, hot, heat alert day, and we’d committed to going riding. We decided to ride on the Toronto Islands, a shorter and slower ride than we’d hoped and than we’d done nine years ago. But still a ride.

We knew that it wouldn’t be speedy. The Toronto Islands pace is very noodly. And there would be a breeze. Phew.

Here’s the city’s description: “The Toronto Islands – also called the Island, or Toronto Island Park – is located in Lake Ontario, a 13-minute ferry ride from downtown Toronto. Boats to the Island leave from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal at the foot of Bay St. and Queen’s Quay. The Island is actually a group of 15 islands inter-connected by pathways and bridges. You can walk from one end of the Island to the other. The island is approximately 5kms long from Ward’s Island to Hanlan’s Point.”