Greenbelt Route cycling tour stops in Cobourg 0
VALERIE MACDONALD Northumberland Today Cobourg Active Transportation Committee member Paul Mills says he is working with Cobourg Tourism to host about 130 cyclists stopping in Cobourg Sunday, Aug. 16, who are taking part in The Great Waterfront Trail Adventure from Roseneath to Niagara.
NORTHUMBERLAND - The Cobourg Active Transportation Committee and Cobourg Tourism are working together to host about 130 cyclists taking part in the new Ontario Greenbelt Route cycling tour from Aug. 16 to 21.
The local groups are welcome the cyclists at Victoria Hall on Sunday, Aug. 16, Paul Mills of the Active Transportation Committee said in an interview Tuesday.
The visitors will stop at a welcome station at Victoria Hall which will provide water and washroom facilities and tourism information, plus the services of a mechanic from Cycle Transitions, Mills said. They will eat at local restaurants.
The new Greenbelt Route is being organized by the Waterfront Trail Trust, he added.
This is what the www.waterfronttrail.org website has to say about the upcoming event: "This year, for the first time, we will not be riding along the Waterfront Trail. The 2015 Great Waterfront Trail Adventure will be a Special Edition tour launching the new Ontario Greenbelt Route!
"Join us as we ride 470 km in total across Ontario's Greenbelt from Roseneath, Northumberland to Queenston, Niagara Falls."
Camps will be made daily after riding 50 to 105 km., providing cyclists time to "explore the communities, shop, taste the wines and local foods, learn about the history...."
The itinerary and other details are also on the website.
The Greenbelt Route ride is being launched on Aug. 16 in Roseneath, which is in Alnwick / Haldimand Township.
There are 27 communities along the route and shuttle buses for those wanting shorter cycling trips.
Day 1 leaves Roseneath, goes through Cobourg and stopping in Port Hope. Cyclists leave Port Hope on Day 2 en route to Uxbridge.
valerie.macdonald@sunmedia.ca
twitter.com/NT_vmacdonald
Third in a series: Aboriginal tourism in Northern Ontario
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Published Friday, July 24, 2015 8:21AM EDT
Last Updated Friday, July 24, 2015 8:22AM EDT
Part three of our three part series on Aboriginal Tourism in Canada, showcases Loren Christie experiencing the Great Spirit Circle Trail.
Eight First Nation communities, all part of the larger Anishnaabe nation, inhabit Manitoulin Island and the Sagamok region, which extends onto the mainland to the north. Together they make up the Great Spirit Circle Trail, which is not really a trail but rather a collection of attractions and activities offered to visitors eager to learn about the culture of our First Nations people.
My Great Spirit experience started with a traditional smudging ceremony (which we did not film out of respect for the ceremony) to bless our day by local Ojibwe guide, Steven Antoine. According to Steven, it's important to have a local guide involved so you are truly getting an authentic experience by people who live what they teach.
On a canoe trip on Lake Mindemoya he shared with me the lore of the land, which included the creation of the "grandmother" island in the middle of the lake. After our time on the water, we went on a medicine walk where I learned the healing properties of various plants as well as some practical tips; cedar tea is delicious and white birch bark will remove sticky sap from your skin. My favourite experience was Steven teaching me how to make my own drum out of deer hide. The drum, I learned, is the one common element among all First Nations people across Canada representing the heartbeat of Mother Earth.
Located in Northern Ontario, Manitoulin is a two-hour drive from Sudbury or a seven-hour journey from Toronto including a ride aboard the M.S. Chi-Cheemaun ferry. There are also two airports on the island should you want to fly in.
The Great Spirit Circle Trail is one of approximately 1,500 aboriginal businesses that came together last year to form the Aboriginal Tourism Association of Canada. I encourage everyone to make an element of aboriginal tourism part of their next vacation. For real change to occur we need break down the negative stereotypes that exist by growing our collective understanding of this fascinating culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment