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route from Athens to Merrickville will take you along quiet roads through
some of the best Eastern Ontario countryside. However, apart from a small
store in Jasper there are no services on this section. |
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| 0 km |
Be sure to leave Athens by heading
north on Leeds-Grenville County Road #5 (the same road that you have
followed since leaving the St. Lawrence at Mallorytown Landing). |
| 2 km |
After 2 km on County Road #5, turn right onto Lake Eloida
Road. Be sure to head
north on Lake Eloida Road, and not east on Hard Island Road
(when you are there you will understand what this is all about!). Follow Eloida Lake Road for
the next 8 km. There are several turnoffs en
route, but keep on Eloida Lake Road until you come to a stop sign. Lake
Eloida Road, like all of the roads that constitute this cycling route,
is paved; the side roads that deviate from it, however, are gravel. You
will also find that the going is a little easier from here on as you are
heading into the Ottawa Valley |
| 10 km |
At the stop sign, do not continue north on Lake Eloida
Road, but turn right (east) onto Kitley Line #8,
which you follow until you arrive at the village of Frankville. |
| 14 km |
Village of Frankville. Proceed straight across
Leeds / Grenville County Road #29 in Frankville, and you will find yourself on Leacock Road
which you follow for the next 9 km. |
| 17 km |
After riding for 3 km on Leacock Road you will come to a
fork in the road. Here, be sure to take the left fork (Leacock Road) and
not the right fork (Morrison Road). From here, you are heading towards
the village of Jasper, and you should find signs at the next
three intersections directing you to Jasper. If in doubt, follow the
signs to Jasper! |
| 23 km |
At the stop sign turn left, and proceed north on Leeds-Grenville County Road
#7. |
| 28 km |
After riding north for 6 km on County Road #7, you will
arrive at the stop sign on Leeds / Grenville County Road #16. Turn
right, and follow County Road #16 for a 16 km ride into
Merrickville. |
| 29 km |
Village of Jasper. Leave Jasper by
riding east on Leeds / Grenville County Road #16 (the road you are
already on!). |
| 33 km |
Hamlet of Easton's Corners. |
| 43 km |
Leeds / Grenville County Road #16 ends. Turn left
on C.R. 15, and you
will find yourself in Merrickville. |
| 44 km |
Village of Merrickville - voted Canada's
most beautiful village in 1998.
Merrickville is one of the oldest settlements in Eastern Ontario. It was
established in 1794 when the American, William Merrick, came from
Massachusetts to establish grist and lumber mills at the rapids that
were then present. In Merrickville, you will get your first glimpse of
the 202 km Rideau Waterway, a chain of beautiful lakes, rivers and canal
cuts winding from Kingston to Ottawa. The Rideau Waterway was conceived
by the British government in the wake of the War of 1812. It was to be a
war-time supply route to Kingston and the Great Lakes since the
international boundary along the St. Lawrence River was vulnerable to
attack. The canal provided the British with a secure water route for
troops and supplies from Montréal to reach the settlements of Upper
Canada and the strategic naval dockyard at Kingston. Construction was
carried out between 1826 and 1832, and a total of 47 locks were built.
Block houses, such as the one here in Merrickville, were built to
protect the waterway. For the next 25 years, the Rideau Waterway was
very active, but its use declined after larger locks were opened on the
St. Lawrence in 1857. At that time, the waterway was handed over by the
British to the Canadian government. You will more-or-less follow the
Rideau Waterway from Merrickville to Ottawa.
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