Walton St., Port Hope
For this section of the trip I highly recommend that you follow the
Waterfront Trail for most of the way. From here on there is very little actual 'trail',
but you will be on quiet country roads south of Northumberland County Road #2 for most of the time.
When you are on County Road #2 (as you are between Port Hope and Cobourg, for
instance) you will find that you have an excellent paved shoulder to travel. If,
in this section, you find that you are on a stretch of County Road #2 with gravel
shoulders then you must have missed one of those small green and blue signs -
try heading south to rejoin the Waterfront Trail. The terrain is mainly
flat, and you will pass through some attractive communities. It is primarily
rural cycling with just a few small towns and villages along the way.
|
W-T Port Hope |
0 km |
Be sure to leave Port Hope on County Road #2
(Peter Street) and definitely do not head out of town by following the Waterfront Trail
alongside Lake Ontario as it 'dead ends' after 1 km at Gage's
Creek! County Road #2 is quite busy between the two towns, but it does
have a good paved shoulder. |
|
W-T Cobourg1
Northumberland
County |
8 km |
 |
Once you reach the 'outskirts' of
Cobourg, you will find that the Waterfront Trail heads south on Rogers Road.
Rogers Road is the second set of lights and is
immediately east of the large Canadian Tire store. For the next 5 km, you will need
to pay close attention to the blue/green Waterfront Trail markers as the
'trail' winds its way through residential streets and parklands. Although
navigating can be a bit tricky at times, this route is preferable to
following busy County Road #2 into town. |
|
W-T Cobourg2
W-T Cobourg3 |
13 km |
 |
Cobourg.
Cobourg was first settled in 1798 by United Empire Loyalists.
The Waterfront Trail passes beside Cobourg's beautiful harbour. You
can either follow the Waterfront Trail signs east out of Cobourg, or simply
head out on County Road #2 (King Street). It is definitely quicker to follow
C.R.2 as you will see from the maps (W-T Cobourg 2 and W-T Cobourg 3) that
the Waterfront Trail meanders a fair bit in the east end of Cobourg! |
| |
14 km |
Cobourg Trailer Park - a
small municipal campsite adjacent to Cobourg's lovely beach. Even if they
are "full" (which is usually the case during the summer months), they can
usually be talked in to squeezing in a cyclist or two! |
|
W-T Grafton |
22 km |
9 km east of Cobourg, you will find that the paved shoulder
ends at Archer's Road due to the fact that the Waterfront Trail now heads
south. Be sure to follow the Waterfront Trail from here to Colborne since it will take you close to Lake Ontario and
along some
excellent cycling roads. |
| |
23 km |
Archer's Road ends at Lakeshore Road which, naturally, you
follow in an easterly direction. You now have a stretch of
wonderful cycling along quiet country roads all the way to Colborne. |
| |
27 km |
At the stop sign, Lakeshore Road meets Station Road and
becomes Orchard Grove Road. 2 km to the north, on Station Road, lies the
pleasant village of Grafton,
where there is a restaurant and convenience store. |
|
W-T Wicklow |
31 km |
 |
At the stop sign turn south on Wicklow Beach Road. In about
500 m, Wicklow Beach Road swings
east (becoming Lakeshore Rd.), and hugs the Lake Ontario shoreline for
approximately one kilometre. |
| |
33 km |
Haldimand Conservation Area.
|
|
W-T Lakeport |
37 km |
Hamlet of Lakeport.
The Waterfront Trail heads south at Ontario St. in Lakeport, visits Lake Ontario then,
almost immediately, heads back north. This unnecessary, and pointless, 2 km
detour should be avoided by remaining on Lakeshore Rd. and ignoring the
Waterfront Trail sign directing you south.
Lakeshore Rd. becomes County Road 31 after Lakeport. |
| |
39 km |
The Waterfront Trail continues to
follow C.R.31 by heading north into Colborne. |
|
W-T Colborne |
40 km |
Village of
Colborne
(all services). Leave Colborne on King St. East (County Road
#2) and
you will have an excellent paved shoulder to ride on for the next 8 km. |
|
W-T Brighton1 |
44 km |
Hamlet of Salem.
Head right (south) for 400 m to reach the Salem Woods Trailer
Park. This is a pleasant, cyclist-friendly, place to camp for the night.
Although it is not on the lake, they do have a swimming pool. In 2008 there
was a special cyclist rate of $10 per person per night. |
| |
48 km |
Turn right when the paved shoulder ends at
Union Road
and you will continue to follow the Waterfront Trail. |
| |
50 km |
Union Road ends at Lakeshore Rd.,
where you turn left. |
|
W-T Brighton2 |
53 km |
 |
Main entrance to Presqu'ile
Provincial Park.
|
