Celtic Shores Coastal Trail bike ride set Sunday
Bicycle enthusiasts are invited to ride through the Celtic Shores Coastal Trail on Sunday to celebrate its inclusion in the Blue Route Provincial Cycling Network.
The ride will be leaving from two starting points, Troy Station and Inverness. Both points start at 9 a.m. and will end in Port Hood at 12:30 p.m.
Ben Buckwold of Bicycle Nova Scotia said the event is aimed to show what Cape Breton has to offer for physical fitness for a variety of people.
“I think for the community it’s the recognition that this really beautiful trail is available for use, and that’s something that’s interesting for people who live in the area or people that may wish to visit Cape Breton and ride a bicycle as part of their trip,” said Buckwold.
“It’s an opportunity to showcase what’s on offer through the Celtic Shores Coastal Trail and what will be a major part of the Blue Route project as it moves forward.”
The Celtic Shores Coastal Trail was originally created in 2008 by five separate community trails associations — the Ceilidh Coastal Trail, the Judique Flyer, The Chestico Trail, the Mabou Rivers Trail, and the Inverness Shean Trail.
In 2013, the trail was branded as the Celtic Shores Coastal Trail. It’s a 92-kilometre, multi-use trail that stretches from Port Hastings to Inverness.
Buckwold said the trail is a great way to explore Cape Breton for people of all ages because of its accessibility.
“Trails are some of the types of most accessible types of bicycle riding experiences you can provide — not everybody’s interested in riding on the road, but trails are really accessible to people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds,” said Buckwold.
The Blue Route is a provincial cycling network that will connect Nova Scotia communities through designated cycling routes on secondary highways, low-traffic volume roads, hard-surfaced trails and city streets.
Once completed the Blue Route will comprise a 3000-km network of signed bicycle routes, connecting riders with communities across the province.
Currently the Blue Route has 430 km of the route established, including 320 km of trail and 110 km on provincial roads.
At the end of Sunday’s ride there will be food and refreshments where people can get together, talk about the ride and meet some of the trail groups and volunteers.
For more information on start times and trails visit www.bicycle.ns.ca or www.celticshores.ca.