Gearing up for a summer cycling tour of our city
With more than 230 km of kept pathways, the National Capital Region has a reputation as a cycling hub. Today, the Citizen’s Wayne Scanlan starts a special series looking at day trips in and around Ottawa.
With more than 230 kilometres of kept pathways, the National Capital Region has a reputation for being a cycling hub. To explore the possibilities, Citizen columnist
Wayne Scanlan charted a Summer Ride series, five interesting day trips in and around Ottawa. To limber up, Ride 1 takes us for a short trek along the Ottawa River pathway to Britannia. This is the appetizer of the series, a little teaser, if you will, a stretch of the legs before heading out for longer rides.
My wife and I often take this route on a marginal weather day (aren’t they all, this year?) or if we don’t have time for Gatineau Park. It’s a pleasing, accessible ride that follows the Ottawa River path out to Britannia with views of the river and the distant Gatineau Hills.
Feel free to extend the ride, but for this small excursion, the turnaround stop is the Britannia Coffee House, which has become extremely popular with local cyclists. (The first clue? The bikes
parked by the outdoor terrace.) This a good spot to stop for a coffee and sweet scone. The indoor café is quaint but most visitors will sit outside on a nice day.
Next door to the coffee house is the Beach coners, a micro-creamery that likes to mix it up with their homemade flavour options. The shops are situated on Britannia Road, and are simple to locate since the path pauses here at the road (shops on the left), before it continues on across the road through to Britannia Park and beyond.
The bike route to Britannia is dead easy. For the purposes of this trek, we started at Island Park and Byron in Westboro, but one could launch the ride from farther south along Island Park Drive or from downtown, along the Ottawa River pathway. Island Park has a decent bike lane and motorists are used to cyclists here (for the most part).
Heading north on Island Park toward Quebec, continue north through the intersection at the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway, which most of us still call the River Parkway, and just before the Champlain Bridge, veer up off the road path to the right and down a short bike ramp to the river path. A quick left at the stop sign (watch for riders coming through the underpass) and you’re on the river pathway heading west.
Pretty hard to get lost on this one. There is a fork in the path about three-quarters of the way along, just keep right and follow the river. The path to the left swings south along the parkway up to Carling Avenue and beyond. You don’t want to go that way unless you have an appointment at the Citizen.
By now you will have passed Westboro Beach. Be careful here as it’s a busy spot, with families and cyclists popping onto the pathway from the beach below. Many don’t seem to watch for passing riders before joining the path. This cuts both ways — a lot of cyclists come through here with speed when they should be slowing right down with an expectation they might have to stop for a sudden crowd.
Need we remind here that the river path is for everyone, from pedestrians and joggers to walkers and elderly with walkers? This ride takes you past a posted sign with the 20 km speed limit for cyclists, which is to laugh. If riders didn’t routinely exceed 25 or 30 km/h, the path would be a safer place.
About three kilometres past the beach, there is a viewing/ parking area for the Deschênes Rapids. Next, Mud Lake and the Britannia Conservation Area signal the approach of Britannia Road and the coffee stop.
Return along the same route, veering right just before the underpass if you are heading south again along Island Park Dr. Otherwise, go through the underpass if you parked a vehicle at the lot just on the other side of Champlain Bridge or to continue toward downtown Ottawa.
It’s great that we have all these bike paths — I’m a biker and I love it — but there’s just nothing to do.
ANDRÉ SCHAD, operator of a new hotdog bistro at Major’s Hill Park, STORY A4