Has anyone here toured Canada, or is planning to? Any tips?

[jhawk]

Hi all,

As many of you know, I'm planning a solo, self-supported tour of Canada next year.

Has anyone here toured Canada before? What were your experiences? Do you have any tips when it comes to solo touring?

I plan on 'roughing it' for most of the trip - camping and stealth camping, etc. However, I do plan on doing some WarmShowering and Couchsurfing, as well as Hostels, maybe one or two hotel stays (as my budget for this tour will be extremely tight). What are some tips that you can offer to a first-time tourer when it comes to 'roughing it'?

Is anyone planning to do a tour of Canada next year? If so, where to? I watched a video on bicycletouringpro.com last night, in which Darren Alff spoke of being alone, and how he went about finding a riding partner, etc.

I've thought about this quite a bit since I listened to that video. While I did plan on doing the tour solo, I would welcome a riding partner, for all or even parts of the journey. Therefore, if any of you guys are planning on doing such a tour next year, and would be interested in meeting up somewhere along the way, do get in contact with me and we can arrange something!

Thanks,

Jhawk.

 

[Chris Norton]

Alberta and British Columbia. Awesome, really awesome.

If your going to be north then make sure you do that in summer cos it gets mighty ruddy cold. I did my bit in a car and loved every second of being in Canada.

And the biggest plus point is that the Canadians actually "get" us Brits.

 

[slowmotion]

If you are camping in BC, bears can be a problem unless you take precautions.

 

[burndust]

i'd be interested too...heading back to canada next year again...hoping to get some cycling in around banff lake louise area

 

[ayceejay]

Velo Quebec http://www.velo.qc.ca/en/Home is a mine of information for cyclists in Quebec, I suspect the other provinces have similar sites BC for sure will.

 

[HelenD123]

I did a cross Canada trip in 2010. There's a link in my signature to my journal of the trip. I had a great time, but looking back some of the roads were pretty dangerous, particularly in Ontario. You can't escape the trucks without heading off on dirt roads.

I'd recommend having a look at canadabybicycle.com for route tips. I followed his suggested route through Manitoba to get away from the Trans Canada Highway.

 

[grolyat]

I've done small bits of Canada... Nova Scotia, Ontario, BC and Alberta... and big bits of the USA.
I'm afraid I'd give Canada 3/10 for cycle touring and the USA 10/10. Ontario gets 0/10.
The only problem (IMHO) with the USA now is that the main transcontinental W-E and N-S bike routes are so good that they are getting too busy (with cyclists, not cars.)
I'm sure you'll enjoy a Canadian tour, but if you fancy a relaxing ride along several thousand miles of smooth rural highway with a shoulder lane, you'll need to be south of the border.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Beware the Wolverine.

 

[gavgav]

Beware the bears, but what an amazing country and i'm sure you will have a brilliant time. I have toured some of it by car, not bike yet, but would love to spend more time there

 

[jhawk]

Beware the bears, but what an amazing country and i'm sure you will have a brilliant time. I have toured some of it by car, not bike yet, but would love to spend more time there

Hi Gav,

Plans have changed a bit - I won't be doing my cross-country tour this year, that'll be something for the year after. But nonetheless, I will be doing some touring around the Maritime Provinces and hope to see as much of it as I can before winter 2014 comes around!

Thanks,

Jack.

 

[Isla Valassi]

Did a 925 mile tour around Lake Ontario in May 2011 (Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa, Montreal, Upstate New York, Niagara Falls). Used a combination of motels, Warm Showers and Couch Surfing....even stayed at a dairy farm! Weather could have been better but the almost daily stops at Tim Horton's more than made up for it!

 

[jhawk]

Nothing beats a Tim Horton's after a long ride! Shame I'm lactose-intolerant and can't enjoy their coffee! I'll have an iced lemonade and their oatcakes...

 

[Crankarm]

I did a cross Canada trip in 2010. There's a link in my signature to my journal of the trip. I had a great time, but looking back some of the roads were pretty dangerous, particularly in Ontario. You can't escape the trucks without heading off on dirt roads.

I'd recommend having a look at canadabybicycle.com for route tips. I followed his suggested route through Manitoba to get away from the Trans Canada Highway.

^^^^^^ Helen has done it. She speaks sense and great blog as well. I get the impression distances are large and some roads extremely dangerous, but a beautiful country to visit.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Wonderful country Canada. JHawk, hope you get to make your tour soon. Breathtakingly beautiful in parts, but the distances are huge. Have a good time riding around the Maritimes.

 

[jhawk]

Thanks Gravity. I certainly will! An Englishman I met in the summer by the name of Paul, he had that "Canada By Bicycle" book with him, which he used for his route across the country.

The distances are huge... It's 85KM from where I live to the nearest massive urban shopping centre! But, you get to experience the incredible beauty of this country.