My wife and I are avid cycle tourists, having ridden our tandem bicycle on overnight and longer trips throughout Ontario, and parts of Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, England and Scotland.

One of our first, and still most enjoyable rides, was a week long tour of Manitoulin Island. During that trip we stayed 2 very enjoyable nights at Gordon’s Park, which I initially discovered the year before our trip while working on the Island.

In addition to the clean, comfortable B&B accommodation, great food and exceptional hospitality, we were particularly please to find:
• secure bike lock ups;
• basic bicycle repair kit/tools (Terry's shop, it seems has everything needed to repair a bicycle);
• healthy snack options, readily available drinking water and rest areas; and
• local cycling information (4 cycling routes that begin & end at Gordon's Park & also the reference book "Cycling the Backroads of Manitoulin”).

After reviewing the routes suggested by Rita, we spent part of one day riding the Lakeshore Route, which is a loop of about 31 kilometers over paved, blacktop and gravel terrain. Points of interest along the route include views of unspoiled shorelines, wetlands, mixed forest areas and quaint farm operations. We spotted many varieties of birds (although we wouldn’t call ourselves birdwatchers), the “shoe tree” and painted rocks along the roadside and at Roger's Creek there was a rest area (with an outhouse) where one can enjoy the view, go for a swim (we did) or try fishing.

While not cycling, at Gordon’s Park we enjoyed a refreshing swim in the outdoor solar heated swimming pool, a relaxing tour of the nature interpretive centre and a brisk hike with Terry on the interpretive hiking trails in the park. We didn’t play mini-putt only because we ran out of time as the rest of Manitoulin Island was beckoning us to explore it by bike.

Certainly Gordon’s Park is conveniently located -- on Highway 6, not far from the ferry terminal at South Baymouth. We both highly recommend Gordon’s Park as a stop for cyclists (and other Manitoulin visitors) and look forward ourselves to returning soon for another visit.