Toronto Islands - Love for Biking - Centre Island & Hanlan's Point
When weekends finally arrive, the urge to go for cycling is strong. But after a while, there is only a few places you can go to without making it a full day/full weekend outing. While we were location scouting for places to go to, we stumbled upon a place right under our nose.. The Toronto Islands. Having been there in peak winters, we had never gone back there to explore the much famed island parks. So, having figured out the 'where to' part of the outing, now came the when & how part of it. Toronto draws loads of tourists particularly in summer. And since it was a weekend, massive crowds are guaranteed. We decided to head out early on Saturday morning and catch the 8am ferry to the Centre Islands.
We woke up early on Saturday morning as if it was a regular weekday and had our morning dose of tea. We quickly made some sandwiches for breakfast, packed some fruits and off we went. As expected, the morning crowd for the ferry at Jack Layton ferry point was very sparse. It was a short 10-15 mins ride through lake Ontario to the Centre Islands. There is something about enjoying the soothing breeze while riding on water and hearing the waves crash. We did not realize how soon the ferry ride was over while we were busy clicking pictures of the Toronto's skyline.
Centre Island is the largest part of the Toronto Islands located right in between the Wards Island & the Hanlan's point. Centreville is an amusement park with over 20 rides and lots of eateries and cafés around the Centre Island. The greenery all around is breathtaking. My personal favourite thing to do was biking from the dock through the tons of greenery past the forgotten fountains and the picture perfect Centerville bridge to the beach.
The pale blue bridge with blue water underneath along with the ferry on the side and the swans on the border of the lake was a picture perfect image and it looked like straight out of a fairytale. The white sand beach on the southernmost end of the island is very beautiful.
As we peddled further, we reached the Hanlan’s point, the closest to Billy Bishop airport. Hanlan’s point is named after a Hanlan family who were settled in Gibraltar point back in 1862. This is the western part of Toronto Islands and offers outstanding views of Toronto skylines from the lake side. Hanlan’s point is less crowded compared to the other two. The 2 main beach attractions are: the Gibraltar Point Beach (blue beach) and Hanlan's Point Beach.
If you are a sports lover, this place has a lot to offer like the tennis courts, Badminton courts, volleyball courts etc. The historic Gibraltar Point Lighthouse located in Hanlan’s point is the oldest surviving lighthouse on the lakes….rumoured to be haunted!
We biked across several walking trails and visited every corner of the island. Though we had got our own bikes there were options available to rent the bikes.
Without a doubt, It is an amazing place to bike around without having to bother about the hustle-bustle of the vehicles and signals. You can freely enjoy riding. If not, simply walk around in the island or rent a boat and paddle around in the Lake Ontario. The Toronto island park offers you a vast bed of grass where all you can do is just grab a blanket and read a good book.
Having spent almost the entire morning there, we returned to Toronto refreshed.
