WHEN:

24 July,  9:10 am

Ride Leader: Chris Hodgson, cell:  604 841 9927, chodgson@telus.net

Distance:     45 km

Meet At: Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, with passage on direct 9:10 am ferry to Salt Spring Island. You can park at Tsawwassen Mills by turning right at third stop light on Deltaport Way (the extension of Hwy 17). Plan to cycle out of the parking lot at 8:15 latest for ticketing at 8:45 am latest. 

Coffee:  Fernwood Road Cafe 

Lunch:   Bring a bag lunch to Centennial Park in Ganges.

Passport or Nexus:    Not needed.

Route Directions:   Saltspring Island maps attached. If you don’t want to print them, they’re available at the on-board ferry tourism section.

Ride Description: The ride takes us on a counter- clockwise circuit of Salt Spring from Long Harbour ferry terminal to the island’s northern shore, then down through Ganges (picnic lunch) and Cusheon Lake to Fulford Harbour. We take the Fulford-Swartz Bay and Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen ferries to arrive back at our starting point at 7 pm. Here’s the schedule:

9:10 am: depart Tsawwassen direct ferry to Long Harbour

10:33 am: arrive Long Harbour

3:50 pm: depart Fulford Harbour on BC Ferry’s cutest ferry (35 minutes).

4:25 pm: arrive Swartz Bay

5:00 pm: depart Swartz Bay

6:35 pm: arrive Tsawwassen

So we have about five hours to tour the island.  The ride takes us on a 45 km counter-clockwise jaunt around Saltspring, stopping for coffee at cosy Fernwood Road Cafe, then north to Southey Point Road where we kick a little sand on the island’s north shore. We then cycle down past Vesuvius to your own picnic lunch at Centennial Park in Ganges. We take the less-travelled route south of Ganges via Cusheon Lake (pause at lookout) to Fulford Harbour where we can indulge at the Morningside Bakery Café. Roads are paved, but I’ve not cycled them all recently.

Nota Bena: Roads on Saltspring have lots of ups and downs. This is not a flat ride, and may be a muscle-stretcher in spite of the shorter distance. And beware: some roads lack shoulders!

I haven’t calculated individual road distances, but the roads we’ll follow, in sequence, are:

W on Long Harbour Road,

1. on Upper Ganges Road (briefly),
2. on Robinson Road,

N and W, on Walker’s Hook Road (to Fernwood Road Café),

1. on N Beach Road,
2. on N End Road,

N & S on Southey Point Road (out and back),

1. on Sunset Drive,

S and E. on Vesuvius Bay Road,

1. on Lower Ganges Road right to Centennial Park in Ganges,
2. on Fulford-Ganges Road,
3. on Cusheon Lake Road,
4. on Stewart Road,

S on Beaver Point Road into Fulford Harbour.  

See you Wednesday, weather permitting!