Cycling to St.Thomas

[bolognium]

I'm planning to take a day-trip to St.Thomas on my bike. Despite living in London my entire life (college aside) I've only been to St.Thomas a handful of times so I know very little about the city and its surrounding areas. Anyways, two things:

Firstly, I'm hoping you guys can recommend me the safest, bike-friendly route. Right now I'm planning to take the Thames trail to the end of Hamilton and then jump on Old Victoria. That way I can easily cross the 401 and ride basically the whole way to St.Thomas uninterrupted. However, if you guys know of a better route I'm eager to hear any of your suggestions. Also, I'm very comfortable taking a huge detour if it means staying alive.

Secondly, I'm wondering if you guys can give me a few interesting destinations to visit while I'm there. Obviously downtown is first on my list, likely followed by one of the riverside parks. Afterwards, no idea.

Thanks, duders.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by bolognium

Secondly, I'm wondering if you guys can give me a few interesting destinations to visit while I'm there. Obviously downtown is first on my list, likely followed by one of the riverside parks. Afterwards, no idea.

Thanks, duders.

There is the statue of Jumbo the Elephant, up on Talbot Hill. Not particularly interesting, but an unusual sight nonetheless.

If you're interested in railways and railway history, there are a lot of sights to see around town. In addition to the Elgin County Railway Museum (which I've never been to), the former Michigan Central Railway corridor is worth checking out. The Trans-Canada Trail is routed along part of the corridor in the west part of town, and the old stone milemarkers along the route have been restored and painted. Some scraps of railway still exist, mainly level crossings that have not yet been dug up and various former railway buildings, including the old station which was being renovated into a conference centre the last I had heard. Some of the corridor may still be in active railway use as it is linked to the Canadian Pacific line to Woodstock.