We first heard of the Bruce Peninsula, the Bruce Trail, the Niagara Escarpment, and Tobermory when we lived in Toronto back in the 1990s. We could see the Escarpment on day trips to the west of the city and it looked very imposing. We learned that the Bruce Trail, which courses along the top of the Escarpment is the oldest and longest hiking trail in Canada, extending (with side trails) approximately 900 kms from Queenston in the Niagara Peninsula to Tobermory, at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula.
It took us until 2018 to visit the Bruce Peninsula. We travelled there by car from Ottawa (almost 700 kms). In Tobermory, we stayed in the Blue Bay Motel, in Little Tub Harbour.
We would happily return to stay in this hotel, which in right beside the water, close to all the amenities one could need. Little Tub Harbour is really compact, making it a great base for discovering the delights of the Bruce Peninsula, the Bruce Trail, and the two National Parks on its doorstep: the Bruce Peninsula National Park and the Fathom Five National Marine Park. It is also within a stone’s throw of the ferry port for the impressive Chi-Cheemaun passenger and vehicle ferry to Manitoulin Island.
We visited in August and for the most part, we experienced clear skies, sunshine, and comfortably warm temperatures. It rained just one morning – coinciding with the beginning of one of our boat tours. Boat trips and hiking are two of the main tourist activities in the area and we partook. The access to the Fathom Five Visitors Centre was walking distance from our hotel and we got oriented quickly to the area during our first visit there. The view of the sunset from the top of Observation Tower at the Visitors Centre is a real treat.
We didn’t indulge, however, in the sport that Tobermory is best known for – scuba diving. It is known as the scuba diving capital of Canada because of its crystal-clear emerald waters and some 20 well-preserved shipwrecks resting in them. The Diver’s Den store in Little Tub is the hub of the diving action and it is easy to recognize from a distance, as it usually has a menagerie of trolleys carrying divers’ oxygen tanks parked outside.
Staying above water at all times, we took the Blue Heron Cruises tour to Flowerpot Island, hiking the trails there, and picnicking on a secluded rocky beach. While we departed in the rain, the clouds soon cleared and for our time on the island and the journey back to Tobermory we enjoyed lovely sunshine. The weather also held for our Tobermory Wave Adventures boat trip next day, when we explored the caves, cliff and emerald waters to the east of the harbour. We went as far as a favourite tourist attraction called the Grotto and we saw lots of children and adolescents jumping from the cliff into the clear waters below.
We witnessed a memorable sunset on Dorcas Bay beside the Singing Sands, where a boardwalk through a marsh offers the possibility of spotting Ontario’s only poisonous snake – the Massassauga Rattlesnake. While at Dorcas Bay we noted the contrast between the topographies of the west and east coasts of the Peninsula. The west side is flat, with dunes and beaches, while the east side is characterized by limestone cliffs – essentially the northern terminus of the Niagara Escarpment.
Tobermory is compact, with all the amenities a tourist who likes the outdoors could want. You can eat and drink well there. You can also sleep comfortably and the lovely scenery you will see will give you plenty to dream sweetly about.
(This is a revised version of a post originally published on John’s old blog.)