Cheddar-Wheeling in Eastern Ontario PDF Print E-mail
Written by Clare Wasteneys   
Friday, 26 June 2009 12:40

Cheese BikeIn much of Eastern Ontario this year, the summer solstice was aptly followed by a few relatively hot days.  To beat the heat, but also to join it, I went out on my road bike, exploring the side roads and villages surrounding the City of Kingston. 

Cycling is a great way to become more familiar with the region, at a pace that is fast enough to cover a lot of ground, but slow enough to allow you to exchange smiles and waves with farmers out in their fields.  It also allows you to notice interesting shops for refueling – with Gatorade not gas – and for having absorbing conversations with shop owners and residents. 

On one of my rides this week, through such intriguing places as Harrowsmith, Entreprise, Camden East and Yarker, I found myself on the Wilton Road where I had the good fortune to be passing by the Wilton Cheese Factory who had their wonderfully fresh curds for sale.  As I rode away, munching happily on my squeaky, creamy treat, I thought how wonderful it would be to have maps for cycling around the region from cheese factory to cheese factory.  I’ve had the same thought about butter tarts, but that day it was cheese; hence my delight to find a Facebook announcement of the launch of the Artisan Cheese Region. While the region is composed of four counties in Eastern Ontario – Frontenac, Hastings, Lennox & Addington and Prince Edward – the website acknowledges cheese makers across Eastern Ontario. 

Although this new and exciting initiative doesn’t yet involve cycling, the simple fact that the counties are collaborating to develop a local food cluster for the whole region suggests to me that there is potential for developing region-wide bicycle networks to complement the cheese networks.  Maybe the heat is getting to my brain, but I relish the idea of having guides and maps for what we could call “cheddar-wheeling”, an activity that supports our fine artisan cheese makers and encourages a sustainable form of transport at the same time. 

This is not a brand new concept.  In Green County, Wisconsin, there is an annual cycling event called “Tour de Cheese” and in the Limburg region of Flanders, there is a beer and cheese cycling route, supporting local craft breweries and cheese makers.  Perhaps, this is something to consider for Eastern Ontario as well, given the impressive growth of craft breweries, like Beau’s All-Natural Brewing Company in Vankleek Hill or the Skeena Brewing Company in the Town of Perth. 

Food and drink for thought.

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