North York → Cherry Beach 🚴♀️☀️
October 15, 2025
It was one of those perfect Toronto days — warm, sunny, +20°C, and I just couldn’t sit at home. I grabbed my backpack, helmet, and set off from North York to Cherry Beach — my favorite long route when I need a piece of nature, freedom, and quiet.
🚴♀️ The Ride
Most of the route goes through parks, surrounded by trees, crunchy leaves, and the smell of fall. A few parts pass through downtown, but even there it feels safe — separate bike lanes, bike lights, and proper signs everywhere.
And while the wheels were spinning, I was finishing an audiobook — “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Such a warm, gentle, and a little sad story — about books, friendship, and survival during the war. It felt like the perfect match for this ride: calm, thoughtful, and full of small, interesting details.
☕ A Little Stop
About an hour later I reached Distillery District — sunshine, brick walls, and the smell of fresh coffee being made.
🌿 Cherry Beach
By the time I got to Cherry Beach, it was almost empty. Which made sense — it was a Wednesday, and all the normal people were at work. Meanwhile, I was lying on the sand, drinking water, and watching the swans and seagulls argue over nothing.
It was peaceful, almost meditative.
That day was actually the last day of my unpaid leave, and I couldn’t imagine a better way to end it — alone with the sound of waves and my thoughts.
🏁 The Way Back
And then came the “fun” part. If the way there was all downhill — guess what the way back was 😅 234 meters of climbing, and by the last stretch, I was pedaling on pure determination.
The audiobook was still in my head — the voices from Guernsey, the letters, the hope. It kept me going, somehow making every uphill feel lighter.
By the time I got home, Strava said 44.79 km and about 900 calories burned — not bad for a mid-October therapy ride.
💡 Tips if you plan to ride this route
- 🚧 Two small road repairs on the way — easy to pass
- 🚻 Two washrooms and one water station
- ☀️ Go early — the way back is tougher
- 💪 Save some energy for the uphill part
- 🎧 And take a good audiobook — it helps more than protein bars 😄
- Map https://strava.app.link/GgX4LguCwXb
Written, Translated, and Revised by Aleksandra Tsygankova