Historical Bicycle Tour

(32 reviews)

Elora, Ontario audio tour: Historical Bicycle Tour

This is a 6.3mi cycling tour

It takes an average of 120 mins to complete.

Elora, Ontario

Canada

$6.99

Access all 45 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

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About the Tour

Come experience the sights, sounds, and history of Elora as we cycle along the Elora Gorge, Elora's historic downtown core, and a myriad of bicycle paths along the Grand River. Look and listen as we discover how the Gorge was created, it's troubled past, and why so many wish to visit it to this day. Learn about Elora's industrious past, from it's toy making to its farm implements, and how they've transformed through the years to now accommodate the tourism industry 1000s visit throughout the summer.

You'll need your own bicycle, smartphone and headphones for this tour. This tour can be done in a group or individually.

Bike's can also be rented from Elora Rapids. Go to EloraRapids.com for details on how to reserve a bicycle in advance. Furthermore, because Elora Rapids is only open seasonally you can also email us at [email protected] to make sure we are open.

We acknowledge with gratitude the work of Stephen Thorning and Kenneth Hewitt, a local historian and naturalist whose passion for Elora produced most of the information we will share with you today.

Tour Producer

Andrew Adams

2 tours

I live in Elora, Ontario with my wife and two children and couldn't think of a better place to watch our family grow.

Preview Location

Location 1

Elora

Hello, and welcome to Elora Bicycle Tours.

You should be outside 78 James Street, with the park directly across the street.

We're going to spend a few minutes here before we get going.

We’ll begin the tour with the story of how Elora got its name. But, before we get ... Hello, and welcome to Elora Bicycle Tours.

You should be outside 78 James Street, with the park directly across the street.

We're going to spend a few minutes here before we get going.

We’ll begin the tour with the story of how Elora got its name. But, before we get to that, it is important to recognize that the area we are exploring today is in the traditional territory of the Attawandaron nation, also known as the Neutrals. For a thousand or so years before the arrival and colonization of the Europeans, the Neutrals, occupied the Grand River Valley. They numbered 12,000 strong and lived in numerous villages throughout the region hunting beaver, controlling the flint trade, and growing corn, beans, and squash. Their relatively peaceful existence over the centuries ended over the course of just three years between 1650 and 1653 when their villages were destroyed by the Iroquois. For the next 150 years the lands surrounding Elora remained essentially untouched.

The founder of Elora was a British sailor and adventurer by the name of Captain William Gilkison. His brother, John, was also a captain in the East India Trade. While sailing around Bombay he was struck by the beauty of the carved stone temples and caves in an area known as Ellora. It made such an impression that he named his next ship The Elora, and the name again came to mind when Gilkison laid eyes on the grandeur of the Gorge in 1832. Indeed, there is a resemblance between the two Eloras. It’s well worth a look on Wikipedia to see the impressively carved caves and temples of Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain dynasties. Whether here or on the other side of the world the grandeur of nature holds great power to inspire people to question their place in the universe.

The first portion of the tour does lend itself to a bit more walking with your bike than riding, because there is just so much to explore while we’re in the heart of Elora. But, I promise, there will be plenty of cycling to come. For the most part you will be staying away from main roads but on a few occasions it will be necessary to ride them. Be sure to practice good road safety, taking care to mind both pedestrians and vehicular traffic along the way.

Before we get going, I'll briefly explain how VoiceMap works.

It uses your location to play audio automatically, at the right time and place. This means that you can put your phone away now. Don't worry if I'm silent for a while when I'm not giving directions or telling stories. There's a map on your screen if you ever feel lost, and if you do get way off track without noticing, VoiceMap will let you know. You can pause the audio or rewind whenever necessary to make sure no one misses anything.

This tour can be done in a group or individually. If you're in a group, the lead rider should stay out in front, because they will be given instructions about where to turn and pull over, and do their best to keep your party together.

On that note, it’s time to begin our journey, starting with a closer look at the Gorge that so inspired the Gilkisons nearly 200 years ago.

With 78 James Street on your left, begin cycling down James Street and I’ll soon let you know where to go next. Read More

View locations and route

How VoiceMap Works

Focus on your surroundings, not the screen

The VoiceMap app uses GPS to play audio automatically, at the right time and place, so you can focus on your surroundings, not the screen.

Follow a route with turn-by-turn-directions

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a fixed starting point. That lets us give turn-by-turn directions and use context to tell a better story.

Resume playback to go at your own pace

If you'd like to stop for a drink or go into a museum, end your tour then use the Resume feature to pick up exactly where you left off.

Listen as many times as you like

You can listen to your tours as often as you like using both the VoiceMap app and website.

Take virtual tours anywhere, like a podcast

Select Virtual mode in the VoiceMap app to listen to tours like a podcast - at home or in transit.

Buy for less on voicemap.me and sync

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Do tours without paying for data

Tours work offline, so you don't have to pay roaming fees. Just download them over WiFi before you get started.

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
80-78 James St, Elora, ON N0B 1S0, Canada
Total distance

10km
Final location
James St, Elora, ON N0B 1S0, Canada
Distance back to start location

43.79m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour commences at 78 James Street in downtown Elora, Ontario.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Elora Gorge & Victoria Park, Historic Downtown Elora, Wellington County Museum & Archives, Elora's Trestle Bridge

Best time of day

Anytime during daylight hours when conditions are safe to bike.

Precautions

Participants must possess proficient bicycle riding abilities on mixed terrain while following the rules of the road as cars, pedestrians, and other bicyclists will be present.

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”