Sauble Beach & Tobermory Weekend
Celebrating my 28th birthday in Sauble Beach and Tobermory. Another year older, same me - just a little wiser (I like to think).
When my friends ask me what I want to do for my birthday every year, I typically have two secure answers. If I have the chance, I make my way down to Montreal for my favourite music festival (Osheaga), which coincidentally always falls on my birthday weekend every year, or I opt to get the heck away from the city and do some exploring and relaxing out in cottage country.
This year I attended a good friend’s wedding that weekend so Osheaga had to do with one less excessive dancing lunatic with outrageous outfits. Luckily one of my best friends, Elana, rents a cottage in Sauble Beach with her mom for two weeks in August every year, and my birthday happens to fall on one of those days. Therefore, it was perfect. Wedding on Saturday. Drive up to Sauble Beach on Sunday. Action packed birthday celebration on Monday.
Sauble Beach is about two and a half/three hours away from Toronto - depending on traffic.
The drive up wasn’t as taxing as we anticipated after a night of wedding shenanigans. We were a little exhausted but when we arrived to the beachside oasis, with the sun peaking through the trees and our friends waiting for us with a nice cold cider (they came up a few days earlier), we were instantly full of life again. We immediately jumped into carefree cottage living.
We spent Sunday night sharing a delicious dinner, ciders, craft beers, and great stories on the patio by the beach. We watched the waves calmly ripple and touch the surface as a golden sunset completely engulfed us, and continued to grace us with pink and orange notes before the stillness of night arrived. A night sky free of light pollution. A roaring bonfire in front of us and a million dancing stars above; it was the perfect night. We sat and continued our conversations about everything that was contributing to our state of ease. We also gazed at a night sky app on one of our phones to pinpoint all of the constellations in the sky.
The next morning I woke up feeling rejuvenated and ready for a day of adventure. I walked into the main cottage to touch base with everyone about the plans for the day and they had decorated the living room and created a lovely tabescape with fresh flowers for the birthday breakfast in the works. And for the delicious cake they picked up for me from a local bakery! It’s these little things that mean the most.
After an incredible morning, it was time to hit the road. Elana planned the perfect birthday trip for me the night before, since she knows me all too well. We were off to Tobermory to spend the day.
If you are staying in Sauble Beach for a few days, you have to head North (to the top of the Bruce Peninsula) and check out the famous vibrant blue waters of Tobermory. It’s only about an hour away!
This was my second time in Tobermory. The first time was also an impromptu visit decided the night prior.
Tobermory
Tobermory is a peaceful little town surrounded by the waters of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. The outdoor culture is very apparent in this part of Ontario, especially since Tobermory is a main scuba diving hub - with many sites on location. It is in fact known as the “Scuba Diving Capital of Canada”. The downtown area loops around a marina that is filled with boats in constant use. This downtown area (and the surrounding streets) holds restaurants, coffee shops, ice cream shops, lovely gift and art shops, and even a small grocery store. There are many accommodations nearby, various trails to explore, beaches, and a lot of water sports.
Tobermory is home to two national parks: Bruce Peninsula National Park (home to the widely known ‘Grotto’) and Fathom Five National Marine Park (Canada’s first National Marine Park), which is home to about 19 islands, over 20 shipwrecks, several lighthouses, and unique rock formations. It’s a fascinating display of nature and history.
Flowerpot Island
My birthday excursion took us on an adventure to Fathom Five National Marine Park's most popular island: Flowerpot Island. Flowerpot Island is a 15 minute ferry ride (with the direct shuttle) away from the downtown area of Tobermory. There are various companies in Tobermory that offer ferries; we opted to go with ‘Bruce Anchor Cruises’. These cruises also provide a longer route to stop and view the shipwrecks. We wanted to spend the full day on the island so we opted for the quick shuttle. The companies offer you the option of a glass bottom boat - which apparently are used for both the shipwreck tours and for the regular shuttles to the island. I thought the glass bottom boats were only for shipwreck tours, so it was a nice surprise to board one on our way to the island. Although the glass is a little foggy, it is still quite interesting to view the dwellings below the crystal clear water.
Just a tip: if you are prone to anxiety, make sure you stay hydrated on a really hot day before entering an enclosed boat bobbing back and forth. The less enjoyable part of my day: having a completely random anxiety attack whilst sitting on the boat prior to departing. Once the boat took off though, the cool lake breeze in my face was all I needed to feel at ease again.
On the short journey to Flowerpot Island, there is a guide on deck explaining the history of the surrounding area and the landmarks on route. Upon arrival, the boat passes the island, turns around, and closely traces the entire shoreline before reaching the dock. The passengers are rewarded with a lovely landscape view of both “flowerpots”and the majestic tree covered cliffs making their grand presence known. Flowerpot Island is named after the two prominent sea stacks on the shore that resemble flower pots.
Right before we reached the main dock - named ‘Beachy Cove’, we were welcomed by a group of otters running around a cluster of protruding rocks. We hopped off the boat and decided to spend a little bit of time by the shore to observe the flowerpot stacks and take some photos before we hiked up to the lightstation on the other side of the island. The stacks are essentially right on the shore beside the dock, and they aren’t very far from each other.
For anyone planning on exploring Flowerpot Island, I recommend wearing shoes with good support because the entire stretch of shore is lined with uneven rocks, and the hiking trails around the island are best suited for a light hiking shoe or at least a good outdoor running shoe. For Elana and I it was a “pretty outfit with ugly hiking shoes” kind of day, and there were definitely no regrets since we are a group that loves to climb every corner when we explore.
Once we finished climbing all of the rocks by the water, we followed the main trail that is parallel to the shore. Along the main trail there is another trail that veers off and takes you to a wooden staircase. This staircase ascends to a large cave. There are quite a few caves in the area but this one is huge and the view from the platform above is incredible. Once you head up the staircase, you are suddenly hit with the cool air coming from the cave’s walls. It also feels as though you are placed behind a painting, as the cave walls frame the beautiful forest of trees below.
Tip: do not try to jump the ledge into the cave because there is an attendant onsite making sure people stay safe and don’t weasel their way deep inside the cave, damaging the surface.
After we spent a while gawking over the fascinating rock formations and admiring the views of the island from above, we headed back down to continue our hike to the lightstation on the other side of the island. The island is quite small so it is easy to cover everything in about four to five hours.
We walked along the main trail for a while until we got to the area that held the old light keeper’s house (which is now a museum/gift shop/refreshment station) and the lightstation. When we were listening to the history of island while we were on the boat, we heard about a lighthouse on the island. We thought we would witness the original lighthouse from 1897; however, the lighthouse itself deteriorated and was pushed off the cliff in 1969. It was replaced by a steel light tower, which is still functioning today. The trail to the tower led us through the forest, past a bridge overlooking the beautiful blue water. The lightstation is currently operated and maintained by ‘The Friends of the Bruce District Parks Association,’ which is an organization made up of all volunteers who help support, promote, and maintain the two national parks. On top of maintaining the lightstation, these volunteers help clean up the island, improve the trails, create proper signage, and they even assisted in building composting toilets.
After exploring the museum inside the light keeper’s house, we hopped on the forested trail nearby (this one is deeper inland), which loops all the way back to Beachy Cove. As it was quite hot out at this time, the temperature change under the canopy of trees was much appreciated. The trail was surrounded by several types of trees, including beautiful tall white birches, which created a stunning contrast with the shades of green. There are moments on the trail that aren’t as leisurely and do require a bit more stamina and climbing.
Once we got back, we decided to relax by the dock and dip a few body parts in the water as we waited for our ferry. Even simply dipping your feet in the pristine water here is incredibly rejuvenating - especially on a hot day. The lakes here are known to be quite cold - several degrees colder than the other lakes in Ontario. However, we ended up with the perfect day, as the water was warm enough for us to comfortably sit. There are only a few days of the summer that this is possible here.
Flowerpot island is thoroughly maintained and a lot of the land is untouched. There are many workers onsite ensuring guests are respecting the environment during their visit for the day. There are no cottages or other properties on the island (besides the light keeper’s cottage) like there are on some of the surrounding islands. However, there are six campsites (with their own wooden platforms) close to Beachy Cove, which guests can reserve through the Fathom Five National Park management. The camping seems quite modest, especially since there are no campfires allowed on the island. There seems to be one composting toilet for all of the campsites and really nothing else. So you need to come prepared with everything you need! Since we only stayed the day, I can’t speak much else for the camping experience (for now at least).
The only aspect of the trip I didn’t like was the energy from the staff that day. A lot of the staff working on the island seemed miserable and completely disinterested. I know it is tough to work with such a vast amount of people daily - I’ve been there many times and I completely understand, but that is why it is important to cherish the interactions with those who are polite and come with good energy.
When we arrived back to Tobermory, we grabbed the car and headed to celebrate my birthday with cocktails and tacos at Coconut Joe’s Harbour and Grill, right on the water in downtown Tobermory. There is a set of stairs that descend to a dock where the marina lies, and to get to the restaurant you follow a wooden dock around to the patio. However, due to a lot of flooding this summer the dock was actually submerged, and half of the restaurant’s patio was essentially turned into a pool. This restaurant provides a great atmosphere on a warm summer night because their outdoor patio consists of a half covered canopy, string lights, artificial palm trees, and lots of wicker accents. They also have a deal where you can choose any three tacos from the menu for $17.95 and we were sold! I would 100% recommend the whitefish taco. They were so delicious, I could have eaten ten of them, ha!
After a day of adventure, we headed back to the cottage for some much needed rest.
The next morning we woke up to the soothing sound of light rain. We let ourselves stay in bed a little while longer, especially since it was back to work the day after!
We were aiming to enjoy a relaxing beach day before the end of our trip; however, it was just a little too chilly and very cloudy. Also, the comfortably warm temperature of the lake water from the day before dropped quite a few degrees, making it significantly less pleasant. This didn’t put a damper on our day though. We still spent the morning and early afternoon by the beach, just a little more dressed and on the patio with the lake in perfect view! We asked for relaxation and the beginning of the day was nothing short of that. I actually ended up dozing off on one of the beach chairs for about an hour. You never realize how much you need to let yourself heal until you allow your body and mind to fully unwind.
Sauble Beach
Later in the afternoon, we decided to head to the main tourist area of Sauble Beach. Sauble Beach is a beach hub located on Lake Huron, with a similar atmosphere as Wasaga Beach. As a comparison, Sauble Beach also has a strip full of shops, cafes, restaurants, food stands, and even an aerialist park. It is the second longest freshwater beach in the world, next to Wasaga Beach. There are actually many conservation areas, parks, and nature reserves to explore nearby - including “Sauble Falls”, which is a small waterfall close to the main strip. There are various boat tours, golf and mini golf facilities, water sports, horseback riding, and other outdoor activities (such as ATV rentals and trails). Overall, a great summer destination that is booming with activities for people of all ages and interests. Of course, there are also many accommodations, including: hotels, motels, campgrounds, and cottages. The entire beach is lined with cottages (one of which was our cozy little home).
Keep in mind, just like Wasaga Beach, the parking near the main beach is paid parking in the busy summer months (June - August) - prices dependent on the lot owners. However, there are many roads nearby where I’m sure you can park for free, as long as you don’t mind a little bit of a walk.
We leisurely strolled in and out of shops close to the beach, trying on clothes and admiring interesting trinkets. The last store we visited was my personal favourite. It was a large consignment store called ‘The Patch’. I am an avid thrifter, so anytime I come across a good consignment store, my soul ignites. I love to experiment with my style and often prefer to find more unique items that tell stories, as opposed to the widely manufactured items in other stores. I am also very conscious about finding ways to reduce environmental waste in my life and thrifting is a phenomenal way to contribute. The Patch had many racks and walls full of every clothing item you could imagine. We spent a good hour exploring all the rooms packed with fairly new and gently used items.
As we were about to head back, we noticed the town was gearing up for a car show, so there were a lot of vintage cars arriving and lining the parking spots beside the beach. It was interesting to see!
We got back to the cottage and prepared a lovely meal, which we enjoyed outside with the ambiance of chirping birds and rustling leaves. Afterwards, it was definitely time to enjoy one last sunset and another great bonfire after dinner! The cottage actually has two fire pits - one stone built one above the ground in a nook by the cottage and one larger one on the ground near the beach. We used the prior one on the first night, so we decided to sit closer to the beach this time around. The fire crackled and the waves provided us with their distant rhythmic crashing, to complement our playlist of old rock classics, acoustic indie, and camp singalongs. S’mores, good music, and good conversation - a great way to end my birthday trip.
