Last Updated on January 29, 2022 by Cory Kawa
This is the second of two parts about my three-day adventure on the Durham Destroyer Full Monty.
If you haven’t already, you can read part 1 here, Durham Destroyer – The Full Monty – Part 1 – Port Perry to the Hobbit House.
Day 3 – Hobbit House to Port Perry – 102.5km
Waking up on day 3, I was ready to go.
My chain was once again rusted through, and my trusty travel-sized vial of oil was back to the rescue.
As much as packing the oil helped, the sand, wet weather, mud, and rust, brought my chain from 50% to 75% wear in just one weekend.
Where days 1 and 2 were all about the rain, day 3 was going to be about the heat, humidity, and worst of all the wind. From forecasted showers on Friday, the weather was now showing highs of 30, with a chance of thunderstorms, and strong sustained winds from the south-west, exactly the way I was heading.
Leaving the Hobbit House, the Full Monty followed about 15km of secluded mainly gravel roads through pristine Kawartha countryside.
By the time I entered Bobcaygeon, I was ready to eat, and what better place to stop than a place named Eat, located at the corner of Joseph and Main, directly en route.
Another morning on the Durham Destroyer, and another amazing breakfast of three eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, homemade hashbrowns, and gluten-free bread, plus unlimited coffee.
FYI, they didn’t take credit, so I had to make a short detour to the closest ATM. By the time I got back, breakfast was served.
After packing in some calories, it was time to get back on the saddle and make my way home.
First stop, Lock 32 of the Trent Severn Waterway in Bobcaygeon.
For a quick bit of history, learned from the link above, Lock 32 is more than 160 years old and was the first lock built on what would eventually come to be known as the Trent Severn Waterway.
Although my time in Bobcaygeon was short, it was scenic, and the food was amazing.
Exiting town, I had one final amazing view, this time of Sturgeon Lake.
The Full Monty then follows Kenstone Beach Road and Settlement Road south for about 9km before turning onto Kings Wharf Road, which passes through the wetlands known as the Emily Creek Wetlands.
I tried to find a little history about the wetlands but not much exist, other than they’re provincially significant wetlands situated roughly between Sturgeon and Pigeon Lakes.
With the turn west on Kings Wharf, the wind was now in my face, and it was relentless.
Yesterday, I felt like I was flying, effortlessly managing 21.5km the entire way; today it felt like I was pumping uphill the entire way, and by the time I turned onto Wheatfield Road, I felt defeated.
I was 48km in, had 54km to go and to make matters worse, after woefully underestimating how much water I’d need for the 40km ride to Lindsay, I was thirsty.
It was at this low point, with the wind in my face, that I passed Windy Acres farm and had to laugh at how fittingly life often presents something to cheer us up when we need it the most, and for me, it was a laughing at Windy Acres farm for mocking my struggles.
6km later, I officially entered Lindsay.
Lindsay is potentially the railtrail capital of Ontario with trails leading to Bethany to the South, Uxbridge to the West, Peterborough to the East, and Haliburton to the North, most of which save for Peterborough, I’m proud to say I’ve already explored.
Rejoining the trail in Memorial Park, just behind the Lindsay Railway Heritage Display.
Exiting Lindsay, it was back on the Uxbridge bound portion of the Trans Canada Trail for another 6km.
By the time I turned east on Zion Road, with the relentless wind still beating me down, I was done, my legs were screaming, and every molehill felt like a mountain.
As I pedalled on, I kept looking at my Garmin and the nasty hill it showed in my not-to-distant future.
From at least 10km out I stared at this mighty rise in elevation, allowing the thought of it to further suck what little energy I had left.
And with the final turn onto Brock Concession 2, my dreams were now realized, what I now realized was a 30m climb of punishing hell.
Wait, what, did I say, a 30m climb?
My Garmin made it look epic. Instead, it was only 30m. I can’t believe I feared a 30m climb this whole time.
And with that, I got out of my seat hammered it to the top.
With the climbing officially finished, I took a moment to enjoy this last epic view before the 10k mainly downhill coast to the finish.
The face of a successful backpacking weekend, mildly exhausted, happy to finish, and ready to plan the next micro-adventure.
Durham Destroyer – Full Monty Wrap Up
I’ve had the opportunity to ride a lot of gravel these last twelve months.
From the punishing climbs of The Motherload to the technical challenges on the Durham Destroyer I’m Not Worthy, to multi-day rides on the Cannonball 300, and many a scenic day trip such as my ride to the West Montrose Covered Bridge and the Town of Elora.
I call all that out because it’s allowed me to learn about what I like and don’t like about any given route.
With that, I can safely say that the Full Monty offers a bit of everything, It’s not too technical, has a bit of fun stuff, great variety, and most importantly it’s fully achievable by any rider capable of hitting 300km.
From the scenic countryside south of Port Perry to the trails in and around Uxbridge, the beautiful rail-trails in the Beaver Wetlands, country towns like Cannington, Fenelon Falls, and Bobcaygeon, experiences such as the watching boats at the various lift locks, and epic views on the final leg home.
The weekend was fantastic, only further fuelling my desire for adventure.
The Full Monty was almost my first true bikepacking trip and one I’d highly recommend to anyone looking to try bikepacking for the first time.
Thanks for reading,
Cory
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