We left St.Catharines as early in the morning as we could, the drive to Tobermory took us about five ours in total. The drive from Niagara is a really scenic one! We stopped at Little Cove to swim before heading into Tobermory proper. In order to park at Little Cove you need to book a spot on their website. We had a difficult time booking the parking ahead of time, but we managed it while we sat just outside the lot with the security guard staring at us. It was $20 for a 4 hour window and you can book here: https://www.northbrucepeninsula.ca/government/parking/

You have to walk down a little pathway, but after only a few minutes you are greeted with a gorgeous turquoise water mermaid swimming hole! The beach is made of white pebbles, but the water might be some of the clearest I have ever seen!! We set up a little spot on the rocks and slipped into the water. For the end of August it was VERY cold, but refreshing. I brought my snorkel, water shoes with me and my flutter board, as I have become very accustom to swimming in saltwater and floating on your stomach to snorkel is a bit mot difficult in freshwater.

After swimming until our feet and hand were numb, we jumped out of the water and had a picnic on the shore with sandwiches we had prepared at home.

After sitting and enjoying the views for quite awhile (and a cheeky seagull friend), we made our way to our accommodation, a place called “Stone Cove” Waterfront Bed and Breakfast. This place was STUNNING!

The property is right on the water, overlooking Tobermory Harbor and Russel Island in the distance. It wasn’t a cheap stay, but the amenities were incredible and the location was perfect. We also booked very last minute, so that might have been a factor in the price. We checked into our room, it was gorgeous with a fireplace in the wall and a big balcony overlooking the water. The staff was so super friendly and helpful (they were just outside having a campfire and enjoying the evening).

We had a quick beverage by the water, sitting in Adirondack chairs before setting off on a little walking adventure to find some food for dinner.

We walked to the Tub Lighthouse first, wishing we had more time to swim there before sunset, and then set off to town to find some fish and chips to eat. The little town of Tobermory was adorable, with little shops and many many dive shops. The harbor was full of boats, ready to take you snorkeling or scuba diving the many (over twenty) ship wrecks that line the bottom of Tub Harbor and the surrounding area.

We chose a spot to have fish and chips which we enjoyed with a beer as the sun began to set.

Upon arriving back at our accommodation, I jumped into my swim suit and went down to the perfectly still water behind our accommodation. The water was still very chilly, but the setting was too perfect to pass up a quick dip. The sun was just setting, so the sky was a deep pink with orange highlights, reflecting on the glassy water and making the water appear to be pink as well. I walked out to a very sharp drop off in the water and made the plunge into the deep black water. Jives stayed on the shore with my towel… later regretting not joining me. It was chilly but one hundred percent worth it! We then retreated back to the room for a warm shower (we were asked to join a bon fire by the staff, but sadly declined as we really needed some sleep).

The next morning the staff knocked on the door and deposited two lovely breakfasts. The night before we filled out a sheet with our breakfast preferences, choosing many of the options. I choose: cottage cheese, quiche, olives, a croissant and a boiled egg with black coffee. Jives added some fruit and nuts to his order. We sat and enjoyed our breakfast while looking out at the now VERY stormy waters of the bay.

We checked out of our accommodation by ten and made our way to Fathom Five National Park. We parked there, paying $30 for seemingly about an hours parking time. Something was wrong with the meter however, so make sure to pay for parking inside the visitor centre, as $30 gets you a whole days parking.

Thinking we only had an hour to hike the trails of Fathom Five, we walked have briskly to Little Dunks Bay Lookout and then immediately turned around and hiked back. Upon visiting the visitor centre later I was told that the $30 was for the whole day, and the staff reissued me a full day pass.

We decided to go back out hiking with our new found time, and completed the “Burnt Point Loop” in the clockwise direction. It was a windy day, and it threatened rain the entire time, but the trees along the trail kept us dry. We had another picnic once we mad our way to the waterfront portion of the hike. I was a really lovely hike, taking a few hours to complete at a leisurely pace. Portions of the trail do traverse the waterfront and there are some spots were you have to climb up and over some rocks.

We made our way back to the car in the early afternoon, and began our five hour drive back to Niagara.

If you are planning on making this trip yourself, we definitely recommend allowing a day or two more than we did. It would have been nice to see more of the area, like the Teapot island or Mermaid Cove, even perhaps taking a boat tour. We really did enjoy our time, just one day and night did not seem like quite enough time!