I had cycled in this region in 2008, on my same Opus bike I rode on this trip (purchased at Freewheel Cycle, which my route passed in Dundas).
Highlights included hours of gorgeous lakeshore views, cute beachside towns, Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake, scenic vineyards and orchards, the Niagara River gorge, the Welland Canal, climbing the Niagara Escarpment twice, and meeting the Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, and Newfoundland and Labrador cycling teams on a training ride lunch stop at a café in St. Catharines ahead of the Canada Games road race. A low point was getting a tick bite during the ride, which led to early-stage Lyme disease the following week, from which I recovered over the next few weeks after treatment with antibiotics.
I had initially planned to stop for my second night in Niagara-on-the-Lake, but stayed instead in Niagara Falls, so I could spend the afternoon with my daughter and mother.
I rode south to my first break at Jones bakery in Caledonia, reaching the north shore of Lake Erie at Port Dover at midday, the first of several touristy beach towns through which I would pass over the next two days. After ice cream and riding to the lighthouse at the end of the pier, I continued east along the lake, enjoying gorgeous views of the Erie shore all afternoon.
Today's ride was my 200th metric century and increased my Eddington number to 80 (imperial).
I returned to my mother's home in Ancaster, showered, and joined my family for dinner at my sister's house. A few days later, a bug bite acquired during my ride developed a bullseye rash and was diagnosed as early Lyme disease. This was treated with antibiotics which (thankfully) cured me.
The route is quite nice overall. As noted, there are few opportunities to fill water bottles on the 80 km stretch between Port Dover and Dunnville on Day 1. The 20 km stretch between Grimsby and Hamilton Beach on Day 3 is not particularly scenic, alternating between a service road next to the highway and contouring side roads closer to the lake to avoid the highway. The remainder of the route on all three days is beautiful and recommended for cycle touring. Watch for ticks!