Anybody got any suggestions as for where to head to within easy(ish) reach of Toronto where we can dip our toes in the ocean?

Is the Maine coast really the nearest at a 15 hour drive away?!

Pretty much - have a look at an atlas, you'll see Toronto is nowhere near an ocean.

Put some table salt in your mouth, close your eyes and pretend that Lake Ontario is the ocean.

But how would he get the feel for the pollution and smog?

For that amount of driving I'd shoot for Cape Hatteras. The OBX is (are?) a wonderful stretch of coast and you get there though mountains. If you go east to Maine or NS it's a pretty boring drive.

We also had good luck with fishing trips out of Ocean City, MD which isn't terribly far. I've heard good things about the coast of NJ but I'm not sure if that was a wind up.

Lets see
north might be a bit nearer but the roads are a bit iffy and not much in the way of tourist entertainment.
East - good straight road about 3 days and finally due south about 2 days with some good places to stay.

Anyone now how far the Lawrence river it tidal too?


Wonder if it's going to sink in as to how big Canada is soon.

No shit, Sherlock - really?

You know - I wish I'd have researched Canada a bit more before I moved here... Toronto, nowhere near an ocean - fancy that! Next you'll be telling me they drive on the right here...

*SIGH*

I fully appreciate the size of the place, I was just after some suggestions as for places on the coast to go to for a long weekend.

I looked at a map and the Maine coast seemed the closest geographically, but putting some details into MapQuest, it gives me a 15 hour driving time.

I don't mind that if it's a fairly interesting drive.

What I was looking for were replies from people maybe in the same area as me who had taken a trip out east and who had suggestions as to places to go which maybe were a little less than 15 hours drive away.

Thanks for that - at least dbd33 has a sensible answer...

...for a change.

Any more?

If I want to see the sea, I just go to lake ontario. Might as well be the sea to all intents and purposes, but its smells better, and its a damned sight closer. I can think of a whole load of other interesting places to spend the weekend without the 15 hour drive.

Why not just fly somewhere near the sea, its probably cheaper than a 15hr drive anyway.

Short of a 15 hour drive I'd stick to either Toronto Islands and Lake Ontario or head up to Wasaga Beach and Georgian Bay.

I know what you mean - we were up at Wasaga a couple of weeks ago and the waves on Lake Huron were bigger than any I've seen in Britain for a long time!

I dunno - I just love the smell and the sound of the sea - there's something about it that I just don't get from the Great Lakes.

We just fancied heading out somewhere a bit different as well for a short break once we get the money through from the house in England and the coast seems like an option.

It's not really the same thing though, is it? There's neither crashing surf nor the smell of fresh air to be had from the great lakes (perhaps excepting Superior but that's as long a drive as the ocean).

Surely for a weekend the thing to do is to fly to the coast? Long weekend in Halifax, hire a car, drive along the coast etc. Or fly to the Rock (2.5hrs) for some real sea air!

I know it's tidal at Tadoussac. That's about 3 hours north of Quebec City. 6 hours north of Montreal. There are at least a dozen species of whale that visit that area each year.

However the water is VERY cold.

Its not the ocean but I was up in the Bruce Peninsula a few weeks ago (about 2-3 hours drive from Toronto), (beautiful up there) and they have many beaches, Sauble Beach is one of them http://www.saublebeach.com/beach.html
The water is very clean, you can your feet through the water. (and its warm to in the summer)