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The chain of towns to the east and west of Toronto, stretching 120km along the edge of Lake Ontario from Oshawa to Hamilton, is often called the Golden Horseshoe , a misleadingly evocative name that refers solely to their geographic shape and economic success. This is Ontario's manufacturing heartland, a densely populated strip whose principal places of interest are in the steel-making city of Hamilton , the home of both the Royal Botanical Gardens and the delightful mansion of Dundurn Castle. Further round the lake are the famous Niagara Falls , undoubtedly Canada's most celebrated sight, though the Falls adjoin the uninspiring town of the same name - and it's best to use the charming, colonial village of Niagara-on-the-Lake as a base for a visit. At neighbouring Queenston the Niagara Escarpment begins its rambling journey across the region to the Bruce Peninsula, the major interruption in a generally flat terrain. To the west of this limestone ridge the main attractions lie on the coast, most notably Point Pelee National Park , the vigorous town of Windsor , and the small-town pleasures of Goderich and leafy Bayfield . The Bruce Peninsula itself boasts dramatic coastal scenery and incorporates two outstanding national parks, which make for some great walking, climbing and scuba diving. To the east of the Niagara Escarpment, along the southern shore of Severn Sound , there's a string of lethargic ports, the most agreeable of which is Penetanguishene , located a few kilometres from the sturdy palisades of the replica Jesuit mission of Sainte-Marie among the Hurons . The northern shore of the Sound boasts the lion's share of the stunningly beautiful Georgian Bay Islands National Park , an elegiac land and waterscape of rocky, pine-dotted islets and crystal-blue lake. The park - and its campsites - are best approached by boat from the tourist resort of Honey Harbour , but you can sample the scenery on a variety of summer island cruises from Penetanguishene and Midland to the south and the dinky little port of Parry Sound further north. There are fast and frequent buses and trains between Toronto and Niagara Falls, and a similarly efficient service between the region's other major settlements, like Windsor, London and Kitchener. But if you're visiting the smaller towns things are much more patchy: Hamilton, Penetanguishene and Midland, for instance, have reasonably good bus connections, but you can only reach Niagara-on-the-Lake via Niagara Falls. Worse still, there are no buses along the east shore of Lake Huron (to Goderich and Bayfield) and up the Bruce Peninsula - where Tobermory has a ferry boat service to South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island , a useful short cut to northern Ontario.
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