Walking Victoria, Southern Vancouver Island

Sometimes Salt Spring Island looks more like South Pacific than North Pacific!

Prior to Covid we, like many of our friends, flew to far away places for a change of scenery. During the restricted Covid era we mostly stayed home but also tried to find ways of taking safe, local mini-vacations. One of our favourites has been a 6 night get-away very close to home, during which we rediscovered the diversity of southern Vancouver Island and the reason why so many visitors come here.

While I enjoy relaxing with a book, Kees likes long distance hiking. In the past we’ve hiked the 800 KM Camino de Santiago, the 500 KM Pieterpad in The Netherlands, the Cape to Cape hike in south west Australia and many more. But flying was not in the cards this time. So Kees took his daypack and set off on a 100 KM hike. He walked from home to our village of Ganges, on to Burgoyne Bay across Salt Spring Island, then hopped on the bus to catch the ferry in Fulford and then walked the Lochside trail into Sidney on Vancouver Island. This 29 KM long multi–use trail, a former railway, runs from Swartz Bay to Victoria.

Meanwhile, I drove onto the ferry and spent the day visiting the many wonderful bookstores in Sidney, which is known as ‘book town’. While we treasure our own bookstores on Salt Spring Island, it’s fun to browse the speciality bookshops in Sidney for a change.

Besides specialty and used bookstores, Sidney has lots of other attractive shops and coffee shops. There are also wonderful statues around town.

We stayed at a fabulous AirBnB in Oak Bay. It was a beautifully furnished basement suite, very private with use of a seating area in the garden. Each morning I dropped off my hiking husband where he ended the previous afternoon. This way he continued on the Lochside Trail, winding through shaded neighbourhoods but in places also skirting the highway.

We rendezvoused on the second day for lunch at Mattick’s Farm on Cordova Bay Road where we enjoyed cold drinks and sandwiches on the patio.

The Lochside Trail meets the Galloping Goose after crossing the Trans Canada Highway in Saanich. This 60 KM trail leads from downtown Victoria to the Sooke Potholes. The trail was created in 1987 on the former right-of-way of the Canadian National Railway, and runs through the communities of Sooke, Metchosin, Colwood, Langford, View Royal, Saanich, and Victoria. The first (or eastern) half is mostly urban trails but the second (western) half takes you through beautiful forests with many glimpses of the ocean.

The trail was named for the local gas-powered passenger car that ran on the line from 1922 to 1931.

Each night we discovered a new eatery in Victoria, including Christies Carriage House Pub on Fort Street, with a cozy pub atmosphere and a pub menu. We also enjoyed the Oak Bay Marina restaurant with its glorious views of the water and a reasonable pub menu.

While Kees walked to his heart’s content, I explored backroads around Metchosin and had a great lunch on the veranda of My Chosen Cafe, a popular spot to visit for lunch or ice cream. On the last day Kees walked from East Sooke Road to finish his hike at the Sooke Potholes, where I was happy to wait in a lawn chair, with a book, and have a refreshing swim.

To celebrate the last night of our local get-away, we stayed at a place we had often driven past but never visited: Moon Water Lodge on the Malahat Pass.

Our loft room had an en-suite bedroom upstairs, a sitting room and bathroom downstairs and a tiny kitchen corner. The best feature of the room was a large soaking tub by the floor to ceiling windows with a breathtaking view of Gowlland Tod Provincial Park - which offers more hiking trails - the Saanich Peninsula and, way in the distance, we could spot Salt Spring Island!

We had dinner next door in the Malahat Chalet Restaurant, with an equally impressive view and reasonably priced menu. On Sundays this restaurant offers a popular brunch. To celebrate the fact that Kees completed walking just over 100 KMs, that we saw new sights and did not have to travel far, we drank a toast to living in paradise in the Salish Sea.

BOOKS

RESOURCES:

Our very quiet, private, fully equipped basement suite from AirBnB in Victoria: https://abnb.me/qFP7shCnkP

Lochside Trail: https://www.crd.bc.ca/parks-recreation-culture/parks-trails/find-park-trail/lochside

Mattick’s Farm: https://www.matticksfarm.com/

Galloping Goose Trail: https://www.gallopinggoosetrail.com/

Moon Water Lodge: https://moonwaterlodge.com/

Malahat Chalet Restaurant: https://moonwaterlodge.com/restaurant/