YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE
Wild British Columbia coast seduces visitors with its natural beauty and quaint communities
This super-scenic, aptly named 80-kilometrelong peninsula — just a 40-minute ferry ride from the mainland north of Vancouver — is worth a visit during the summer months.
On a four-night trip in late September, rainy skies cleared quickly so a rented Ford Mustang convertible was the perfect ride to breathe in all that fresh sea air on a trip north up the coast.
My friend and I started in Gibsons — home of 1970s Canadian TV show The Beachcombers — before hitting Sechelt, which translates to “land between two waters,” Madeira Park, and the incredibly beautiful Egmont with each stop a half-hour away from the last.
Here’s the best of what we did in some of the finest unspoiled nature that British Columbia has to offer.
WHERE’S RELIC?
Once our ferry from West Vancouver’s Horseshoe Bay arrives at Langdale, we set off to explore the quaint harbourside town of Gibsons, where the most famous Beachcombers landmark — Molly’s Reach — is still a restaurant. Photos of the cast — Bruno Gerussi as logger Nick Adonidas and Robert Clothier as his nemesis Relic — adorn its interior. Just up the hill from Molly’s is Nick’s boat, the Persephone, which makes for a great photo opportunity.
BEER ME
Our first stop about five minutes away is the microbrewery Persephone Brewing Company for a beer tasting and a light but delicious lunch from Farm to Feast.
We sample four different beers and a tasty array of pizza (smoked leek, Delicata squash, goat cheese and balsamic reduction), taco (sturgeon ceviche, chimichurri, cabbage, pickled peppers, and smoked/fermented hot sauce), and bagel (whole grain, soft cheese, smoked trout and watercress).
We also visit a second microbrewery — Gibsons Tapworks — right in Gibsons, a great local weekend hangout with tacos, lettuce wraps and burgers provided by the Nomadic Kitchen.
GOING PUBLIC
The Gibsons Public Market (closed Mondays) is situated in a three-storey heritage building, where you can overlook the harbour and marina, sip a coffee (Bowen Island Roasting Company), have some of the best chocolate ever (Art Meets Chocolate), or pick up some fresh fish for dinner (The Fisherman’s Market).
There’s also the Nicholas Sonntag Marine Education Centre and — during the summer — a Friday outdoor market.
A BONNY LODGE
The oceanfront Bonniebrook Lodge was established in 1912 (renovated in 2008) and has aged gracefully, judging from our tastefully done two-bedroom suite — with balconies off each bedroom — at the very top of the four-storey, seven-room inn.
Guests can watch the sunset at the beach across the road or from Bonniebrook’s upscale restaurant Chasters (open Wednesdays through Sundays in summer, closed all of January).
I enjoy divine spiced carrotcoconut soup and succulent porcini-crusted pork tenderloin with grainy mustard sauce for dinner.
GETTING GUMMY
In the morning, we head to nearby Roberts Creek to chow down at the fun and funky Gumboot Restaurant, where you order at the front and staff bring the grub to your table. I recommend the BELTCH — a breakfast sandwich of bacon, egg (over medium), lettuce, tomato, cheese and chipotle mayo on multi-grain bread.
After, we to head to meet friends (including Vancouver high school chum “Happy Dave” from the Shell station in Wilson Creek) to walk it off in gorgeous Cliff Gilker Park.
PADDLING ALONG
Before we hit Pedals and Paddles for a two-hour kayaking tour of Sechelt Inlet with our friendly and knowledgeable young guide, Kyle Reed, we stop at the Lighthouse Pub. It has a spectacular view of the inlet and marina from its deck, where you can watch seaplanes take off and land.
We chow down on a huge plate of nachos to prepare us for our exquisite paddle, including an area dubbed “the aquarium” because of its abundance of starfish, jelly fish and seals, and where eagles soar overhead.
PAINTING THE TOWN
Our second night stay is at an enormous two-bedroom waterfront villa with soaring ceilings at the two-hectare Painted Boat Resort Spa and Marina in Madeira Park. One of 31 villas, ours has a deck, barbecue, kitchen, laundry and soaker tub in the main bedroom.
We’re mere steps from the on-site Lagoon Restaurant, infinity pool and hot tub, and visits to all three enhance a peaceful sleep among the Douglas fir, red cedar and arbutus trees.
In the morning we venture to the outdoor Spa Garden to soak again in a hot tub — this time with accompanying waterfall — hang out in the sauna and float in a saltwater pool.
Frankly, it’s hard to leave and we miss our scheduled 90-minute SloCat Harbour Tour of Pender Harbour, which sounds amazing but requires movement.
MAD FOR IT
We enjoy brunch, including an Eggmont Benny, at nearby Mad Park Bistro, a sun-filled space with a colourful display of 1,000 origami cranes. There’s live music on the weekends.
Then it’s off to the tiny fishing village of Egmont for a two-night stay at the cliffside, 26-room West Coast Wilderness Lodge, which is quintessentially unspoiled B.C. and open from May to October.
The staggering view of a series of tiny islands from the dramatic 650-square-metre main lodge’s dining room, Inlets Restaurant, has to be seen to be believed. (In my case, it’s also the view from the balcony in my room.)
It’s hard to believe it’s only about 90 minutes from the Langdale Ferry, where we began our journey. There is no cellphone service either, which makes for a delicious digital detox.
PRINCESS FOR A DAY
The next morning, we set out on the highly recommended four-hour Princess Louisa Inlet Boat Tour, with our trusty captain Kane Rushton, from the Egmont Adventure Centre. We sail past impressive vistas as we head up Jervis Inlet to Princess Louisa Inlet — including the one-time resort to the stars, the Malibu Club where John Wayne, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope vacationed in the 1940s.
The waterfalls, ancient cliff drawings, and rainforest fiords remind this Vancouver girl of Whistler before it was developed. Our ultimate destination is Chatterbox Falls, where we stop for lunch after wandering along the forest path. It’s an exhilarating journey, followed by a massage and a soak in an outdoor hot tub back at the lodge. Heaven.
ONE LAST PADDLE
We can’t bear to head back to the ferry until we paddle among more of the scenic beauty the West Coast Wilderness Lodge has to offer, so we go for a quick hour-long one with Rushton, who shows us sea urchins, starfish and seals.
It’s the perfect sendoff.