Ride Director: Margaret Kavanagh
Ride Co-Director: Elizabeth Buckingham
Report by: Sandra Owen
What a great trip - Victoria, British Columbia is a cyclist paradise! There are two-way bike lanes (with their own traffic lights!) to easily get in and out of the downtown area, miles of paved bike trails, and quiet, well-paved country roads with great coastal views. Add to that the sunny, cooler weather in August (much appreciated by those of us from the south!), all the fresh seafood, and the history and culture of the city itself, all made for a memorable experience!
Margaret did a great job organizing the tour, providing the participants with lots of information months in advance. She put together an overview of the region and what to see and do, a list of her recommended restaurants in the area, and detailed information about flights and ferries to get to Vancouver Island, which was very helpful in planning the trip.
We stayed at a four-star hotel in downtown Victoria, the Chateau Victoria. It was a fixed-base tour, which allowed plenty of time to explore the downtown and wharf areas. The hotel had a cozy lounge and a nice restaurant on the 18th floor, where we had a full breakfast every day. We had our daily happy hour meetings in the spacious and comfortable penthouse suite, which included a full balcony with great views of the city and the harbor.
At our initial meeting Margaret provided us with our “tour package”, in a handy collapsible bag that we could use during our stay. Margaret reviewed the routes and safety tips for the area, including the fact that there are numerous deer – they even have their own hand signal to indicate deer ahead. The route maps identified recommended coffee/lunch stops, restrooms, and points of interest. Margaret also put together a scavenger hunt for the tour, which included pictures of various sites that we should watch for while out on our rides. The tour package also included brochures and a visitor’s guide, water taxi tickets for our first group dinner, tickets for a harbor tour (on our own), and tickets for Butchart Gardens. Oh, and a wine glass for happy hours.
Sunday, August 11:
Our first day ride was a tour of the city (61 km/38 miles). We had a slight drizzly rain when we departed, which cleared up shortly after we started. The only rain we had for the entire tour! We rode around the inner harbour and the waterfront, then through Beacon Hill Park, a 200-acre natural park. One key attraction in the park is a goat farm, where children, and adults, can feed and pet the goats. It was a lovely park and many participants returned to the park later in the week to spend more time there. We stopped at Mattick’s Farm for coffee/lunch, and returned on part of the Galloping Goose cycling trail. Margaret was an excellent tour guide on our first day ride, pointing out various points of interest. It was a great way to orient ourselves to the city and surrounding area, so we could comfortably explore more on our own later on.
Sunday evening was our first group dinner. We took water taxis from the inner harbour to the Glo restaurant – what a fun mode of transportation! The food and drinks, including dessert, were excellent. Most of us walked back to the hotel (after eating all that food!). This allowed us to see even more of the city, including Victoria’s Chinatown, which is the oldest in Canada and second in age only to San Francisco’s in North America.
Monday, August 12:
Our second day ride was along quiet roads on the west side of the Saanich Peninsula (76.4 km/47.5 miles). We headed out on the Galloping Goose Trail, a wonderful paved, traffic-free bike path that we used to get in and out of downtown on several of the routes. The only downside of the paved bike trails was the wooden trestles over some of the water areas – a little bumpy but very doable on road tires! We stopped for lunch at The Roost, and ate in a bus converted into a dining area. Very unique!
Tuesday, August 13:
On our third riding day we took a ferry from Brentwood Bay to Mill Bay to ride in the Cowichan Valley. The ferry ride was only 25 minutes and very scenic. We rode to/from the ferry from the hotel, so the ferry ride was a nice break. The ride in the Cowichan Valley was our longest (100 km/62 miles), and most challenging, ride. The route had several moderate climbs, but it was totally worth it. Our rest stop was a great bakery where we sat at tables right on the water. The area was very peaceful and natural, although it was a bit of a push to get back to the ferry on time!
Wednesday, August 14, was our day off, although several participants did optional rides on their own. Others used the day to explore the sites on foot.
Thursday, August 15:
Our fourth ride day (64 km/40 miles) was along the west shore, where we rode on the Galloping Goose Trail, through the grounds of Royal Roads University and Hatley Castle. Hatley Castle is a 40-room mansion built in 1908 and is a classified heritage building. Some people stopped and toured the castle. The route continued to Metchosin, where we stopped for coffee/lunch at The Broken Paddle and Mychosin Café. On the ride back to the city we rode along Esquimalt Lagoon, where we saw some very unique driftwood sculptures of birds along the rocky beach. An unexpected treat! We also passed Fort Rodd Hill, a 19th century coastal artillery fort and a national historic site. Another great day of riding in Victoria, British Columbia!
We were fortunate to have Elizabeth Buckingham, the Chair of the BAC Board of Directors, on the ride with us as Margaret’s co-leader. At our Thursday happy hour meeting Elizabeth spoke to the group about BAC and provided some insights about the organization and trip rides. A very informative discussion – thank you, Elizabeth!
Friday, August 16:
Our fifth ride day (81.5 km/50 miles) was along the east side of Saanich Peninsula, through the town of Sidney to Land’s End, beginning and ending on the now-familiar Galloping Goose Trail. This time we took a little side trip to see the mural of Queen Victoria riding a bicycle with a honking goose riding in her bike basket (hence the name of the trail “The Galloping Goose”…). Another scenic ride with coastal views and great weather!
At our happy hour meeting on Friday, we went through the items in the scavenger hunt and identified when and where we had seen them. Prizes were awarded to the three individuals who had located the greatest number of the items during our rides. Fun idea, Margaret!
Saturday, August 17:
The last day’s ride was a relatively short ride (42.6 km/26.5 miles) to the Butchart Gardens. Several tour participants went to the Gardens earlier in the week, some by bus and some by bike. The Butchart Gardens consists of a network of walking trails with elaborate floral display gardens, fountains, ponds, and rock gardens. The Butchart Gardens is a designated national historic site of Canada. Everyone who went agreed that the Gardens were amazing.
The last evening was the second group dinner at Chateau Victoria’s rooftop restaurant, Vista 18, with excellent food (the wild salmon was particularly popular) and excellent views of the city and harbor. A wonderful ending to the tour!
Thank you, Margaret, for all your hard work in organizing this tour of Victoria, British Columbia, an incredible area to visit, both on and off the bike! Your careful attention to all the details were much appreciated. You are a wonderful ambassador for your city!
Bicycle Adventure Club
PO BOX 23998 San Diego, CA 92193
Telephone (858) 715-9510 office@bicycleadventureclub.org