Sat. 26th September ’26
I expect Dave will have mentioned our lack of Internet and phone service yesterday. So, at 7:45am Dave crept close to our neighbour’s villa to use their Internet to check the tide times at Botanical Beach which was potentially our first stop of the day. Well, the news was it was low tide right now, so after downing our tea and bagels we headed out, still bleary eyed with sleep. It was about a 10-minute drive, and the car park already had a few cars in. It was 1.5km down to the beach so off we went through the trees. Initially we thought, well yes, it is a beach what is so special?
We amble to the far end and saw what all the fuss was about. There were lovely little rock pools in the sandstone base and dramatic rock formations. These are only visible at low tide and as it is full moon the tides are at their lowest. Just the right time to visit and we soon forgot that we’d had an early start. We did find the shorter route back to the car park as time was marching on and we still wanted to call in at the local cafe for coffee and Internet to catch up on the world before check out at 11am.
The drive is not long today but as ever we have places to visit en route. The thought of a hidden waterfall at Sombrio beach appealed, so that was our next stop. The beach was also a campsite and popular surfing spot with a procession of young-us walking down with surfboards under their arm. I am not sure I would have wanted to camp there as bears are in the area. All food needs to be kept in locked bins or vehicles. The sea was full of hopeful surfers, but the waves were not up yet. We never did find the hidden waterfall, but Dave did manage to find this little stream that photographed quite well.
Sooke is a pretty town on the coast where we found a cafe for lunch. An exploration to the marina and Whiffin Spit was unsuccessful as there was a queue for the tiny car park. Never mind, we head for Sooke Potholes Provincial Park instead and there is loads of parking with numerous trails. I head to the Potholes waterfall viewpoint, which although good it does not meet the high bar of other viewpoints we have visited in Canada. Dave had more fun exploring a derelict building covered in graffiti. In the 1980’s Albert Yuan and his wife purchased the land with great plans to build Deertrail holiday resort with 250 luxury rooms. With a slump in the markets the hotel was never finished and with all the wooden struts removed all that remains are concrete walls which have been covered in graffiti.
We only have one night in Victoria so we head out just before sundown to see the lights come on at the Parliamentary Legislative Building, which apparently is a must see as it is outlined in hundreds of individual lights. The harbour area is a fun area to explore and photograph with lights and reflections as the sun goes down, as well as the colours in the sky. The cute little water taxis buzz around the harbour and the sea planes are all lined up ready for tomorrow’s flights.
As it was Saturday I have reserved a restaurant for dinner. It turned out to be a very nice old-fashioned place, including antiquated waiters. One of them charged around the place muttering to himself and it all reminded me of Fawlty Towers but in a nice way. It kept us amused watching them whilst we waited for our food. Our stay in Western Canada is almost over and it was a great place to end our time here.