Vancouver Island in the summertime—if you’ve experienced it, you know. Everywhere, people are smiling as they bustle to and from farmers markets, festivals, kayaking trips, camping trips, winery visits, hiking, gardening, boating, bicycling, beachcombing and other outdoor activities.
Vancouver Island was Voted Top North American Island by Conde Nast readers for eight consecutive years beginning in 1999. Travel and Leisure readers honoured it as the “Best Island in the Continental U.S. and Canada” in 2007.
For the sustainability-minded traveller, there are plenty of ways to enjoy this island paradise while contributing to its harmony and preservation.
Let’s take a trip down the island’s Saanich Penninsula to see what kind of eco-friendly delights await.
Here is your Green Key, Sir
Each year, Saanich Pennisula is the main gateway to Vancouver Island for millions of travelers, yet it has not lost any of its rural, small-town charm.
B.C. Ferries arrives at Swartz Bay, just a few kilometres north of the town of Sidney. The Washington State Ferries come from the San Juan Islands. For cyclists, ferry travel combined with bike racks on buses makes cycling trips to the island possible. Compared with flying, taking your car on the ferry is quite affordable, and even more so if it’s a fuel-efficient car.
Sidney, a pretty, bustling seaside town, has the Sidney Pier Hotel and Spa and the Sidney Waterfront Inn and Suites. Both carry the Green Key Eco-rating, meaning they have been audited by a third party in their fiscal and environmental performance in nine different areas. For more information on the
Green Key Eco-rating Program, go to www.Hacgreenhotels.com.
With 26 Green Key hotels in the downtown Victoria area, you can choose your own balance of luxury and cost while enjoying the scenery and history of the Inner Harbour. Or discover locally owned and operated accommodation at www.Easyrez.com. They not only deal in independent boutique hotels, bed and breakfasts, and condo rentals but are very friendly and helpful locals themselves.
The Galloping Goose and Lochside Trails
While most of Saanich Penninsula’s beauty can be accessed by car, a bike ride along the Lochside and Galloping Goose Bike Trail systems will reward the environmentally-conscious traveller. Offering exclusive access and the feeling of being a part of the landscape rather than just observing it, the Lochside Trail starts at the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal and winds all the way down the Penninsula along flat farmlands, wetlands and beaches.
