The 5:30am wake up is worth it when you get to enjoy a daybreak 7:30am ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale. It was pretty windy but the views are so amazing that we couldn’t bring ourselves to sit inside. We braved the wind to enjoy the views but with a toddler in tow there was only so much he could take before we had to find some shelter. There was a heated outdoor shelter which was a great compromise of being inside, but out. There’s something so liberating about being outside in a ferry as you go past incredible scenery.
Life on the Sunshine Coast is chilled out. There’s a much more relaxed atmosphere. The thing I couldn’t get my head around was that it isn’t an island. It’s just not accessible by road so going on a ferry immediately gives you the island getaway feel which is really rather nice.
First stop was the IGA supermarket to stock up on some pastries for breakfast. After the early start we were ready for breakfast number 2. We started driving north and stopped wherever we fancied. We came across a lovely pebble beach where Little A loved his first experience of trying to skim stones. Hours of fun right there!
Next stop was Sechelt which is a really cute little town. We spotted a bakery so off we went in search off coffee. Aptly named, ‘The Bakery’ had great coffee and even more tempting pastries and muffins so we had to sample those too. Noticing a trend here?! Maybe I should’ve called this, “eating around the Sunshine Coast”… But we knew a hike was on the horizon so we were just stockpiling energy, nothing to do with the fear of missing out an amazing pastry. Honest. Well that’s what we told ourselves. After spotting the water in the distance we headed out along the pier but it was so windy! We braved it for two mins then headed back to an awesome playground where the grown-ups (I’ll use that term loosely!) may have had more fun than the little one did. Feeling caffeinated and having had a good run around it was back in the car for a twenty minute drive to Smuggler’s Cove. The hike started on wooden walkways over frozen lakes. I’ve never seen frozen ice like it, it was so thick and so white. It looked truly cold-Canadian, if that makes sense. It was utterly gorgeous and so peaceful. Well, until the boys started lobbing rocks to try and break the ice. And I started squawking about waking the baby.
After a while you climb a little bit and come out at the area known as smugglers cove. It’s completely hidden from the water so it was used to smuggle workers from here to the USA. The water was stunning – all turquoise, blue and green. We found a way to climb down to sit on what would be a little island at high tide to have lunch. It was so beautiful! The trail does a big loop so we worked our way round and literally upon every turn we were met with a stunning view. It was quite hard to keep going because we just wanted to sit and watch the world go by. It helped that the weather was incredible so there were little boats out and the odd float plane.
With a little one it forces you to slow down. Like when the nappy leaks because you’ve forgotten to change him for a while. Or when he needs to explore the woodland and find a great stick. It gives you time to appreciate the little things and the gorgeous surroundings.
Our home for the night was Up The Creek backpacker hostel in Roberts Creek. It was so lovely and homely. From the warm welcome from Martin, the owner, to the roaring fire inside, it looked truly Canadian. With sunset fast approaching we hotfooted it down to the water and the pier just in time to catch the sun dipping behind Vancouver Island. It made the running to get there in time worthwhile. The colours were so striking. Seeing Little A enjoying a stroll with his uncle made my heart melt. Such a great memory!
There’s one restaurant in the creek. When there’s just one place to eat I sometimes worry that it might not be that good because they’ve got no competition. Definitely not true here! It was delicious, and they were great with kids too, there were toys, highchairs and friendly staff. We were so ravenous that no photos were taken.
The walk back up the hill to the hostel met us with the most incredible night sky. There was no light pollution at all so the view of the stars was super clear. It was utterly mesmerising. It almost looked fake!
After a great nights sleep, a lovely hot shower and a great breakfast courtesy of my brother it was back in the car to get to another hike. Just a short drive from the hostel was Cliff Gilker Park. This was a really lovely leisurely ramble over wooden bridges with waterfalls, stony beaches and lots of doggies for Little A to point at in glee. It was such a lovely relaxing walk to start the day.
We carried on to Sechelt for lunch – back to the bakery and the playground. Our ferry was late afternoon so there was a couple of hours for one last hike. Just a five minute drive from the ferry terminal in Langdale is Soames Hill Park. It took a couple of wrong turns to find parking but once we did it was a straightforward walk. It really shaded at the bottom so it started with a trudge through snow and ice. It was then a pretty steep uphill climb. It goes in a loop to the lookout so thankfully we opted for route with fewer stairs to climb on the way up. I think Joe’s thighs may have died with Little A also strapped to him. It was so peaceful at the top and we took time for Little A to have a stretch and a play before heading back down for the ferry.
I was so sad to be saying goodbye to the Sunshine Coast after just 2 days. It was so relaxing and revitalising. I didn’t feel ready to go back to the craziness of the city. The view on the ferry was as amazing as ever and it was the perfect way to round the trip off before battling through the crazy traffic of West Van to get home.
Get us outside 