Weir's Beach RV Resort, British Columbia, Canada
Sooke / Weirs Beach RV
Resort – May 25 – June 1, 2020
Weir’s Beach / Galloping
Goose Trail
Is Camping essential?
This year it is not
that easy if you want to go camping. During the COVID-19 outbreak everything
got closed – even our provincial and regional park campgrounds. We checked out
and found a possibility over Paul’s birthday but the weather was not the
greatest, so we decided to skip it and now we have 10 days off – time to go
camping. We really deserve it after all the work around the yard.
The big question is
where do we go with the parks still closed. RV Parks are open – because they
are essential businesses. And we found one right on the ocean in Sooke.
Finally, we go camping
Gine works until 2.30
– early enough to go. Everything is ready and the bikes are on – time to head
south. With some sunny breaks and some short rain showers… right for supper
time we arrive at the RV park and our oceanfront spot. Time to set up: with the
COVID there are no public washrooms open – good thing we have full hook-up. But
then we are at an RV resort, where they do not allow tenting. A quick walk
along the beach (we don’t have warm enough jackets on so it was quick) –
enjoying the view from the inside of our motorhome…
Now it’s time to
enjoy.
Good Morning Sunshine at Weirs Beach
We woke up and looking
out: blue sky greeted us, ok so we have do admit, that we actually totally
slept in!!!! a late coffee with amazing views and feeling the warm sunshine –
we felt like we are on vacation.
- travellers visited this area as far back as 1790 - when the Spanish came
- Mr Weir set up a table at the entrance to his property and charge a small fee to picnickers for access
- by the 1950s cabins were here built and since then Weirs Beach became popular for camping
A walk on the beachy
sand
The sand looks so warm
and inviting, so we decided that a morning walk on the beach is exactly what we
need – it’s simply gorgeous here, maybe we were lucky that all the parks are
closed and that we can enjoy all the wonderful RV sites with all the luxuries
like full hook up and cable TV
A late breakfast
Sunshine on the picnic
table and the first camping for the year, that means we have German breakfast
with soft boiled eggs. And now we are ready for some adventure and exploring:
Biking the famous Galloping
Goose trail
- It was originally the CN railway and today it is a 55 km stretch from Victoria to Sooke (by the way it connects to the 30 km Lochside Trail: if you are in this area you have to be on this famous trail
- Riding the Goose: gas-powered passenger car No 15813 was noisy – but the
galloping Goose motored past some of the finest landscapes on Vancouver island:
from its first run in 1922: the Goose carried mail and 30 passengers twice
daily from Victoria to Sooke: the CNR drpped the Goose after 9 years. Heavier
freight worked the Cowichan line for another 30 years hauling logs.
The campground is not
directly on the trail, but it is only 2.5 km to an access – sounds not to bad:
except it is nearly all up hill!!! That means a bit a complaining by Paul (even
we have to say that Paul has the electric bike)
After a while we had
to stop because there were such nice views on a Valley – it looks super nice
because everywhere is the beautiful yellow colors from the Scottish Broom (and
yes it is an invasive plant – but in spring it does look beautiful)
Matheson Lake
We did a quick side
trip to the lake: downside it went down to the lake (guess we will push them
back up), but they have beautiful bike racks here. And then back on the Trail
and we bike around the lake – once in a while we have a glimpse and then we had
to stop: it looked like a little path near a bike rack: so up we go up on a
Bluff and it was super with amazing views.
Roche cove Regional
Park
and then we reach
again the ocean – already we got first glimpses and then we cross the parking
lot so we can walk over to the viewpoint and check out a beautiful little cove
with a super cool bench. But then Gine has to walk down to the water edge: and there
are the purple starfish. We are heading back: but there is this trail going
down to another cove: so Gine checks it out and on the other side a short trail
to some mini-waterfalls.
Time to head back: but
we have 2 more stops: we discovered a bench on the way and this time it was
unoccupied – so we stopped and took a well-deserved break from all that uphill
biking and then at the bridge – and then another 3 km uphill until we finally
reach the road! By then we are tired: good thing now it’s mostly downhill.
We are in Metchosin:
- It is one of the earliest pioneering communities on Vancouver Island – and here they have a Happy Valley Road
- In 1871 one of the first public schools in Western Canada opened here: you can still see it at the corner of Happy Valley and William Head road
- Rural pastures lands, small farms with hills and lazy creeks
Sun and Beach in May
After a relaxing
coffee in the sunshine it is time to head for the beach: the sand is super soft
and it is super nice and warm today – we love it!! Paul is on the towel and I
think he got stuck there – Gine first had to check out the cute bay and walk
all along and enjoy it before relaxing.
Did I mention those beautiful orange flowers?
Our first shower in
our RV
And to end it all off:
we have supper with beautiful views – by the way it is so clear we had a great
view on Mount Baker – so horses walk in the water. And we turned on the hot
water and had the first showers in our RV – how cool is that: as per Paul it is
not the largest bathroom – but then Gine said: that is a good incentive to not
have to big a belly.
Cozy and warm inside
with ocean and Mount Baker views – that is how we end the day (oh and lets not
forget the cake).
2025-05-22