Some useful information for your visit to Qualicum Bay:

Lighthouse Country -

For events scheduled at the local Lighthouse Community Centre just a kilometer away,

For lovely hikes, Englishman River Falls - about 20 minutes drive from the house. The first site is the provincial park website giving the basic park information while the second is pictures of sites around the area, including the Falls.

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/englishman_rv/

http://www.google.ca/search?q=englishman+river+falls&hl=en&newwindow=1&

Little Qualicum Falls - about 20 minutes from the house. First site is the provincial park website and the second is images from an individual.

Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park, 20 minute drive for hiking and caving. On the way enjoy warm, fresh water swimming and canoeing at Spider Lake, 10 minutes away,

Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, 20 minutes, a magnificent sandy bay at low tide, www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/rathtrevor/

Cathedral Grove - old growth forest. The forest was nominated as one of the seven wonders of Canada. I have included that link last.

Elk Falls Provincial Park near Campbell River an hour from here is found at,

Salt water Salmon fly-fishing - from our beach from mid-July to late October. You should check on what lures the fish will take in this area and can be purchased locally.

Fresh water fishing, Horne Lake and Spider Lake, 20 and 10 minutes away.

Kayak and paddleboard rentals can be found in Qualicum Beach, 15 minutes drive at Outsider Adventures at Courtenay, 30 minutes north of here at Comox Valley Kayaks and Canoes or Tree Island Kayaking. The last two provide day trips to the magnificent Sandy Island Marine Provincial Park (also known as Tree Island) which we highly recommend or launch the kayak at the beach at Qualicum Bay, a nice semi-rural community. Close to Island Scallops, Fanny Bay Oysters, excellent oysters and seafood there are a number of places where you can buy fresh fish.

There are excellent farmer's markets at Qualicum Beach, 15 minutes drive,; in Errington, 20 minutes drive,; and Comox Valley Farmers Market in Courtenay, 30 minutes drive, All run on Saturday mornings, so if you want some fresh produce prior to checking in at 4 pm - these are great places to visit. There is a very excellent grocery store in Qualicum Beach (Quality Foods) and a good grocery store (Tomm's) at Bowser, 4 minutes north of the house. Bowser also has shops for liquor, gas, hardware, art, gifts, credit union, library and post office.

Getting here:

You will take BC Ferries from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo,

or from Tsawwassen to Duke Point, arriving fifteen minutes south of Nanaimo,

These are current schedules, but it's good to check as the schedule can change. We recommend that you make a reservation as in the summer the ferries can get booked which can mean waiting for the next ferry. Once in Nanaimo - you take Highway 19A . We recommend 19A as it is the older route that follows the coast, slower but more scenic and takes about one hour or more. Highway 19, the freeway, takes 45 minutes and you use the Horne Lake, Spider Lake exit and drop down to 19A, Island Highway West, and left (north-west) for aprox., three miles to Qualicum Bay.

We are located at Qualicum Bay ... on the ocean side. The best landmark is the Crown and Anchor Roadhouse Pub on the other side of the road about 200 meters from the house. The pub has good local music (bluegrass, country, acoustic etc) and the food is pretty decent. The Sandbar Café, 300 meters is a pleasant restaurant with live music jams several nights a week and Henry’s Kitchen a Chinese restaurant near by. A burger stand, taco stand and ice cream shop open for the summer in the same area.