Pender Harbour

The ride from Sechelt to Pender Harbour was not too taxing or long however we continue to encounter many ups and downs, hardly any flatness in the geography here. We took a few detours off the main highway when we could as it is busy and the shoulder is variable. The detours took us closer to the water where it is more scenic so definitely worth the few extra kilometers.

We stayed in the Pender Harbour Hotel which is right on the highway at the top of a hill overlooking the harbour. The view is stunning and the restaurant in the hotel has a terrace from where you can enjoy the vista, which we did for 2 dinners out of 3. However the downfall of this location is that everything to do here is below you thus involves much climbing either on foot or by bicycle.

The first night here the hotel restaurant was closed so we opted for, believe it or not, a Mexican restaurant. It was decent but very busy as it was one of only 2 restaurants open that day in the area. We are trying to only eat outdoors (so far successfully) to reduce the covid risk. Also in BC there isn’t any masking mandate so most people are not masked, including servers here. The servers at our first stop in Sechelt were masked. It definitely feels uncomfortable at times, hence eating outdoors. I feel like we are in the minority when it comes to masking.

The first morning here we found a place to rent a double kayak to explore the interesting geography here in the harbour. It’s a maze of islands and inlets, easy to get lost if you aren’t paying attention. The area is very protected hence the waters are very calm and kayaking very accessible for novices like us.

In the afternoon we went for a short ride and found a beautiful secluded bay with a beach called Baker Beach. We couldn’t help but compare it to any crowded Italian or French beach we’ve been on, a very different experience indeed. The water was very calm and inviting with chilly but refreshing water on a hot day.

The next morning we instead rented stand up paddleboards to further explore the many inlets. We are getting better at this after purchasing our own inflatable board which we’ve had out in the mountain lakes at home. It was intended to be a toy for our March Maui trip…

In the afternoon we took a short ride over to a Francis Point provincial park where we went on a short hike along an oceanside trail that gives you views of Texada Island and Malaspina Strait, very beautiful. We didn’t manage to see any whales, dolphins or seals though just some ducks and a heron. We finished off the day with another dip in the ocean at Baker Beach and another supper on the hotel terrace enjoying the view at sunset of Pender Harbour.