User talk:1Frederique1
Hello, 1Frederique1! Welcome to Wikivoyage.
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Your content on the travellers' pub was in the wrong place. I was undone and placed below for you --Andrewssi2 (talk) 02:21, 10 June 2015 (UTC)
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- Consider contributing to our existing articles on Sooke, Port Renfrew or other locations in the region. Pashley (talk) 02:39, 10 June 2015 (UTC)
Vancouver Island's southern West Coast : Pristine wilderness from Sooke to Port Renfrew[edit]
Vancouver Island in BC, Canada is as large as the Netherlands but is populated with only half a million people that live mostly on the southern part of the island around the capital of the province: Victoria. While we have all the attributes of city life, in less than an hour you can find yourself in pristine wilderness. t side i not as well known as the east side of the island , it is also not as commercial which can be a great appeal.
From Victoria along the coast,you will arrive in Sooke. The first stop needs to be to the Sooke Region Museum ( www.sookeregionmuseum.com)where you can discover and view everything about the past, the present of Sooke and its region all the way to Port Renfrew. The museum has a very interesting gift shop with authentic gifts from First Nation but also from local artists.From May to the end of September every Thursday evening the museum hosts a night market. While in Sooke stop at Quimper Park on Whiffen Spit ("Spanish Sub-Lt. Manuel Quimper, in command of the sloop Princesa Royale, took possession of the land at the entrance to Sooke Harbour in June of 1790, naming it Puerta de Revilla Gigedo, after the Viceroy of Mexico. Spain's tenure was brief, and in 1794 the land was under British rule. In 1990 the people of the Sooke region invited representatives from Spain to visit Sooke and celebrate a re-enactment of Quimper's voyage from Port Renfrew to Sooke. The journey was accomplished, with the co-operation of canoes of the T'Sou-ke First Nation, and met with an incredible community welcome at Whiffin Spit. The commemorative park at the base of Whiffin Spit was dedicated on that day, June 23, 1990, with the participation of Spain's Ambassador to Canada. In 1991, the four-masted Spanish flagship Juan Sebastian de Elcano sailed to British Columbia, and Spain's gift, a bust of Manuel Quimper, was unveiled to join the earlier commemorative monuments at the park") This almost two kilometers long spit allows tourists and locals to walk along the shore with on one side the Sooke Basin and Sooke Harbour and the other side the wide open Pacific and the view of the Olympic Mountains across the Juan de Fuca Strait to the United States. Wild life can be spotted, killer whales, humpback whales, river otters and now sea otters that have made a come back. If staying in Sooke, there are plenty of different accommodation providers from vacation homes, B&Bs, and two waterfront hotels* * [www.sookeharbourhouse.com Sooke Harbour House], 1528 Whiffen Spit Road, Sooke, BC V9Z0T4, ☏ 250 642 3421, toll-free: 1 800 889 9688, fax: 250 642 6988, info@sookeharbourhouse.com. Check-in: 3:00pn, check-out: noon. small boutique hotel, spa, restaurant, gallery and edible gardens. 28 guest rooms overlooking the ocean. from 199.00 to 550.00.
The Sooke Region Museum and/ or the Sooke Tourism Association's website ( www.sooke-portrenfrew.com) are two good reliable places to find all the information necessary for stays, restaurants and activities to do. Activities are varied and numerous depending on the season:
Hiking is a must with the hundred of miles of hiking trails from East Sooke Park to Juan de Fuca Trail and the West Coast trail for the more fit! In the winter scuba diving is excellent and well known for the diversity and the almost psychedelic experience from the abundance of colours,sea life and great visibility the ocean offers ( a good wet or dry suit is recommended to enjoy the dive without the cold )
Mountain Biking is starting to be very popular and enjoyed by a larger number of people with the creation of new trails. There is a very good bike shop in Sooke that can give advice, help with bikes and repairs, and everything needed to enjoy mountain biking from beginners to professionals. If we get snow again in the winter snow shoeing is not as well known but is available just half an hour from Sooke on trails that go along the San Juan Ridge. It is possible to be snow shoeing in the morning and be sailing in the afternoon! Of course fishing sailing are always available and we have a large numbers of very good fishing charters. A must also is to visit Tugwell Creek Honey Farm and Meadery * [www.tugwellcreekfarm.com Tugwell Creek Honey Farm and Meadery], 8750 Westcoast Road, Sooke, BC, V9Z1H2, ☏ 250 642 1956. May 1 to Sept 30 Wednesday to Sunday from 12 to 5pm.just past the town of Sooke. They are part of 'Economusee' networking group ( more known in Quebec ), and have a tasting room. We also now have also a brand new distillery : Sheringham Point Distillery making vodka and barrel aged whiskey.
Going along West Coast road will take you to Jordan River where surfing is enjoyed by many people. Driving toward Port Renfrew along the coast there are quite a few stops and hikes to reach the Pacific ocean from French Beach Provincial Park, China Beach, Sombrio Beach where surfing again is a great past time in waters that are usually warmer than every where else. Reaching the small town of Port Renfrew felt in the past as if you had reach the end of the world. Port Renfrew is a small town with a long sandy beach, it is well known for fantastic fishing. It is also the beginning of the West Coast Trail or the end when you start in Bamfield ( which I think is recommended to do as the Port Renfrew side is harder and less when you reach it with less weight on you, you need to make a reservation to do this trail as the number of hikers is kept to a limited number on purpose for information :www.westcoasttrail.com/contact).
Now with the 'Circle Route' paved all the way, you can reach the Cowichan Valley and the east side of Vancouver Island.It is the perfect one day drive: you will visit west coast beaches and parks, world famous ancient forests and mammoth trees. This route will take you from Port Renfrew to the East coast of Vancouver Island through the mountains of Lake Cowichan.