Route: Neck Point, Nanaimo
Area: Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Date of walk: 30th September 2024
Walkers: Andrew, Gilly, James and Anna
Distance: 2.1 miles
Ascent: 200 feet
Weather: sunny
Our short visit to Vancouver Island ended today, but there was sufficient time to squeeze in a short walk before catching the lunchtime ferry back from Departure Bay Nanaimo to Vancouver and mainland Canada
We drove over to Nanaimo and parked in the car park in Neck Point Park, a popular place with locals. There are numerous criss-crossing paths through the 32 acre park, but we picked out one which took us around most of its circumference, with a couple of there and back diversions along the way
We set off in an anti-clockwise direction, passing by several rocky coves, before making a short diversion to the far point of Neck Point from where there are good views across the sea to the mainland of Canada. This is reputed to be a good spot to watch for orca, sea lions and otters. We didn’t see any of these, but did spot a seal peering out of the sea, wonderful to see but no competition to yesterday’s wildlife sightings. Continuing along the coast, boardwalks and wooden steps provided easy access around otherwise inaccessible rock outcrops. The path occasionally diverted inland through woodland sections
Eventually we met up with our original path and from here retraced our steps back to the start of a very pleasant short amble
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The start of the walk as we leave the car park and walk across Finn Beach
We climb up onto a headland
The Salish Sea
Looking back across the bay
Looking across the Salish Sea to mainland Canada
We follow a path past Indian Beach
James and Anna gaze out to sea
We climb away from India Beach via a flight of wooden steps
Looking back to a rock outcrop at the end of India Beach, with mainland Canada in the distance...
We walk down to Last Beach...
A short woodland section as we continue around the coastal path...
Looking back to Indian Beach
View along the coast
Another short woodland section brings us down into Sunset Beach...
We leave the coastline and walk through the woodland in Neck Point Park...
This brings us back above Indian Beach where we rejoin our original path
We retrace our steps to the end of a very enjoyable short walk, after which we drive to nearby Nanaimo and catch the ferry from Vancouver Island back to the mainland
Aboard the ferry, a phone shot across the Strait of Georgia to Mount Baker beyond the Vancouver skyline
