Before heading to Hornby Island in late April, the only things I really knew about it were that it was a bit of a pain to get to from Victoria, and it’s where Hornby snack bars are from. After spending a long weekend on the island, I was trying to figure out a way I could move there permanently. Here are a few reasons why.

Feeling the need to stretch our legs after our drive up from Victoria, my girlfriend and I took the short walk from our accomodation to Little Tribune Bay. What we had envisioned as a short, lazy early evening stroll turned into what was at times a scary scrambling adventure, as we sought to answer the “I wonder what is around this corner” question. The answer was Tribune Bay beach, We felt privileged to have one BC’s most celebrated beaches all to ourselves, and lucky to have on hand a light alcoholic beverage to calm the nerves.

One of the major draw cards on Hornby is Helliwell Park. Here are a few pictures to “explain” why.

On the ride back from Helliwell, we stopped at Whaling Station Bay beach. While we didn’t catch any glimpses of whales frolicking in the water, the low tide allowed us to wander far out into sand and explore the much smaller creatures of the under water world.

Hornby is well known for it’s extensive network of mountain bike trails, the main entry point for which was only a 5 minute ride from our Airbnb. While navigating the trails on my gravel bike was at times a little hair-raising, especially when my girlfriend “accidentally” took me down a black run, the beautiful surroundings and views at the top of Mount Geoffrey definitely provided reward for effort.

Someone once said that the simple things in life are often the best. Maybe whoever coined the phrase spent their early morning watching the sunrise over Tribune Bay while enjoying their first cup of coffee for the day.

On the recommendation of a number locals, we had fish and chips at Ford’s Cove Restaurant and Store. While definitely not the best fish and chips we have ever had, the view from the deck meant that it didn’t really matter (I was so taken by the view, I forgot to take a photo – you will just have to take my word for it that it’s worth the price of a glass of sangria and deep fried cod with chips) :).

For our other dinner out, we went to Sea Breeze Lodge. While offering up a far more extensive menu, the real highlight of our meal was watching the sun go down over the ocean from the grounds of the lodge (I was so taken by the view that I again forgot to take a photo – sorry! The sunset picture below, taken at Deep Cove, Vancouver Island, is very similar to that which my girlfriend and I witnessed from the grounds of Sea Breeze Lodge 🙂)

While I still don’t know a whole lot about Hornby Island, I know enough to know that it’s a place I would like to go back to again, and again, and again.

Trip notes

• We stayed at Airbnb at Little Tribune Farm, which was a fantastic base from which to explore the Island, being walking distance to the Co-op and Tribune Bay beach, a short ride from the mountain bike trails and a slightly longer, but no less beautiful, ride to Helliwell Park.

• To get to Hornby from Victoria, you catch the ferry from Buckley Bay to Denman Island, then drive to the other side of Denman to get the ferry to Hornby. You can find clearer instructions here. 🙂

• On the way back from Hornby we stopped at the Earth Club Factory on Denman Island, which I would highly recommend for a truly authentic island experience …you’ll understand why when you go.