Posts by: ClaireB

You may know that one of Vancouver‘s nicknames is ‘Hollywood North’ because so many Hollywood movies have been made in and around the city in the last couple of decades. It’s not just Vancouver that’s frequently been used as a movie set though; in fact there are countless communities, parks and areas of coastline that have doubled for many other locations around the world, and the small community of Britannia Beach, on the Sea to Sky Highway from Vancouver to Whistler, has seen more than its fair share of movie and TV stars. In fact over 50 movies, and numerous […]

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You may have heard of Nanaimo because of those delicious Nanaimo bars that are sold all across Canada, and yes, it was named after the city on Vancouver Island! But there’s more to Nanaimo than Canada’s favourite dessert! Did you know that this is the ‘Bathtub Racing Capital of the World’? No, seriously! Bathtub racing was invented here in Nanaimo in 1967 with a race between Nanaimo and Vancouver as a way of promoting this quirky little city to the rest of the world. The idea took off and now there’s a bathtub race here on the last weekend of […]

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I’ve only visited Harrison Hot Springs once but the stunning scenery around this quaint little resort town quickly convinced me that I should go back for a second or even a third look! It’s villages like Harrison Hot Springs after all that give British Columbia its moniker ‘Beautiful BC’, and if you’ve never experienced this type of glacial scenery before this is a great place to do it. Harrison Hot Springs is nestled at the southern end of Harrison Lake; a lake that’s about 60 kilometres long. The lake formed inside a glacial valley with steep mountainous sides to it, […]

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The whole of Vancouver offers a fabulous selection of great restaurants and all manner of cuisines to choose from, so much so that visiting tourists often have a hard time choosing the best place to eat. The number of choices can be overwhelming, but as someone who has visited Vancouver as a tourist on several occasions I have found the best way to choose is to narrow down your choices! Last time I visited the city of mountains and water I opted for dining out in Vancouver’s Gastown neighbourhood. Gastown Restaurants Focusing on Gastown did narrow down our choices but […]

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At any time of the year a visit to Victoria‘s Inner Harbour offers plenty of things to see and do, but during the summer this corner of British Columbia‘s capital city really comes to life! Artists, musicians, street performers and more line the walkway of the Inner Harbour and keep both locals and tourists entertained as we make our way from one attraction to the next. While there are specific attractions on the Inner harbour, just sitting and watching the float planes taking off and landing is quite an experience if you’ve never seen this before. And it makes you […]

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When we see Vancouver today it’s hard to imagine what the city looked like 150 years ago; well, the fact is, there was no city! A couple of mills had been opened up in the 1860s and these started Vancouver‘s long love affair with lumber. The mills also attracted workers and where there were workers drinks were required, so the first saloon was built. This signalled the start of the construction of Vancouver’s original downtown, all thanks to one man named Gassy Jack Deighton. Gassy Jack opened the first saloon in 1867 and this neighbourhood of Vancouver was later named […]

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Around the world there are scenic highways that are renowned for their beauty, and that must be driven on at least once in your life; well here in Canada that road is the Sea to Sky Highway, and, on a clear day at least, this is one of the most scenic stretches of road you’ll find anywhere. The Sea to Sky Highway is officially named Highway 99 and this most famous stretch of it runs along the coast from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver, and heads 134 kilometres (83 miles) north, passing through Lions Bay, Squamish, Whistler and eventually Pemberton. […]

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If you love skiing you probably think of gliding down on the white stuff when anyone mentions a mountain! For me, who is not a skier by the way, I think of hikes and fabulous views, and Vancouver‘s Grouse Mountain is somewhere that offers these in abundance, plus there is of course an alpine ski area here too! One of the reasons why Vancouver is such a popular place is its setting; surrounded by mountains and water this really is one of the world’s most beautiful cities. You’ll find Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver, that is, across the Burrard Inlet […]

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If someone picked you up and dropped you off in the height of summer at the lakeshore in downtown Kelowna, you’d probably be hard pushed to identify where you were; and I’m sure that Canada would be the last place you’d guess! The fact is, with its hot and sunny climate, lakeside setting, sophisticated cafés and restaurants, mountains abound, and vineyards hugging the hillsides, Kelowna really is more European than Canadian! So how come Kelowna has ended up this way? Well, the climate is actually typical of the southern interior of BC, where you average around 2,000 sunshine hours per […]

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Wells Gray Provincial Park is the fourth largest park in the province of British Columbia, covering a vast area of wilderness that stretches for 1.3 million acres, or 5,250 square kilometres. It provides a wonderful place to get out and experience the wilderness of Beautiful BC, yet it has convenient access from the town of Clearwater and so its highlights can be enjoyed just in a day trip. Of course, if you come with your tent or travel trailer there are many places to stay in campgrounds within the park itself, and if you really want to enjoy what Wells […]

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