Have you ever noticed how easy it is to overlook the treasures that are nearest to your home? I live in a tourist destination. People come from all over the world to experience Victoria, BC, Canada, but being a resident, I sometimes forget about the beautiful places right in my backyard.
And Sidney Island was one of the those places. I have lived in Victoria for almost twenty-seven years, and I can’t believe that I had never been to Sidney Island before. I have seen it many times from the shores of the “big island” (Vancouver Island), and I have tried to sail around it a few times—a story of struggle for another time—but I had never actually set foot on the island.
Until now.
Sidney Island is not far to get to from Victoria. It is only about a twenty minute drive up the Saanich Peninsula to the town of Sidney, and then about a twenty minute boat ride on the Sidney Spit Ferry—a walk-on ferry that can carry about forty passengers, or you can take a personal boat, kayak, canoe, etc.
So it’s crazy that it took until now for me to make it to its sandy shores. And now that I have been, I can promise you that I will be back many times!
This adventure was born out of tradition. It was a rite of passage for my husband to get to go on a solo camping trip with his father, where he would earn his first camping knife, and it was a tradition that he wanted to continue with his sons.
And he decided that this was the Summer to do it.
There were a couple of things that made it tricky. First, with COVID 19, all the provincial campsites were completely booked up, and secondly, we have twins. So who gets to go first?
Sidney Island solved both of these problems. First, it had spaces available (we think this might have been because it’s one of the few places on the island that is a Federal Land Reserve, and therefore people don’t think to check the Federal Booking system), and secondly, it was close enough that my husband could take one of the twins for two nights, and then I could come and swap them out.
The morning of switch day, I will admit that I was a little disgruntled. Having only one twin at home resulted in less writing time for me (something that I guard jealously), and now I was losing another entire day to two ferry rides (something that loses its charm when you live on an island), and an afternoon on the island.
It was basically taking an entire day.
The moment I stepped onto the island, my attitude changed. Within five minutes, I had gone from being impatient to get back home to never wanting to leave.
Sidney Island isn’t large, but it is ringed by beautiful sand beaches, including “Sidney Spit” which is a sand bar that juts far out into the ocean (and is what the locals call the island), forests, and grasslands.
The entire island is breathtakingly beautiful.
Grassy field 
Sidney Island lagoon
Before coming to Sidney Island, I would have sworn that the most beautiful beaches by far were the ones at Cape Scott, but I have to say that these ones give them a run for their money (and they don’t involve an intense backpacking journey to access them).
I didn’t want to leave.
The campsite is located south of the government pier where the ferry docks, next to the lagoon which is filled when the tide comes in and empties, leaving mud flats, when the tide goes out.
There are trails that lead through the forest, but I didn’t get a chance to check them out, because I was too busy sitting on the beach with my feet buried in the sand watching the tide come in while my kids played in the water and the sand.
I had taken my portable keyboard to get some writing done, but I was too distracted to do more than toss them in the cooler along with my drink.
Old pier 
Sidney Island west coast 
Sidney Island Lagoon
The island has an interesting history. It was one of the earliest places settled on Canada’s Pacific Coast, as it was on the route from Fort Victoria to the Fraser River Gold Rush. In 1906, clay was discovered on the island, and until 1915, the Sidney Tile and Brick company operated on the island. There is lots of information about the history on the island, but you can also learn more here.
There is a lot of evidence of the the brick making operation, including an extensive pile on the edge of the lagoon where the broken bricks were discarded. There is still evidence of the buildings, as well as large man-made “pits” where the clay was dug out of the ground, first by hand and then by steam shovel.
After spending the afternoon on the western shore, we took a longer route back to the federal dock to catch the ferry. It took us through the forest to the eastern side of the island, where we discovered another expanse of beach.
It was like the beaches were endless. And despite the fact that the ocean around here is temperate and NOT tropical, the waters were shallow enough that it was refreshing to play in. I would have loved to stay and play on this beach where the driftwood was perfect for building forts, but I had a ferry to catch—such is the life of an islander 😉.
I was definitely a little jealous that my husband got to stay for another two days.
I have BIG plans to return to Sidney Island, although it might take until next year. Sidney Island, being an island, is only accessible by boat. While the campground is open from mid May to end September, the Sidney Spit Ferry only runs in the Summer. The rest of the year, the island is only accessible by private boat, canoe, or kayak.
Will Sidney Island end up in a future West Coast Romance novel?
This time it is an easy question to answer. Although, it might be a bit of a wait before this particular love story gets out of my head and onto paper—although it has been outlined to a certain extent.
I have big plans to tell the stories of the exes of the main characters in the West Coast Romance series—West Coast Romance Exes, and I’m pretty sure that Ian McLean’s ex, Natalie, will find love on Sidney Island, as she heals from the trauma of losing her sister, Charlene.
However, I first need to finish wrangling West Coast Romance Book 3—Rescuing Claire, before I can turn my pen to the new series.
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I had a beautiful afternoon on Sidney Island, my time wasn’t long enough for me to fully enjoy all the island has to offer, but I will be back. Keep wandering romantics,
This adventure took place on 18 August 2020
