8 May 2017
Last night we went to bed full of plans for our last day in Vancouver. There were still things we wanted to see, places we wanted to go. This morning though, all those plans changed. All we got to see of Vancouver was the tantalising view of a sunny city from our hotel window. Continue reading Not the best end to our Vancouver adventure
8 May 2017
Full of luscious Malaysian food and rested from sitting in the cool of the restaurant we decided we could all stand a bit more wandering along the seawall and Stanley Park. Apart from anything, Jen had a few things she wanted to show us. It was mid afternoon by the time we got back to the Devonian Harbour Park but a few of the slower marathon runners were still coming past in dribs and drabs. Continue reading Post marathon wanderings
7 May 2017
Last night Commando went out for a run, his first in a month. He came back within ten minutes. The marathon was off. The pain in his Achilles tendon kicked in almost at once. There was no way he could run a parkrun, never mind a marathon. After all the miles and miles of training and lots of ups and downs when the pain came and went for no apparent reason, the last glimmer of hope died. It was a sad evening. Continue reading The Vancouver Marathon and five seconds of fame
6 May 2017
Walking a mountain trail, even an easy one like the Panorama Trail, it is wise not to underestimate the weather. When the snow began to fall we left the breathtaking views and headed back along the trail, unsure if this was just a snow shower or something more worrying. The cloud we’d seen earlier looked to have a whole load of snow to dump and being underneath it when it did didn’t seem the best of plans. Not on the edge of a mountain anyway. Continue reading From the sky to the sea
6 May 2017
Our brief stop at Porteau Cove had showed me beauty beyond my wildest dreams. Now we all agreed it was time for lunch. Jen and Kevin knew just the place, The Howe Sound Brewing Company in Squamish, a one time hop Farm turned micro brewery. The rustic atmosphere ticked all the right boxes and the food was perfect. According to Commando, so was the beer, although it took him a while to choose. Replete and happy we found our way back onto Highway 99 and headed from the sea to the sky. Pretty soon we were looking up at the Sea to Sky Gondola and, behind the low wooden building, the tumbling water of Shannon Falls, the third highest waterfall in British Columbia. I had the feeling my dreams were going to get a lot wilder before the day was out.
6 May 2017
Today we were very excited to be going up into the mountains we’d been staring at since we arrived in Vancouver, courtesy of our wonderful tour guides, Jen and Kevin. The plan was to head towards Whistler on Highway 99, otherwise known as the Sea to Sky Highway, for obvious reasons. The highway crosses the causeway that cut the Lost Lagoon off from Vancouver Harbour and runs all the way to the United States border. It is two hundred and fifty four miles long and was listed in the Guardian newspaper as the fifth best road trip in the world. We would, of course, only be exploring a small part of it. Continue reading Porteau Cove
5 May 2017
All our miles of walking yesterday didn’t end with the Lost Lagoon. In the evening Jen wanted to take us out for a bite to eat at one of her favourite restaurants. We went in her car but, on the way, we stopped off at one of her favourite beaches, Spanish Banks, named in commemoration of the June 1792 meeting of the English under George Vancouver and the Spanish under Galiano and Valdés. This was the shoreline we’d been looking out at from English Beach earlier in the day. Continue reading Collecting the marathon pack
4 May 2017
Back where we started, at the beginning of the Cathedral trail, we turned towards the Lost Lagoon. The name alone made it worth a look. It conjured images of desert islands and palm trees, although I was fairly sure this wasn’t what we would find. Somewhere off the trail we could hear the thrum of a woodpecker pecking at a tree. We stopped and peered into the forest but saw nothing but a few tell tale holes in trunks. Continue reading The Lost lagoon
4 May 2017
While we were sitting on our bench by the sea discussing whether to carry on along the sea wall path or find a way into Stanley Park an elderly gentleman came and sat beside us. Pretty soon he struck up a conversation about where we were from and what we were doing. When we told him we couldn’t decide between park and sea he said, “There’s nothing very exciting along the sea wall here but there’s a path up into the park not far off.” And so our decision was made. Continue reading Stanley Park an ancient forest in a modern city
4 May 2017
Today was supposed to be the warmest, sunniest day of our stay in Vancouver, not that I always believe the weather forecast you understand. There was sun outside our hotel window when we got up this morning though and, when we walked down West Broadway in search of breakfast, it was warm even though it was still before eight. Over coffee, croissants and parfaits we both agreed it was the perfect day for a walk on the beach.
