The West Shore Communities |
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Victoria's West Shore Travel & Tourism Accommodations, Activities, Attractions, Restaurants & Information
Langford is the largest (land mass) municipality in greater Victoria and has a modest population of around 23,000. Langford is experiencing rapid growth as land supplies diminish in the core municipalities. In recent years Langford has done much to make the city beautiful and has developed tremendous local shopping opportunities. |
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Langford has a beautiful square/park at the corner of Goldstream and Veteran's Memorial Parkway which has music Sunday afternoons which is well worth a visit. There is a great sense of community pride in this city and lots of people turn up for special events. When you approach Langford from the Highway 1 exit 14, you will see a beautiful mountain backdrop to the city, just as there is in Victoria. |
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The annual summer parade in Langford |
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Goldstream Provincial Park has an excellent educational pavilion and it is home to a fall annual salmon spawn. In the fall lots of eagles come to feed on the Salmon. Goldstream Park has an excellent campground and good trails and don't miss "Little Niagara Falls". Just behind Goldstream Park is Mount Finalayson which has a great trail to one of the highest accessible peaks in the area.
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Bear Mountain Golf Course and Resort is one of the finest and most challenging golf courses in greater Victoria. There is an excellent Westin hotel at the resort, a fitness club and some great eating establishments. The 19th hole at Bear Mountain will provide you with some of the very best views of the southern tip of Vancouver Island, the Olympic Mountains, Mount Baker, the San Juan Islands and the Gulf Islands. The views from up there are spectacular. |
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Shopping: Langford has some of the best shopping in Greater Victoria. All of the mega stores are in Langford. Costco, Home Depot, Home Sense, Winners, Rona, Walmart and more. In addition there is Millstream Village and the West Shore Town Centre with tons of other stores. |
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Mill Hill Regional Park is a small park in the south part of Langford. It takes about 20 minutes to climb to the top and when you get there you will be astounded at the spectacular views of Juan de Fuca Strait and the Olympic Mountains. The Olympic Mountains provide a back drop to Langford as you drive into town on Veteran's Memorial Parkway. From Mill Hill you can also look directly down into Langford. There is a display at the top that tells you distances to a number of key sites around southern Vancouver Island. |
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All Fun Recreation Park, is the only outdoor water park in Victoria with waterslide features. There is plenty to do here as well. Try the Batting Cages, the Driving Range, the Go Karts, the Mini Golf, or watch the auto races at Western Speedway. So much family fun. |
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Welcome Sign at All Fun Recreation Park |
Go Karts at All Fun Recreation Park |
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Mini Golf n at All Fun Recreation Park |
Batting Cages at All Fun Recreation Park |
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Colwood municipality in greater Victoria has a modest population of around 15,000. Colwood too, is experiencing rapid growth as land supplies diminish in the core municipalities. There are lots of great reasons to visit Colwood as well, none better than the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre, which is the regional recreation centre for the West Shore. This is one of the best recreation complexes in Canada. |
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The Recreation Centre has two arenas, a swimming pool, a curling rink, a large weight/fitness room, a 9-hole golf course, tennis and basketball courts, lacrosse facilities, a velodrome, a jogging trail, one of the best playgrounds in the region and much more.. |
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The Bear Mountain Arena -Juan de Fuca |
The Golf Course -Juan de Fuca |
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Colwood has its share of great golf courses. The Royal Colwood Golf Course is one of the finest in the Region. The fairways are bordered by old growth Douglas Fir, making the views as spectacular as they get on a golf course. |
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Colwood is also home to the Olympic View Golf Course, one of the finer and scenic golf courses on Vancouver Island. Olympic View has the best practice facilities of all golf courses in the region. It is also a good place to eat. |
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Fort Rodd Hill is a National Historic Site and it is well worth the visit. The Fisgard Light Station is also on this site and you can walk right into the light house. Views from this property are spectacular. Fort Rodd Hill has interactive stations throughout the site and there is some real Canadian History here. |
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A Barracks at Fort Rodd Hill in Colwood |
Fisgard Light Station - Fort Rodd Hill
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Esquimalt Laggon is one of the most fantastic recreational settings in all of Victoria. It is a lagoon separated from Juan de Fuca Strait by a long causway with a road on it. All along the ocean is a sand beach, which is great for picnics, long walks and viewing the fantastic scenery in Juan de Fuca Strait. The lagoon is a bird sanctuary so it is a great place to see many heron, swans, ducks, geese, sea birds and much more. It is also a great place to kayak. The lagoon is full of sea life such as sand dollars, mussels, clams and much more. |
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The Town of View Royal has a modest population of around 9000 people. It is nestled between Victoria, Esquimalt, Colwood and Langford. It has the only Casino in Greater Victoria, The Great Canadian Casino. This is a destination Casino forgreat Victoria. Bring some money and have some fun in View Royal. Part of View Royal looks towards Esquimalt Navel Base which is just outside its boundaries. |
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Metchosin is a rural municipality located on the Western Shore of Greater Victoria. It has a small population, only 5000 residents. Metchosin has a number of great Regional Parks. Devonian Park is nestled between Metchosin farmlands and this oceanfront sanctuary is home to a wide-variety of birds. |
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Albert Head Lagoon is a small lagoon adjacent to Juan de Fuca Strait and is home to a wide variety of This small lagoon serves as a wildlife sanctuary and refuge for a variety of birds. Matheson Lake Regional Park Matheson Lake is a popular location for hikers, swimmers and people who love to fish. Witty's Lagoon Regional Park has forested trails, a beautiful waterfall, and a lagoon full of birds of all types. It also has a great beach at low tides which is very popular with local families. |
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Just of the Metchosin shoreline at Pedder Bay lies the southern most point of land on Canada's west coast, the Race Rocks Light Station. It is an ecological reserve and one of the best scuba diving sites in the world. It is like Butchart Gardens underwater. The custodians of the station are Pearson College and they have laboratories at Race Rocks for students. |
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Metchosin also is home to one of the finest oceanfront free hotels on the west coast, the William Head Prison. I am sure that you can find a way to get in and enjoy the benefits of this fine resort at the expense of the Canadian Government. Since the institution is almost surround by ocean views of Juan de Fuca Strait and the inmates live in what appears to be small condos, it is often referred to as Club Fed. |
Aboriginal Youth taking advantage of
the wonderful facilities at the College |
Metchosin is also home to one of the finest International Colleges, the Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific. Pearson College is a unique two year pre-university school for two hundred students selected from around the world based solely on their personal merit, potential and demonstrated commitment to engage actively in creating a better world. All students attend on a full scholarship and live together while studying the International Baccalaureate program and pursuing explicitly the mission of the United World Colleges to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. |
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There are farmers markets on the West Shore, one in Metchosin (Saturday morning) in the community centre next to their municipal hall and the other at Luxton (Sunday afternoon) at the fairgrounds. You can buy fresh country produce, art, craft and much more at these markets. |
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The Highlands is the smallest municipality in the West Shore. It has a population of only 2000 people. The second 18 holes at Bear Mountain is being built in the Highlands and with it will come housing development. The Highlands is home to a number of very special Regional Parks. Francis King Regional Park is a park with extensive trails and is accessible by all abilities. Trails lead from Francis/King to neighbouring Thetis Lake Park. Thetis Lake offers a number of outdoor activities in a natural setting such as swimming, canoeing, and hiking. There are excellent trails around the lake. Lone Tree Hill is another Regional park that offers great view from the summit and is excellent for birdwatching. Mount Work Regional Park offers three lakes, 11 km of hiking trails and a separate mountain-biking area. |
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This picturesque multi-use trail, formerly a railway line, moves through urban, rural and wilderness scenery on its 55 kilometre journey from Victoria to Sooke. You can cycle, walk, jog, or even ride a horse through the rural sections. Whether you're commuting to work or looking for a days outing, you can travel all the way from Sidney to Sooke on this trail. The trail passes through View Royal, Colwood, Langford and Methosin as it travels through the Western Shore. It is also linked with trails to Thetis Lake in the Highlands. |
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