Mayne Island getaway

While we normally avoid leaving town on a long weekend, since it usually implies fighting one’s way through loooong lines of traffic & overcrowded ferries etc., Lorne and I broke from tradition for last week’s Canada Day (July 1st) long weekend and booked ourselves a little camping trip to one of the nearby gulf islands – Mayne Island.

Mayne is just a 90min and very scenic ferry ride from Vancouver and thankfully we’d booked well in advance so we didn’t get caught in any delays, in fact it wasn’t a bad trip at all both on the way out and coming back 2 days later.

It’s only the second time we’ve been to Mayne Island, despite having talked about it often since our first trip there back in October 2002. At that time we rented a cheap but comfortable little cabin that we’d heard of through a colleague and went there for Thanksgiving with a couple of friends (which, now that I mention it, further negates my earlier mention of ‘avoiding’ travelling over long weekends).



Georgina Point Lighthouse
& park - perfect picnic spot.

Unfortunately that cabin was sold off since we last went there - replaced by two much larger houses - but that’s just fine because we have our trusty and much-loved camper van and had booked at Mayne’s only campsite – Seal Beach in Mariner’s Bay, on the northwest of the island. Not a bad little campsite, except for the horribly smelly outhouses – they seriously need to de-stench them, it almost made your eyes burn - and the incredibly dithery guy who runs the site had neglected the fact we’d booked for a camper van not a tent (since all the tent spots are apparently walk-in only). We ended up having to camp in what was actually the grassy parking lot, amid other campers cars – but as the only campsite on the island, there wasn’t really any other choice. Thankfully it didn’t turn out too bad after all, despite the somewhat limited privacy, and we at least still had a full picnic table and were only steps away from the pebbly 'Seal Beach'.

Seals chillin' out at Seal Beach, Mariner's Bay

Before breakfast next morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find several seals hanging out sunbathing on the rocks off the campsite beach, only visible at low tide. I managed to get in fairly close (thanks also to my 300mm zoom lens) but my philosophy with wildlife is to photograph without intruding, so I didn’t want to get too close and disturb them. Besides, seals have incredibly bad breath.

Young black-tail deer.

At only 21km2, Mayne’s a fairly small island with a delightfully rustic charm, a lovely community feel and its 1,100 inhabitants are low-key, laid-back (dare I say it) hippies who were just as pleasant this time around as they were the last. I’m not sure if deer outnumber humans on this island, but there are certainly a lot of them about – so you really have to keep your eyes peeled when driving - and they’re quite comfortable around people, just like this guy who nonchalantly grazed within feet of our camping spot.

And talking of rustic charm – we were intrigued by the campsite’s only shower – an open-air ‘tree shower’. Basically a minimal, 3ft high, wide-slatted fence around the base of a large tree which left you exposed to the lower parkland and beaches. No room for modesty in this shower but something very freeing about it nonetheless. Thankfully there was hot water, piped directly from the main house.

View from the shower facing towards

the woods/water.



I did birthday suit not bathing suit

when I showered. Ooops. (And, for
the record, this pic's off the website.)

Unfortunately, being an island, there’s always a high risk and fear of fire, since it could potentially obliterate everything. Despite the fact this year’s been generally cold and rainy up till now, there were no campfires allowed and even the site’s communal fire-pit was closed. That said, the weather had thankfully warmed up enough for it not to matter too much, though it’s still always a great part of any camping adventure. And, oddly enough, there was very little traffic around, people or vehicles.



Note the strategically placed bald eagle for added effect.

The highlights to the weekend were definitely the relaxation, gorgeous weather (despite a little rain Saturday night, at the exact moment we decided to light up an after-dinner cigar) and the outstanding Gulf Island views from our long hike at Mount Parke Park – which we’d never even heard of on our single previous visit. A peaceful forest trail topped off by stunning views at the summit. I could have happily sat there all day, just breathing in the silence, tranquility and incredible landscape across the islands.

Pender Island in the foreground with....others....behind.

Since the lock on our relatively new bike rack on the van is broken AGAIN (it's hardly worked since we bought it) we couldn't bring our bikes over with us and the tidal currents around Mayne are far too strong for our inflatable kayaks, we did most of our touring on foot and in the van. We also made a point to stop by the Saturday morning Farmer's Market which is a small and casual affair - more of a community gathering place really, where locals catch up and trade foods, recipes and family news. The market itself comprises largely local veggies, homemade baked goods (including incredibly delicious bread buns!), jewellery, art and handicrafts. (Note to self: this would be the perfect place to sell my cards and photographs!!!)

On the whole, Mayne Island is so naturally pretty, unpretentious and endearingly low-key that everything was a pleasure – including the delicious lunch at the heritage building in Mariner’s Bay now home to the Green House Bar & Grill (which was a kistchy, overly knick-knacked nautical-themed restaurant called Mayne Mast last time we were there). Delicious home-made food and friendly service. 

All in all I was pleased to soak up the same serenity, rustic charm, down-to-earth vibe and friendly community feel to Mayne that had appealed to me so much on our first visit. That and the incredible views, diverse wildlife and beautiful beaches, bays, coves and parks all around this small island make me seriously want to consider moving there in the future. Not forgetting the fact it’s also generally warmer and much sunnier than on Vancouver’s mainland, which was certainly the case this past weekend too.

Yup, I can definitely see myself living there one day. Dog, chickens, kitty-cats n'all. And maybe even Lorne too, hehe!


(For more photos of Mayne Island and our mid-May visit to San Francisco, visit my Flickr site.)