Having worked a stressful job for numerous years – it was time to quit…. The funds were in place for some world travel before heading back to school to do an MA. But where to begin? We needed a place to relax and unwind, but also somewhere that we could indulge ourselves in the great outdoors. And so, my sister and I headed for Tofino, British Columbia.

We arrived at the Tofino Travellers Guesthouse, a small, friendly guesthouse ideal for the more discerning traveller. The owner is on hand to offer advice on what to do locally, they provide waffles and coffee at breakfast, and genuinely were the icing on the cake of our trip!

After our journey we need to stretch our legs and almost immediately went for a walk to take in the beauty of the area surrounding us. On the right (above) you can see Lone Cone Mountain.

The beauty of Tonquin Beach can be found on a trail through the woods on what is known as the Lighthouse Trail. This is a short hike from the town, may a 1hr round trip so not too difficult. If you’re looking for a tougher hike then why not try this…

Lone Cone Mountain took us 2.5 hours to reach the top, we did get a bit lost to begin with but it was well worth it. Look at that view. the trip down was a whole lot easier, but we were starving by the time we got back. So off we went to Tacofino

I love to eat colourful food and this was seriously the best Fish Taco I have ever had, ever. The next day we were pretty worn out so we decided to explore the local town a little.

There are a handful of galeries but the Eagle Aerie Gallery is the best. The building itself is fascinating, it’s built in the style of  a traditional longhouse and is full of wooden carvings and totem poles. It contains the work of First Nation’s artist Roy Henry Vickers.

We decided to go sea kayaking for the first time which we were pretty nervous about but our instructor Trevor put us at ease with his expertise and we were off in no time and happily didn’t tip over. We kayaked to the Big Tree Trail where we learnt about the different varieties of trees and even got to go inside a giant cedar. It took us about 4 hours and when we got back we were peckish again, so we headed for the Pointe Restaurant at the Wickaninnish Inn.

I ordered the mussels with blue cheese crostini, I’m hungry just looking at it. The service was great and the interior is beautiful, the view looks out over North Chesterman Beach, which is great to take a walk after you’ve eaten.

We did so many things while we were in Tofino, we took our first surfing trip and now are officially addicted. We visited the Tofino Botanical Gardens which are sensational and we did a whole lot of relaxing! The local radio station is a blast, I’ve never heard such an eclectic mix of people.

If you’re looking for an incredible place, with friendly people, lots of activities and the chance to relax I can say in all honesty I have never been anywhere so magnificent. I might even go back next summer!

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