I took some holiday either side of last weekend and got a quick flight over to Vancouver Island. My first stop was the village of Cumberland to see my friends Kate and Rupert and their delightful daughter Amy. These brave souls have traded Shepherds Bush for a new life on Vancouver Island.
So far it seems to be treating them rather well. They have a wonderful mountain view from their house and a magnificent (if temperamental!) 1980 Dodge camper-van called Delilah to get around in. Cumberland seems more than a world away from the Bush but like Rossland, B.C. I immediately felt an urge to give up the rat-race and move there! Watching people unload their mountain bikes to hit the local bike trails in the evening really gave me a sense that folks are living the good life out there. Mind you, as recent news shows, there’s a grittier side to Vancouver Island too.
I rented a bike one afternoon to try out some of the trails. I asked for something “not too technical” and they recommended I try one called Buggered Pig for starters. Blimey! Considering the tow-path from Chiswick to Richmond is where I’ve done most of my off-road riding it was quite an eye opener. Enormous fun riding on a narrow trail through enormous trees but the roots and the twists and ups and downs really take cycling to a new level. I felt like I need to learn to ride a bike all over again and in fact I was pushing/carrying it nearly as much as I rode it. The trail had a couple of sections of exciting looking boardwalk and trestles but as I fell off as soon as I set wheel upon one I gave them a miss after that. I faired a lot better on Momma Bear’s Trail of Tears which was a bit wider and far less rooty.
