Until yesterday, I hadn’t had the pleasure of riding the Galloping Goose trail from beginning to, well, I did see the other end of it, but I only biked to my intended destination.

I had to be out at cousin Ali & Jeff’s place early yesterday morning for our day of showing their Cambridge, England visitor & good friend, Andrea, a jolly good day of Canadian fun; something outdoorsy, picturesque. To get there I hopped on my bike, ventured out of the familiar, cycle-friendly streets of James Bay and headed straight for the Johnson Street bridge.

The “Goose” was formerly a 30-person (along with a mailbag or two) railway line that ran from Sooke to Victoria in the 1920’s and is now a fantastic pedestrian and cycling trail stretching a total of 55 kms. It branches off to the Lochside Trail, running 29 kms from Saanich to Swartz Bay. Though we made our way by car to the very end- the magnificent Sooke Potholes- I managed to see only around 17 kms (give or take) of the Goose yesterday.

The path varies from paved to gravel, straight stretches along the highway to windy wooded areas, across roads through several Greater Victoria communities (5 at least), with some beautiful views over the Juan de Fuca Strait to the Olympic Mountains. Our plan for the day, after the ride in, had us enjoying some scenery and sun soak-up time at Sooke Potholes, less than a 30 min. drive from the Western Communities of Victoria. The only down-side? The park landscape despoiled, if only a little, of it’s full beauty potential because of the various road reworkings, the dusty gravel-hauling trucks at every turn, or the tractors parked in front of most of the scenic spots… But the potholes themselves were brilliant, of course.

Now I’m convinced, after trying a section of it out myself, that any tourist would enjoy a day-trip on bicycle (rented here in town, or even in Sooke), down either of our prodigious regional trails. Both the Galloping Goose or the Lochside are highly recommended means of time-killing if you’re visiting the area. Each trail connects to a multitude of bus routes along the way… Because you never know when you’ll find yourself off-path exploring the quaint local farmers markets, various parks, or dock-side restaurant patios spending the money you’ve saved, which otherwise would’ve been spent at a tourist trap on Government St. If not that, then on the (gasp, unthinkably high, $1.46/litre) gas bombing around town. (So bring a backpack, or reusable shopping bag and ensure that bike has storage space!) There is at least one event promoting the trek from downtown Victoria to Sooke, happening June 21st ‘08 entitled Pedal to the Potholes. I’ll have to try out that Sidney route sometime, I hear it’s a beauty also.