I put this post together last week for Ailsa’s Travel Theme: Spring.

But looking at the final post I realized that ‘Spring’ was a lot more about being outdoors in March, enjoying the sunshine, the balmy temperatures, the fresh breezes off the ocean. All things that I didn’t manage to take photos of. And the things that I did take photos of could be enjoyed almost any time of year.

But this week’s Travel Theme of ‘Outdoors’ is the perfect place to describe a wonderful walk from Esquimalt to Victoria along a walkway that runs beside the harbour.
We started our walk at West Bay Marine Village on the top left of the map.
The boardwalk with Victoria in the background.The walk runs along a relatively wild section of the Outer Harbour.
Dark blue-black berries on an English ivy, one of those invasive species that Victoria is perpetually trying to remove, along with broom and gorse. (We ran into a park worker who was dragging a batch of offending broom to wherever they deposit these invasive things.)
Garry Oak trees are a protected species in the area.
Some of the Garry Oak buds were just starting to form. (My only true ‘Spring’ shot.)
Arbutus trees are another common sight along Vancouver Island’s waters.
A driftwood bird on a structure built on the beach.
Spinnakers Brew Pub is a nice stop if you’re hungry. (On the map at the top of this post it’s marked by green circle with ‘F’ on it.)
At this point the water walkway died and we had to go up onto the city sidewalks where we passed the old Roundhouse. It’s derelict right now but there are big plans to turn it into a market area.
It took an hour and a half to walk all the way into Victoria’s Inner Harbour where we caught the Victoria Harbour Ferry back to Esquimalt.
Victoria’s old blue bridge in the process of being deconstructed, as seen from the Harbour Ferry.
A seagull guarding the pilings where the Victoria Harbour Ferry brings us back into dock at West Bay in Esquimalt. Now we’re hungry – where do we go for lunch?
More on Ailsa’s Travel Theme: Outdoors.