15 Minutes at Sidney Pier

Last week, I shared a long, contemplative walk down memory lane; this week, you could blink and miss the walk I took.

For a long time, I had been wanting to see the sunset at Sidney Pier. Sidney is a beautiful seaside town at the northern tip of the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island. Many of us pass it on our way to Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal when we’re heading to the mainland. (It’s only 6 km south of the ferry.) So it’s very easy to forget that it’s a place we can enjoy and explore.

Screenshot via www.sidney.ca – The little red dot represents Sidney, BC.

One evening, my husband and I timed a drive out there to coincide with the sunset. We didn’t know the area very well, but we aimed ourselves towards the waterfront and found a parking spot on the street near the pier. It gave us a time limit of 15 minutes.

My husband has a better sense of time, so he strode purposefully on ahead. I dawdled along, stopping to take photos. And I realized that we weren’t actually going to see the sun setting, because the waterfront faces the east. Oh, well, no matter. It was still very beautiful.

This is where I realized I’d better get a move on. The waterfront walkway was still a ways ahead.

Made it to the walkway! Now, can you see Mount Baker in my photo? No, neither can I. This is the best my cellphone camera could do. 😉

Gorgeous views over the side of the walkway.

And looks like this seagull was enjoying the view too.

And look over there – it’s a bird… No, it’s a plane! Evidence of the Victoria International Airport nearby.

Now to head back. The lowering sun brought out some gorgeous colours in the sky.

The nice thing about this walkway is you can do a quick 15-minute stroll like we did, or you can take your time and stop to enjoy the sites. In 2012, a Sidney Seaside Sculpture Walk opened to the public. According to the Sidney by the sea website, this outdoor art gallery begins in Beacon Park and stretches south along the waterfront walkway in the direction of Sidney International Ferry Terminal.

The waterfront walkway itself is 2.5 km long and is nice and level, so it’s a comfortable, leisurely way to enjoy the Salish Sea. This webpage has some more information about the walkway and directions to follow if you’d like to extend the walk.

So, that’s my quick, 15-minute stroll at Sidney Pier.

I’ve linked this walk with Jo’s Monday Walk. This week, she wrote about Cotherstone and the Teesdale Way. Her writing is as beautiful as her photos, so I highly recommend visiting her site. You can read her post here.

Until next time, dear readers, have a great week!