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Walking Oak Bay’s lanes and trails
Tuesday, August 20th, 2002 by GetawayBC.com
The Walk:
Oak Bay Village, Brighton Avenue, Foul Bay Road, Windsor Park, Oak Bay waterfront. The centrepiece of this walk is “the Village”, where you’ll begin and end.
From the bustling Village core you will be led along lanes and trails to Oak Bay’s western boundary at Foul Bay Road, and down quiet streets to the eastern shores of Oak Bay. Stately heritage homes, tree-lined streets, ripening vegetable gardens, open parks and pleasant sea views offer a wonderful way to spend an early afternoon walking across Oak Bay.
Where to start:
Anywhere in the Oak Bay Village.
Distance of walk:
2.7 miles (4.5 kilometres)
Difficulty:
Easy to moderate walking (with some slopes and ungroomed trails, including one set of stairs, but much level ground).
Time to walk:
Brisk, 45 minutes; moderate, 1 hour; touring pace,
1 hour 45 minutes, or longer if you pause to talk to a
gardener.
Remember:
Narrow lanes and trails often follow property lines and buildings closely – please respect the property and privacy of residents. Take this article with you and follow the map, you may wish to explore other lanes and streets you discover. There are also several places to go for tea in the Village once you have finished the walk.
1. After disembarking in the Village and wandering past the shops, proceed to the traffic light at Monterey Avenue. Turn right at the Blethering Place and follow Monterey to Hampshire Terrace. Then go right, passing along this lane to Hampshire Road. (Take note of 2224 Hampshire Terrace: built in 1897, it is the former farmhouse of William Noble, a dairyman. Can you see the original stone and brick creamery on the grounds?)
2. Go left on Hampshire Road to Brighton Avenue, and turn right along the path and up the stairs. Then follow the path across to the end of Roslyn Road, then through the outcropping of rock topped with oak trees return to Brighton. Continue straight ahead, crossing Victoria Avenue and passing Mitchell Street to the short path ending at Foul Bay Road. (Enjoy the character of the many large homes in this area, most of which were built between 1911 and 1912.)
3. Walk left on Foul Bay Road through the four-way stop at McNeill Avenue. (There are a number of heritage homes along Foul Bay that offer estate names such as: Foreen, 921; Edgecliffe, 925; Kildonan, 931; and Tor Lodge, 935. Of note on Runnymede Avenue is Blair Gowie, 2031, a Samuel Maclure designed home). Continue on Foul Bay to Runnymede. (At this point you have left Oak Bay and are actually in Victoria). Go left on Runnymede Avenue and take the left fork onto Runnymede Place (you are now back in Oak Bay) to McNeill Avenue.
4. Go right on McNeill Avenue, then left on Falkland Road. (Don’t ignore the large homes at the end of Falkland Place, especially Kildonan Carriage House at 2088). Circle back and turn left onto Sutherland Road to Victoria Avenue. Turn left on Victoria to Windsor Road.
5. Turn right on Windsor. Continue across Newport Avenue to Beach Drive. (You may catch a cricket or rugby match in progress at Windsor Park).
6. Walk left on Beach Drive along the waterfront to Beresford Street (you will likely be lured to linger for a few moments by the pleasant distractions on or in the bay). Turn left up Beresford to Newport Avenue. Go left on Newport to Transit Road.
7. Turn right on Transit to a point just before St. Denis Street and you will find a path on your right. Follow the path up the hill through oak trees to rejoin Brighton. Follow Brighton to the second street, St. Patrick.
8. Turn right on St. Patrick to Oak Bay Avenue, then left on Oak Bay to return to the Village centre.;