Bike the Cowichan Valley Trail

https://www.cvrd.ca/121/Cowichan-Valley-Trail
2 minutes away

Passing just above the cottage, the Cowichan Valley Trail follows the old route of the Canadian Northern Pacific Railway. The tracks have long been removed leaving a wide, level trail through the woods that runs from the town of Lake Cowichan all the way to Duncan, making up part of the Great Trail of Canada. You’ll pass through mature second-growth forest, cross over trestle bridges and maybe make a stop at Skutz Falls along the way.

Buy a Cowichan Sweater

https://sa-cinn.com/
https://www.cherylstradingpost.com/
http://coastsalishjourney.com/
22 minutes away

While you’re at the cottage you could order an iconic, hand-knit Cowichan sweater or visit the studio of a local indigenous wood-carver. The Cowichan people have made their home in this valley for more than 4,500 years and their traditions are as much a part of the “warm land” of the Cowichan Valley as the salmon and the cedars.

Visit Duncan Farmer’s Market

https://www.duncanfarmersmarket.ca/
22 minutes away

The Cowichan Valley is a rich agricultural area and the Duncan Farmer’s Market is a great place to find local produce as well as delicious breads, jams, cheeses, wine and more. It runs on Saturdays throughout the year and is well worth checking out.

Visit a Tea Farm: Westholme Tea Company

https://westholmetea.com/
26 minutes away

Canada’s first (and still only) organic tea farm is just north of Duncan. Westholme imports and blends fine loose-leaf tea but they also grow their own tea, proving that Camellia sinensis, the tea plant, can thrive in the Cowichan Valley’s microclimate.

Shop for Antiques

https://www.antiquebarn.ca/
https://www.vintiquity.ca/
http://www.postofficeantiquemall.com/
https://www.antiqueaddict.ca/
32 to 40 minutes away

Nearby Chemainus and Ladysmith are great to visit for many reasons, but if you’re into antiques, they’re really wonderful, with a few different shops to explore in each town. From an old butter mold or a perfect little art pottery vase to a throne used in the filming of Game of Thrones, you never know what you’ll find!

Go Wine-Tasting

http://www.alderlea.ca/
https://www.averillcreek.ca/
https://www.bluegrouse.ca/
https://www.cherrypointestatewines.com/
http://www.deolestatewinery.com/
https://www.emandarevineyard.com/http://www.rockycreekwinery.ca/
https://www.unsworthvineyards.com/
https://zanatta.ca/
16 to 38 minutes away

Vancouver Island wine has come a long way from loganberry wine in the 1920s. While grapes have been grown in the Cowichan Valley since the early 1900s, it wasn’t until the Zanatta family, having experimented with growing wine grapes since the 1970s, officially became the first commercial Vancouver Island winery, opening in 1992. It’s no surprise that it was an Italian family that pioneered wine-making in the Cowichan Valley; with its mild winters and warm, dry summers, the valley is part of the only region in Canada that has a maritime Mediterranean climate. Many others followed in Zanatta’s footsteps. There are now 32 licensed grape wineries on Vancouver Island and in 2020, the Cowichan Valley was recognized as B.C.’s first wine-growing sub-region outside of the Okanagan Valley.

Go Tubing Or Paddling On the River

https://www.cowichanriver.com/
0 to 15 minutes away

In the hot months of summer, tubing on the Cowichan River is a favourite way to cool off. From Lake Cowichan you can rent tubes and spend a lazy two-and-a-half hours drifting down the beautiful river to Little Beach, just downriver from Cowichan Cottage. You can also save the rental fee and use the old-school tubes available at the cottage. For paddlers, there are two kayaks along with life-jackets for you to use. Kayaking is a great way to really explore the river. Just be aware, whether tubing, kayaking or swimming, that even a peaceful-looking river can be dangerous. Make sure you know what you’re doing and be safe!

A few more ideas:

• Hiking
• Mountain Biking
• Mushroom Foraging
• Restaurants
• Swimming and Boating on Lake Cowichan
• Golf
• Visit Tourism Cowichan for more!

In the 1890s, Colonel Andrew Haggard, older brother of writer H. Rider Haggard, discovered the joys of fishing on the Cowichan River. He wrote numerous articles for the popular British sporting magazine The Field extolling the virtues of the river and its abundance of large trout and salmon. He eventually built a fishing lodge on the river on the edge of the town of Lake Cowichan.

see: Colonel Haggard of the Cowichan

A few years later, James Dunsmuir, coal-mining and railroad magnate and former premier of British Columbia, built his own fishing lodge just downstream from Col. Haggard’s. Next to the lodge was a caretaker’s house, and beyond that, a charming guest house. That guest house is Cowichan Cottage.

see: The Canadian Encyclopedia: James Dunsmuir

Whether you’re an experienced fly-fisherman or just want to give it a try, you should learn a bit about the rules for the Cowichan River. To protect the fish and other life in the river there are quite a few regulations, so make sure you know what is and isn’t allowed. The British Columbia Travel Guide says that the Cowichan River “is the most regulated river in British Columbia and consequently it’s one of the best”. Make sure your license is up-to-date, and check out recreational fishing regulations for British Columbia.

Or you can take the guess-work out of it and hire one of the excellent fishing guides on the Cowichan River. There are many to choose from, but you can’t do better than Kenzie’s: http://www.kenzies.com/adventures/rivers/cowichan-river/

The upstairs bathroom has a spacious shower and a lovely tile floor.