Walking James Bay #2 – 45 minutes

By Trudy Chiswell

It was another grand afternoon as I started out to discover what the David Foster Harbour Pathway was. The whole pathway for walkers and cyclists will run from Rock Bay to Ogden Point when it is completed. Today I walked from the Inner Harbour to Ogden Point, about a 45 minute walk if you are hiking it or a leisurely stroll of a longer period if you are like me and like to smell the roses and enjoy the scenery. I have also been challenged by my fellow journalist at the Beacon to find all the hard ice cream places in James Bay for the summer months. So perhaps this could be called the ice cream walk!

I started my walk today at the spindle whol carving by First Nations, Songhees artist Butch Dick marking the old tidal mud flats at the Inner Harbour. Butch Dick is one of the most prolific First Nations artists in Victoria. The Songhees and Esquimalt people prized this area for fishing and clamming for thousands of years. Off to my right up above the inner harbour I see my first ice cream vendor. While this is not officially James Bay, it is a refreshing spot to end or begin a walk. Too early for me now to sample! Today the seagulls swoop through the air; ducks are quacking as I walk past the sail boats tied up at the marina, heading left towards the Robert Bateman Gallery. The little harbour taxis and tour boats flit around the tight space with the ease of a ballet. 

There are many artisans out with their wares on this bright sunny day and I get many friendly greetings on the way. As I get to the end of the Robert Bateman Gallery the walkway ends and I have to go up the stairs to the street level for a while. Continuing to the right along Bellville Street, I go past the ferry terminals and past little Quadra Park on my left.  Just after the Victoria Clipper terminal I see a plaque beside the street showing the David Foster Pathway map and beside it the entrance to the next portion of the walk. It looks like there is a proposed walk to go from the Inner Harbour and link up with the Laurel Point portion eventually.

Entering the wooded area off to the left of the sign, I take the lower path to the right side of the bench. Sitting on one of the many benches I enjoy the antics of the bearded heron below as he fishes for his dinner in the mud flats. Such a peaceful place! The walkway winds its way along the edge of the waterway and I pause every once in a while to see the sea planes take off or land and the water taxis shuttling their passengers to and fro along the waterway. There are many benches along the way to enjoy the scenery as the path skirts Laurel Point and rounds the corner towards Fisherman’s Wharf. I came to another of Butch Dick’s whol carving markers. This one marks where the First Nations had their burial grounds until the 1850s. As you pass the Coastal Hotel the path leads you up the driveway, but don’t miss the walkway sign and boardwalk off to your right. It is a very small sign and you could find yourself up on the street too soon. The wooden walkway leads me beyond Laurel Point and the first glimpse of the brightly painted house boats of Fisherman’s Wharf. This is an interesting perspective coming into the wharf.

Arriving at Fisherman’s Wharf I found my second ice cream stand and sat to enjoy the temping treats of Jackson’s Ice Cream stand. Walking the full length of Fisherman’s Wharf I go past many private boats and on to the fishing boats at the far end of the dock. There are three walkways that go back up to the shore to continue on the pathway. From here to Ogden Point it is just the regular street sidewalk all the way. No points of interest unless you include the Coast Guard buildings with the grass roof and the area where the RP Rithet & Co. ship yard in Major Bay used to be. This area was rich in history and it will be nice when they complete this part of the pathway and feature the past. For now it is just a shaded, cracked sidewalk path to take you down to the Ogden Point ships. It’s a letdown after the lovely walk I have just been on. Not a great beginning to the walk if the powers that be were trying to impress the thousands of cruise people into walking instead of using those smelly busses. This is such a short section and the first introduction into our beautiful city, that I’m surprised the city fathers have not beautified this part of the David Foster Pathway. Wouldn’t it be amazing if the busses were replaced by electric trolley cars to shuttle the cruise passengers to and from the Inner Harbour. Just think of all the pollution from the diesel busses that would be eliminated! It would be quaint and keep our air clean at the same time.

Soon I leave the cracked sidewalk and head off to the right towards the two cruise ships that are in port today. Here the pathway is well marked with zebra strips crossing the road to a red painted pathway that leads me safely down to the ships. I skirt the gift shop and follow the red pathway that takes me in front of the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship in dock, along the dock towards the Pier A building. Just past the building I make my way over to the water’s edge and find a lovely little paved point with lots of benches to watch to ships. There is a large heritage picture pavilion of the beginning of Victoria on this little point as well. Following the pathway up to the Breakwater Café is a wonderful view of all the murals painted on the side of the sea wall. I didn’t even know these were here as I have always come at the sea wall from the other side. The wall murals were designed by First Nations, Songhees artist Butch Dick and Equimalt artist Darlene Gait. It took many summer student projects with the direction of the designers to complete the beautiful display there now. Well worth the effort to just come down to sit for a while and enjoy!

As I come up to the roadway, I found another spot where you can get hard ice cream at the Breakwater Café. Now from here you have many options. If you are tired, you can catch a #31 bus back to the Inner Harbour. Or if you still have some energy, you can walk the sea wall to enjoy to sea air and cruise ships coming in and leaving. To walk back to the Inner Harbour from here is a 35 minute walk down Dallas Road to your right, turning left on Menzies Street to go straight to the end of the street. If you take this route you will pass the James Bay Coffee and Books across from the Thrifty Foods, another place to get hard ice cream. Well, that is three ice cream places in James Bay and one at the Inner Harbour for your summer enjoyment and the end of this walk. You can choose portions of this walk or the whole thing for your summer pleasure enjoying our wonderful community. It is a hidden treasure in Victoria! Look for another James Bay Walk next month…. and enjoy walking.