Hornby Island Getaway

I recently spent a lovely few days on Hornby Island at a friends’ rustic cabin. By rustic I mean no electricity or running water, and an outhouse in the woods. It was actually refreshing to get away from modernity, and live the simple life (at least for a while!)

There are a lot of tourists on Hornby in the summer, and the majority are “doing the rounds,” checking out deservedly gorgeous spots like Helliwell Provincial Park and Tribune Bay. We did likewise, but we also spent some time at a quiet cove at a public beach access at the end of Tralee Rd.

The rock formations on this beach are absolutely amazing. Water erosion has worn patterns into the the sandstone, creating swiss-cheese like holes, and bigger pot-hole sized tide pools ringed with anemones and other sea creatures.

The smooth sandstone contrasted with pebbly beach and outcroppings of conglomerate. The conglomerate looks as if a expert mason has been at work, joining cobbely rock together with mortar.

Huge boulders dropped by glaciers long ago (erratics) are like well-placed vertical accents to the otherwise horizontal spread of the beach. On one of these boulders I found spots of bright orange lichen that looked like tattoos.

We walked as far as Tralee Point, which gave us a nice view of the surrounding area. A few people in red kayaks paddled peacefully by, without disturbing a few Harlequin Ducks perched on rocks.

This beach walk was one of the highlights of our trip, and I look forward to discovering more hidden gems on this island paradise.

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