Jug Island Beach and Admiralty Point

The Regent Ramblers -- well, three of us -- had a FABULOUS hike today. The weather was perfect, the trails were challenging yet do-able, and the company was merry. We wove our way along Bedwell Bay Road to the Belcarra picnic area, then quickly located the trail head for Jug Island Beach. We didn't pass a single other person along the trail, and an hour later we emerged from the forest onto a secluded beach a stone's throw away from Jug Island. Just as Linda was going to slip behind a tree to change into her swimsuit to swim across to the island, two men in a motorized dinghy scooted up to the shore to ask us to leave. They were shooting an episode of the television series, Psyche ("a James Bond kind of show" one man said), and didn't want the three of us in the picture. We were disappointed, to say the least, but without whining turned around to trek back and find a spot for lunch somewhere on the trail.

After an arduous climb of about 200 meters, we were approached by two men who came puffing up a small side trail. We asked if the path they were on led to a beach, and they replied that it did, but it was a private beach. "Bob," and his buddy, the mayor of Belcarra, directed us back to Jug Island Beach, but when we told Bob that we had been asked to leave, he invited us follow the trail to his private beach. We snaked our way through the forest to an older cabin in the most idyllic spot you could imagine. Bob's wife, Sharon, greeted us enthusiastically, showed us around the place, then led us out to a spiral staircase leading down to the beach. If anyone is interested in a secluded get-away, Bob and Sharon have just opened up two rustic cabins on their property for people to rent. Their web site, when it's up and running, will be www.cozycove.ca.

We settled onto the foundation of what appeared to be an old dock, and dug into our picnic lunch. After satisfying rumbling tummies and thanking Sharon for her gracious hospitality, the Ramblers continued on down the trail back towards the picnic area. Exhilarated from the hike (that took just over two hours), we looked at each other and said, "Let's do Admiralty Point." This is a 6 km trail along the coastline. We had fun identifying the various wild flowers and were fascinated by the numerous different mushrooms/toadstools/fungi we saw along the way. The trail ended at an outcropping of rock that overlooked Deep Cove and Indian Arm.

By the time we got back to the car, we were weary but content. We plopped ourselves into the car, and as we drove excitedly discussed various options for our next ramble. Watch the blog to find out what the intrepid Ramblers are going to do next week.