Another round.

We’ve recently had the pleasure to visit Denman and Hornby Island. Both islands are a short ferry trip from just outside Courtenay, British Columbia.

Again utilizing our trusty BC Ferries ferry network, we were only two ten-minute sailings between islands. It’s always fantastic visiting small communities. Both the scenery and the people change–and there’s more time to chat with locals.

Time seems to slow down as you hop from one island to the next. Calm waters about, Denman rose ahead of us as we spied our arrival terminal from the water.

We knew we were driving Denman in a hurry. Aiming to get the most of Hornby, we planned to return to Denman briefly at end of day. We raced from Buckley to Gravelly Bay and made the line up for the Hornby vessel with time to spare. Time enough for a decaf Americano from a pop up coffee stand.

Time spent on Hornby was full of surprises. We were in need of food. Studying the maps in hand we started east around the island and landed at Hornby Island Bakery & Pizzeria. With little available late morning, we bought a handful of poppyseed bagels and a nutty brownie.

Enjoyed a delightful time at the Ringside Market by the Hornby Island Coop Grocer. At this little hub were a series of small stalls and eateries all clumped together. We dined on a mound of a taco from VORIZO Cafe surrounded by potters, artists, children and chess-playing fellows. We really felt like we had escaped society and had a brief taste of island life. Delightful.

We carried on around what we thought was a ring road and were cut short at Ford Cove. We retraced our tracks to the return ferry line up. The Thatch Pub & Restaurant served up a hearty helping of fish and chips.

Back on Denman we were getting ready to return home at last. We took time to stop in at Ima’s Kitchen, providing hearth-baked organic breads. True to the honour system you wrote your purchase in the log book and left cash. We selected a wild yeasted sourdough loaf and a savoury pita. Nine dollars total.

Humming back across the water to Vancouver Island at last we felt we had seen two other island worlds. Not far from home but far enough. Zipping homewards back down the highway we recalled warm welcomes and unique experiences. Who could ask for more?