Located approximately 40 km south of Vancouver and approximately 20 km from the Canada US border. Ferries depart from Tsawwassen for both Swartz Bay (serving Victoria ) and Duke Point (serving Nanaimo ) at regular intervals.Check www.bcferries.com for info. Long term parking is available at Tsawwassen. However you may have to cycle from the parking area along the causeway to the ferry terminal. For those unfamiliar with the BC Ferry system, it is one of the largest and most efficient in the world and the vessels that depart from Tsawwassen can carry up to 450 vehicles each.

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Intersection Pat Bay Highway/ Lands End Road Wait for the vehicle traffic to leave the ferry. As you leave the ferry you are on Highway #17 or what is known locally as the Pat Bay Highway. While still in the ferry terminal area, you will see a sign that says ‘For Rotary Route follow Lochside Trail and Interurban Trail’. These are the signs that you will be following throughout the Saanich Peninsula. When you get to the Cowichan Valley following the trip on the Mill Bay Ferry, the signage will be the distinctive blue and gold “Rotary Route Signage”. You are heading west towards Victoria . As soon as you leave the terminal, turn right on Lands End Road . Turn right again and take the overpass back across the highway, through the intersection controlled by the stop light to Curteis Road . Turn right on Curteis and go down the hill towards the water. Immediately in front of you will be the tidal flats of Tsehum Harbour - www.harbour-house.com . Follow the path along the edge of the water. This is the beginning of the Galloping Goose/Lochside Trail Cycling Route - www.crd.bc.ca/parks/brochures/gallop_goose_lochsid.pdf that services Victoria . The trail is dedicated to cyclists only. As you proceed west the highway will be on your right and Tsehum Harbour will be on your left. If you already feel the need for refreshment or if this is the end of your trip, there is an excellent pub just off Curteis Road , down Canoe Cove Road , known as the Stone House Pub - www.stonehousepub.com There are also many marinas in this vicinity.

For the first section of the Route, you must follow the signs that read "Lochside Trail". If you were to follow these signs they would take you all the way into Victoria . At the end of the 1.3 km intersection Lochside Trail/McDonald Park Road , the cycling trail ends and you are immediately on McDonald Park Road . Follow McDonald Park Road for approximately 1.5 km. McDonald Park Road bears to the right.

This is a main intersection. If you were to turn right on McTavish, you would quickly cross the Pat Bay Highway . At this point, you are very close to the Victoria International Airport . Continue straight through on Lochside Drive . After McTavish, Lochside is a residential area. This part of Lochside Drive is part of the Lochside Trail system.

Keep a close lookout for Amity. It is a very short street. Turn right on Amity and you will come to a pedestrian overpass. Look for the small yellow cycling signs directing you from the ‘Lochside Trail' to your right over Amity to the ‘Interurban Trai. Up to this point, the signage has been for the “Lochside Trail”. Dismount and push your bike across the overpass over the Highway. Go up the hill approximately 3 blocks until you reach Aldous.

East Saanich Road and Wallace.

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The Brentwood-Mill Bay Ferry is one of the highlights of this trip. In 2000 it was faced with extinction. A concerted effort by the Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition www.gvcc.bc.ca had a significant impact on the preservation of this wonderful route. The ferry from Brentwood Bay to Mill Bay takes approximately 25 minutes and crosses Saanich Inlet.

When you arrive at Mill Bay Ferry Terminal, follow Mill Bay Road from the ferry bearing right. You are now heading north. Saanich Inlet is on your right.

If you are camping, you may wish to stay at Bamberton Provincial Park which is an excellent campground with full facilities and beach front. However, to get to the park you have a very steep climb of about 1 km from the Mill Bay Ferry Terminal. To get to the park, turn left after exiting the short road from the ferry terminal and proceed up the hill on Mill Bay Road . At the top of the hill you will see the signs marking the park. Turn left off Mill Bay Road into Bamberton Provincial Park . If you cross under the Trans Canada Highway you have gone too far. From the entrance to Bamberton Park , you will go steeply downhill to the campground.

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Arbutus Ridge Golf and Country Club (Intersection of Telegraph Road and Hutchinson Road in Cobble Hill.

Intersection Telegraph Road and Aros Road

On your right is the Arbutus Ridge Golf and Country Club www.golfbc.com/courses/arbutusridge/ There is a good restaurant and pub here. You are now in the rural area known as Cobble Hill. Arbutus Ridge was one of the first planned retirement communities in Canada . There are now approximately 600 homes located in this development which is centered around a golf course and the waterfront.

Proceed straight north through this “T” intersection. The Satellite Park subdivision and access to Cherry Point Beach is at the end of Aros Road .

Telegraph Road/ Koksilah Road / Duncan / Trunk Road/Lakes Road/ Herd Road / Richards Trail . This is the start of the “ Alternate Route ” through the Cowichan Valley .

Make a point of stopping here. There are over 30 acres of vineyards on your left. This is one of the first vineyards on Vancouver Island . There is a beautiful picnic area, wine store and gift shop.

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The Village of Cowichan Bay was one of the original settlements on Vancouver Island . It has now become a funky place which combines major hotels, bed and breakfasts, many restaurants and shops with a working waterfront including shipyards, marinas and fish processing plants. This is probably the best place to stay if you are making a 2 day journey out of the Rotary Route . Everything that you will need for an overnight stay is located within Cowichan Bay .

This is another “T” intersection. You will be turning right off Tzouhalem onto Maple Bay Road to follow the “ Rotary Route ”. However, if you want to go into downtown Duncan , keep going straight on Tzouhalem Road which then becomes Trunk Road. Downtown Duncan is approximately 1.5 km from this point.On your right at this intersection is Cowichan Lodge, a seniors' facility with a large private park adjacent to it. Turn right here.

Follow Maple Bay Road generally eastbound. You are travelling through a relatively built-up area of newer homes. On your left is Quamichan Lake . At approximately kilometre 52 (on your right) is the Quamichan Inn www.thequamichaninn.com

Turn left. You are in the community of Crofton. Crofton is an industrial town with a long history. It was originally the site of a copper smelter for ore that was mined at Mt. Sicker just to the west of the town. It is now the site of the Norske Skog Pulp and Paper Mill, one of the largest such mills in British Columbia and one of the economic mainstays of the Cowichan Valley .

Chemainus is a Town of approximately 2,000 people. As you enter the town another great pub, The Horseshoe Bay Inn is on your left. John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie stayed here for an evening in the late 1880's when they were in the area to do some hunting and fishing and chart out the economic opportunities provided by the massive stands of timber that existed at the time.

If you want to make a 3 day trip out of the “ Rotary Route ” Chemainus would be a great place to stop. There are many restaurants and bed and breakfasts in the town. Chemainus has been a mill town since the mid 1800's. When the forest industry went through an upheaval in the 1980's, the enterprising citizens of Chemainus decided to create a tourist attraction in the form of large murals depicting the town's history. They were very successful. Although the town is still the location of a significant sawmill, the tourist industry is now a very important part of the town's economy. For more information about the facilities in Chemainus, http://www.chemainus.com

At this intersection you will turn right and you will be back on the main Trans Canada Highway . There is a shopping centre (with McDonald's, Dairy Queen, etc.) on the west side of this intersection. From this point you proceed north on the Island Highway through the town of Ladysmith . As you enter the Town of Ladysmith and pass the Visitor Information Centre make a point of going up the hill into Ladysmith.

The town itself was named after the site of one of the British victories during the Boer War and many of its streets are named after leading British military figures of that time.

After spending some time in Ladysmith you will continue northbound on the Island Highway . The traffic will be busy here but fortunately, this highway was constructed in late 2000 and the shoulders for cycling are very wide and very safe. If you are running out of time and have to rush to meet the Duke Point Ferry simply stay on the highway for another 20 km and the tour will be over.

On the south edge of the town of Ladysmith is Transfer Beach . Because Ladysmith was a coal mining centre in the early part of the 20 th century, this is the site from which the coal was “transferred” to the south. Most of the product went to heat the homes of the growing city of San Francisco . What was originally a coal transfer point is now a beautiful park with plenty of amenities.

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Turn right onto Brenton Page Road if you want to continue on the “Scenic Rotary Route Tour”. Head straight through and stay on the highway if you are in a rush or have had enough of undulating country roads. If you stay on the Trans Canada Highway , you will soon pass the Nanaimo Airport on your right and will eventually get to the Duke Point Ferry turn off. After turning right from the Highway onto Brenton-Page Road you will go down a relatively steep hill. Immediately on your right will be a sawmill and the end of Ladysmith Harbour . On your left will be a Redi-Mix plant. Keep bearing right as you go around the end of Ladysmith Harbour with the water on your right.

Make a sharp left turn off Brenton-Page onto Code Road . Code Road is a narrow road and there is a bit of a steep climb as you now proceed north. However, for a real treat continue on for about 2 km along Brenton-Page Road heading south. You will see the signs marking Page Point Inn. Page Point Inn is a beautiful facility with a fine restaurant and approximately 8 rooms for Bed & Breakfast services. It is located right on the water of Ladysmith Harbour with a beautiful view to the West. There is also a marina attached to this facility. It is a great place to stop for the night. If you stop at the Page Point Inn, just back track to Code Road to get onto the “ Rotary Route ”.

This is the second intersection of Cedar Road and Yellow Point Road . Turn right onto Yellow Point Road and then immediately right again into the grounds of the Crow and Gate Pub www.shift.to/crowandgate/ The Crow and Gate is a true English style country pub. It was the first neighbourhood pub in British Columbia . It is suitably situated at kilometre 100 of the ride and less than 10 km from the Duke Point Ferry Terminal. This pub has a beautiful garden in which you can enjoy a pint before the final push to the ferry. After reasonable libations, head back out of the pub onto Yellow Point Road, turn left , then immediately right, and get onto Cedar Road going north again. You are on the final stretch. If you still have it in you there is another pub at approximately kilometre 102 called The Wheatsheaf Inn . From here it is approximately 9 km (mostly downhill) to the ferry.