21 Loopers gathered for this month’s walk on the Spirit Trail just south of the Park Royal Mall.  With umbrellas deployed, the group headed down to Ambleside Park and westward along the shore of English Bay.  We strolled through Ambleside Park, past Ambleside Village, and along the seawall walk to Dundarave.  The crew broke into several groups along the way (repeated in variations over the day). We all regrouped upon reaching Dundarave where people took the opportunity for snacks and wardrobe adjustments.

From Dundarave our route took us along several side streets and lanes below Marine Drive with occasional views down to the water and some fine examples of Fall foliage.  Upon reaching West Bay Park people decided not to descend into the park, but instead crossed Marine Drive and regrouped under the railway overpass. 

We climbed and took a wooded trail through McKechnie Park, then dropped down to Marine Drive briefly before once more ascending on another loop. We returned to Marine Drive, passing a park and school, and after crossing the road, stopped briefly at Isetta Café, which provided temporary shelter from the rain, which by this time was starting to let up a little.  An adjacent building had an interesting collection of vehicles.

Heading down some roads to a small beach, we determined that the tide was too high to walk along the beach so we were forced back up to Marine Drive for a final short stretch.  We then followed a trail back down to the shore where we could walk along the rocky shore on Caulfeild Bay.  At this point the rain had finally stopped. Crossing over to the quaintly named Tiddley Cove, we passed by St Francis-in-the-Wood Church.  (For those interested, a brief history of the early days of Caulfeild Village and the church can be found here.)

From here it was a brief walk up the road to where we entered Lighthouse Park for a final climb through the woods to our destination, the parking lot at Lighthouse Park.  The final stretch proved to be a little more challenging than anticipated due to a number of fallen trees – the aftermath of the recent high winds.

Fortunately, enough cars had been left at the parking lot so bussing from there was not required.  A few people departed at this point, while two groups opted for post-walk refreshments.  The coffee crew headed to Isetta for coffee and treats.  The other group convened at Milestones in Park Royal for more potent potables and various appies.

Pictures from Michael, Jon, Adrienne, Jean, Fred, Larrie, Diane