British Columbia Continued....

Just an hour and a half’s drive from Penticton, we travelled here twice. Our first visit was to the Kettle Valley Steam Railway for their Great Train Robbery and BBQ. Here we got to experience the ‘Old West’ and the Garnet Valley Gang. The actors / volunteers were great at reassuring all of the smaller guests that it was all acting and for fun and so the children were able to really engage when the robbers held us up at gun point and boarded the train to ‘rob’ us. All monies taken are donated to various charities and we were advised which ones they were currently supporting at that time.

Our second visit to Penticton was more for the adults (!!) where we spent a lovely afternoon wine tasting. We stopped by the tourist office on our way through Penticton and were given some great advice on which ones were good to stop at for lunch, were good for children and we also received a couple of free wine tasting vouchers. Our first stop was to Serendipity Winery, and this was my favourite spot. With a bistro located on their outdoor patio, we enjoyed a lovely tapas style lunch before sampling some of their wines. Another stop was to Lake Breeze Vineyard which had been recommended to us by the tourist office. Whilst Shawneen and I went off wine tasting, the men took Bethany and Emily around the farm and played giant, outdoor chess with them – a perfect combination keeping the whole family happy!

Around exploring the local area from Princeton, we also went away on two camping trips – horse and dogs included. Paul and Shawneen have an amazing trailer that includes a tack room and horse box making it possible for the larger animals to come too. Our first trip was to Manning Provincial Park, and we stayed on the equestrian camp site; Headwaters. With hitching posts, corrals, and small open areas for the horses, it is fully equipped to take your horses with you. We were very lucky with the time we spent there as we had the whole site to ourselves. Trails are located straight from the campsite however due to storm damage earlier in the year, we weren’t able to ride the full loop that Paul and Shawneen would normally do from here. This park is also home to Lightning Lake, a freshwater lake where you are able to swim, kayak and paddleboard. We spent two days by the lake as the weather was so warm whilst we were here. Bethany and Emily loved hand feeding the ground squirrels and we all loved exploring these huge lakes on the kayaks.

Our second camping trip was to Kane Lake, Merritt. Another equestrian camp site, here we spent all of our time horse riding. By the end of this trip, Bethany and Emily were dab hands at all things to do with having horses – and of course were nagging us for their own once we returned to the UK. Another beautiful site that is equipped for horses and where you are able to access trails directly from your pitch.

As with all adventures, our time with Paul and Shawneen, along with Canada, came to an end. We all loved our time in BC however there are still so many areas that we haven’t explored, and we could have easily spent another 3 weeks and not been ready to come home.

If you are looking at doing a self-drive tour of Canada, I would recommend the car hire and accommodation route over the RV. We were lucky as the equestrian sites allow you more space and you aren’t on top of one another however we did see the standard RV site and you are packed in – not something that appeals to me!

Whether this has inspired you to explore BC further, do a huge trek across Canada or visit another part of this beautiful country, I would love to help you design a holiday to suit you….and of course, I know we will be back to BC. I just hope its sooner rather than later!