BAMBERTON BEACH: A Perfect Beach for a Reunion Picnic

Every summer my cousins who live on Vancouver Island get together for a family reunion picnic on beautiful Bamberton Beach.  This year there were a lot of the younger family members absent but we still had lots of fun.  The weather co-operated with a warm sunny day.  And although the tide was up quite high when we first got there, later on it receded enough to get into the water without having to walk over too many barnacle-covered stones to reach the sandy shoals.  The water was warm, too, making for a pleasant swim!

Bamberton Beach is 225 meters of sand flats and pebbled beach area with tide pools to explore and shallow, safe swimming areas for families to enjoy the sea.  The land once belonged to BC Cement Company and was given to the Province in 1959.  It is now a Provincial Park with campgrounds up from the beach among the forest. Looking east  you'll see the shores of the Saanich Peninsula with the Gulf Islands and Mt. Baker beyond.

It's located 45 kms. north of Victoria off Highway 1 and close to the communities of Mill Bay, Shawnigan Lake, Cobble Hill and Duncan.

You can find information about Bamberton Beach Provincial Park and some of the programs that are offered for children and families here: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/bamberton/

 The little boys who attended, grandsons of my cousin Lynette and her husband Marv, had a great day playing on the shore and exploring the little fresh-water creek that runs into the sea.  Later they played crokinole on the grass with their grandpa. 

Exploring the Tide Pools

I look forward each year (this is the fourth) to this picnic with the cousins and their families.  And the trip over to Victoria by ferry is also a pleasant voyage. This time we even spotted a couple of pods of Orcas!

THE COUSINS: Me, Merilyn,Lynette and Adele

See you at the beach next summer, Cousins!