Mobile Menu

  • Destinations
    • Canada
      • British Columbia
        • Vancouver Island, B.C.
        • Okanagan
        • Lower Mainland, B.C.
        • Northern B.C.
        • Interior B.C.
        • Kootenays/Rockies
      • Alberta
      • Yukon
      • Northwest Territories
    • U.S.A.
      • Alaska
      • Washington
      • Oregon
      • California
    • West Coast Galleries
  • Experiences
    • Things To Do
    • Staycation Secrets
      • Canada
      • U.S.A.
    • Adventure
      • Adrenaline
      • Beaches
      • Biking
      • Camping
      • Fishing
      • Hiking
      • Hunting and Fishing
      • Rafting
      • Skiing
    • Sip & Savour
    • Family Activities
    • Indigenous Tourism
    • Accessible Travel
    • Travel Tips & Advisories
  • West Coast Galleries
    • Nature Photography
    • Wildlife Photography
    • Cityscapes
  • Contests
    • It’s A Shore Thing Summer Getaway
    • Camel’s Hump Guest Ranch Getaway
    • Raft. Relax. Recharge
  • About
    • The Armchair Traveller Newsletter
    • Explore our travel guides
    • Impressive West Coast
    • West Coast Partners
    • West Coast Traveller Directory
    • Join Our Team
    • Contact Us
    • Explore West Coast Traveller on TikTok
  • Search
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • TikTok Icon
  • Flickr Icon
  • Menu
  • Skip to left header navigation
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • TikTok Icon
  • Flickr Icon

West Coast Traveller

  • Destinations
    • Canada
      • British Columbia
        • Vancouver Island, B.C.
        • Okanagan
        • Lower Mainland, B.C.
        • Northern B.C.
        • Interior B.C.
        • Kootenays/Rockies
      • Alberta
      • Yukon
      • Northwest Territories
    • U.S.A.
      • Alaska
      • Washington
      • Oregon
      • California
    • West Coast Galleries
  • Experiences
    • Things To Do
    • Staycation Secrets
      • Canada
      • U.S.A.
    • Adventure
      • Adrenaline
      • Beaches
      • Biking
      • Camping
      • Fishing
      • Hiking
      • Hunting and Fishing
      • Rafting
      • Skiing
    • Sip & Savour
    • Family Activities
    • Indigenous Tourism
    • Accessible Travel
    • Travel Tips & Advisories
  • West Coast Galleries
    • Nature Photography
    • Wildlife Photography
    • Cityscapes
  • Contests
    • It’s A Shore Thing Summer Getaway
    • Camel’s Hump Guest Ranch Getaway
    • Raft. Relax. Recharge
  • About
    • The Armchair Traveller Newsletter
    • Explore our travel guides
    • Impressive West Coast
    • West Coast Partners
    • West Coast Traveller Directory
    • Join Our Team
    • Contact Us
    • Explore West Coast Traveller on TikTok
  • Search
You are here: Home / news / A taste of Salt Spring, handmade with heart

Moroccan chickpea salad and a modern cider flight at Salt Spring Wild Cider House on Salt Spring Island, one of the stops on the new Taste of Salt Spring tour from Sidney Whale Watching. (Amy Attas photo)

A taste of Salt Spring, handmade with heart

August 17, 2022 //  by Amy Attas

Share this:

Life is a little softer on the Gulf Islands. Time moves slower, smiles come easier. So if you’re planning a mid-week escape, it makes sense that the journey there should be a little softer too.

You can get to Salt Spring Island from both Victoria and Vancouver using BC Ferries, but you’ll be one or two storeys above the salty brine of the ocean, slightly removed from the sea life and a little too connected to modern stresses. Why not take a smaller skiff, and make a few pitstops along the way to commune with seals and seabirds?

That was the inspiration for the new Taste of Salt Spring Island tour from Sidney Whale Watching, which combines a wildlife boat tour with a guided land tour of the island’s finest artisanal food and drinks.

“We know there is so much to offer on both land and sea and we wanted to create a tour where our guests could have both experiences in one day,” says Megan Leblanc from Sidney Whale Watching.

Salt Spring Island is serviced daily by BC Ferries, but visiting the island on a smaller boat makes the travel part of the adventure. (Amy Attas photo)

Captain Cal shepherds us gently through the sailboats and yachts anchored at Port Sidney Marina before bringing the 12-passenger aluminum boat up to cruising speed. The wind whips our hair, and we leave the busy city mentality in our wake. I’d forgotten how thrilling a little boat can be, even an extremely stable one outfitted with all the safety gear to meet Transport Canada wildlife viewing standards. I’m also glad I brought a jacket, even though it’s a warm summer day.

We whiz past the sprawling sand of Sidney Spit at low tide and check in on the largest seabird colony in the Strait of Georgia, roosting on the cliffs of Mandarte Island. A few islands over, families of seals are sunning on the rocks with their pups. Orcas and humpbacks are often passing through these waters so I keep my eyes peeled, but no such luck on this day.

Cormorants on Mandarte Island, seals with their pups and other views on the boat ride between Sidney and Salt Spring Island. (Amy Attas photo)

At Salt Spring’s Fulford Harbour we’re welcomed by Jason Griffin, owner and operator of Tour Salt Spring, who ushers us up the dock to his ‘only on Salt Spring’ tour van. The first thing I notice is the rustic wooden bumper and other hand-made details and Jason explains that the van is powered by used vegetable oil from a local restaurant, meaning that our tour is officially carbon neutral.

It’s a short drive to Salt Spring Island Cheese, where founder David Wood has been crafting quality goat cheese since 1996. After establishing a gourmet food store in Toronto, Wood sought a change-of-pace on Salt Spring and soon made a name for himself again with “simply the best tasting and looking cheese you will find, from one of the most beautiful islands in the world,” according to their website.

The shop is well designed for visitors, with windows into every stage of the cheesemaking process, complimentary tastings and a summer café. My favourite was chilli feta with apricot and chilli spread, but it’s impossible to go wrong. It was a little early for ice cream on our visit, but a reporter’s duty never sleeps and the chocolate goat milk gelato was smooth, sweet and betrayed no hint of farm flavour.

Watch the entire cheesemaking process, then taste the finished product at Salt Spring Island Cheese. (Amy Attas photo)

Through the island’s commercial centre in Ganges (don’t worry, there’s no traffic) is our next stop, Salt Spring Wild, which uses the island’s historic and diverse apple trees to make a wide variety of traditional and modern ciders. Salt Spring Island was once the province’s hub for apple orchards and still boasts more than 450 varieties, celebrated every fall at the Salt Spring Island Apple Festival.

Founded in 2015, Salt Spring Wild opened with a clear vision, well executed. Apples are gathered from properties all over the island — helping locals manage the harvest from heritage trees and giving tree owners a financial boost. An old barn has been renovated into a chic tasting room, a covered patio offers full-service dining, and picnic tables a few steps further mean there are options for more relaxed dining as well.

Sometimes Gulf Islands can be so laid back that service suffers, but at Salt Spring Wild you’ll find the perfect balance of earthy authenticity and polished hospitality.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Travel | Explore | Discover (@thewestcoasttraveller)

Between stops, Jason points out local landmarks and shares some of the island’s history — first settled by the Saanich, Cowichan and Chemainus First Nations, it also welcomed African American, Japanese and Hawaiian settlers who first arrived in the late 1800s.

In recent decades Salt Spring Island has attracted a different kind of immigrant — Canadians moving from other parts of the country, bringing with them exceptional artistic and dining-related talents. Cordon Bleu Chefs and former restaurant owners Michael and Rie Papp are two examples, moving to the island and soon starting the artisanal distillery Salt Spring Shine. It’s a small shop on a quiet, rural property, but it’s rich with their own creative projects and features work from other artists as well. We listen to the record player and take in the vibrant paintings of Sandra Albo while sipping on moonshine, gin and vodka made from local honey.

Michael Papp of Salt Spring Shine, spinning records and offering sips of moonshine made from local honey. (Amy Attas photo)

Our tour ambles along, never hurried and never dull. We pass tourists exploring the island by e-bike and locals relaxing next to the lake. At Garry Oaks Estate Winery we take a short stroll through the vineyard rows and soak in the mountain views before tasting a surprising variety of award-winning reds and whites grown on the modest estate. The pinot noir is a favourite, based on the purchases of our tour group at least.

Tucked into a healthy cedar and fir forest next to a natural spring is our last stop, Salt Spring Brewing Co. After 24 years in business it’s no spring chicken on the B.C. craft beer scene, and carries a nice balance of ground-breakers and beers that go down easy. Don’t leave without tasting the Heather Ale, brewed from an ancient recipe, using heather flowers from Victoria’s Butchart Gardens.

Jason from Tour Salt Spring leaves us at Fulford Harbour with half an hour to spare — enough time for a relaxing walk through the shops or a peaceful rest in the sun, listening to the waves lapping at the dock. Captain Cal shows up right on time, carrying us gently back to reality in time for dinner.

Sidney Whale Watching’s Taste of Salt Spring Tour runs through October 2022, and is also available as a private charter.

Serene views at Garry Oaks Estate Winery and Salt Spring Brewing Co., the final two stops on the Taste of Salt Spring tour. (Amy Attas Photo)

Plan your adventures throughout the West Coast at westcoasttraveller.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @thewestcoasttraveller. And for the top West Coast Travel stories of the week delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our weekly Armchair Traveller newsletter!

Share this:

Category: news, TravelTag: British Columbia Destinations, Canada, Food, Salt Spring Island, Staycation secrets, Things to do, Things to Do in Vancouver Island, WCT Intro

Related Posts

You may be interested in these posts from the same category.

Calgary, Sooke + Haida Gwaii named 3 of the best fishing destinations in Canada

The three Western Canadian locations on FishingBooker.com’s list of Canada’s best fishing destinations reveal the…

Calgary, Sooke + Haida Gwaii named 3 of the best fishing destinations in CanadaRead More

Nature Conservancy of Canada purchases land for protection in southern Alberta

A property that includes fescue grasslands, forests and wetlands near Waterton Lakes National Park in…

Nature Conservancy of Canada purchases land for protection in southern AlbertaRead More

Parks Canada updating its reservation system to book camping and other activities

Parks Canada says visitors will be able to start booking reservations for camping and other…

Parks Canada updating its reservation system to book camping and other activitiesRead More

Knowledge is power: New guidebooks map accessible PNW trails

What is an ‘easy’ hike? For a mountaineer, an easy hike might be one that…

Knowledge is power: New guidebooks map accessible PNW trailsRead More

‘It was a super cool experience’: Wolfpack spotted hanging out in Kelowna

A Kelowna photographer captured images of a pack of wolves while on a weekend hike…

‘It was a super cool experience’: Wolfpack spotted hanging out in KelownaRead More

Gary the cat shreds the gnar in Golden

He might be a better skier and influencer than any Gen Z could imagine, possibly…

Gary the cat shreds the gnar in GoldenRead More

Travel on the Fly: Dine Out Vancouver; Waddling with penguins in Calgary; Fernie’s powder perfection + more!

What’s going on around the West Coast? Here’s your inside guide to what’s happening where,…

Travel on the Fly: Dine Out Vancouver; Waddling with penguins in Calgary; Fernie’s powder perfection + more!Read More

Nothing is the New Something in B.C.’s Southern Gulf Islands

Many travellers believe spring and summer are the best times to explore. That means the…

Nothing is the New Something in B.C.’s Southern Gulf IslandsRead More

Vancouver Island photographer’s bald eagle image is Canada’s choice for international contest

A dramatic image by professional Vancouver Island photographer Anthony Bucci will represent Canada in a…

Vancouver Island photographer’s bald eagle image is Canada’s choice for international contestRead More

Previous Post: « Discover the Macbeth Icefield: Palatial landscape of the West Kootenay
Next Post: From sea to shore, it’s easy to slow down and savour Sooke’s local bounty »

Primary Sidebar

Things To Do

Calgary, Sooke + Haida Gwaii named 3 of the best fishing destinations in Canada

January 31, 2023

Nature Conservancy of Canada purchases land for protection in southern Alberta

January 31, 2023

Parks Canada updating its reservation system to book camping and other activities

January 31, 2023

Knowledge is power: New guidebooks map accessible PNW trails

January 30, 2023

Recent Posts

Calgary, Sooke + Haida Gwaii named 3 of the best fishing destinations in Canada

January 31, 2023

Nature Conservancy of Canada purchases land for protection in southern Alberta

January 31, 2023

Parks Canada updating its reservation system to book camping and other activities

January 31, 2023

Knowledge is power: New guidebooks map accessible PNW trails

January 30, 2023

Footer

The West Coast Traveller has an immense social media footprint, with eight social media sites and and 125,000+ social followers.

Join us on social media and Join Our Community by sharing your stuff!

Get Inspired

News Media Groups

Black Press Media
Sound Publishing
Oahu Media Group
Alaska
Boulevard Magazines
Used.ca

Let’s Get Social

West Coast Traveller
I Love British Columbia
I Love Alberta
I Love Yukon
I Love Northwest Territories
I Love Washington
I Love California
I Love Oregon
I Love Alaska

Visit Our Companion Sites

I Love Saskatchewan
I Love Manitoba
I Love Nunavut
I Love Ontario
I Love Quebec
I Love Newfoundland and Labrador
I Love Nova Scotia
I Love New Brunswick
I Love Prince Edward Island

Site Footer

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • TikTok Icon

Copyright © 2023 West Coast Traveller and · All Rights Reserved