Cumber-what?! Why this village is worth checking out.

Cumber-what?? It's OK, I didn't know where Cumberland was on the map either before we went but now we know of this little town...actually I think it's actually a village. It's a village totally worth visiting. So if you do go, here is what we learned from our 6 days in the village of Cumberland....

#1 : Make sure you go the right ferry terminal

We know from experience now that you should always double check which ferry terminal you are sailing out from. Both Tsawwassen and Horseshoe Bay will sail to Nanaimo and realizing when you are past Ikea in Richmond that you are heading to the wrong terminal really adds unnecessary stress and panic and hyperventilation to the trip. 

#2: After you make it to the right terminal, make sure you are actually loaded on the ferry before you celebrate

After we realized we were driving to the wrong ferry terminal, we made the turn around and counted down the minutes before we would lose our reservation at the Horseshoe Bay terminal. When we squeaked in exactly 30 minutes before our reservation and the lady said we had made our ferry, we all cheered wildly like they do on The Amazing Race when it's a non-elimination round. We celebrated as we waited in Lane 1 and watched as all the other lanes boarded the ferry to Nanaimo. Then we watched the gates close and our ferry sail away while we were still waiting to get loaded on. We talked to the ferry manager after and she said that must have been a communication error and no one remembered to pull our over height truck out of Lane 1. What?! At least, the manager was apologetic and offered to reimburse us for our ferry ride and we ended up on the same sailing as our friends. 

#3: Rent a great space

The village of Cumberland is really small so everywhere is pretty much walking distance. Our last few vacations were backpacking and camping so having a house with all the amenities made this vacation totally rock. 

# 4: Bring your bikes

Cumberland has an extensive network for trails. Most require mountain bikes but you can bike around the village with a road bike too. Our AirBnB overlooked the entrance to the biking trails and the bike park & playground. The hardest decision to make every day was where to ride. We studied the map and had a great time exploring the trails. The trails are well marked. Who wouldn’t want to try out trails with fun names like “Kitty Litter” “Space Nugget” and “After school  Special”? 

#5: Bring your appetite

Downtown Cumberland has one Main Street and that is “downtown”, the buildings have an edgy hipster vibe. There are only a few restaurants but all the ones we went to were amazing. Riders Pizza was so delicious. They also have a wicked sense of humor because the 5 cheese pizza is called "The Dad Joke" Get it? So cheesy? Ha ha. 

The Cumberland Brewery is also fantastic. We ditched the kids and went out with 2 other couples. Such a fun date night. Simon and I don't drink beer but our friends tried 5 different types there and said it was top notch. Their food was also amazing.

The Cumberland village bakery also sells out of everything pretty much by mid-day so it's totally worth it to wake up and get there after it opens at 8:00 am. The croissants, scones and apple fritters are so good. There are no pictures because they disappeared immediately after we bought them. 

And finally, you haven't really experienced Cumberland until you have had Love's Ice Cream. Served out of a vintage trailer, this place always has a line up out front because they have amazing, soft swirled fresh ice cream with their house-made waffle cones. Try the raspberry, black current or London Fog, you won’t regret it.

#6: You can not skip the potholes and don't step on the toads

How many places can you go where you can bike to these amazing rock formations? You can bike or hike to this amazing spot. Beware that July and August is also the annual toad migration and there are hundreds of tiny "toadlets" hopping across the trail so watch where you step. 

#7: You can never visit too many potholes!

We got some local intel about another location for potholes and wow - there’s no signs for the trail or anything. We just googled Oyster Bay for a general location and you pull over when you see a bunch of other cars parked along the way.  You follow this trail to a wildlife fence that looks straight out of Jurassic Park. We were prepared to encounter a pterodactyl but instead we ended up at this spectacular place. It looks like craters on the moon that you can swim in!

#8: It's not a summer vacation until you hit up a beach

We spent an afternoon at Comox Lake and also drove about 25 minutes to Miracle Beach. The view does not disappoint. 

#9: You gotta get in a game of mini golf!

We always try to hit up a mini golf place when we are on vacation. Little Bro is honing his pro golf skills and got a hole in one THREE times. 

#10: Check out Trent Waterfalls if you can find it

Sometimes the best adventures are the ones that are unplanned. The trails on the island aren’t very well marked…to find the trailhead you just notice the other cars parked on the highway and you just pull over. There’s no marked route so we followed the river which was a really cool route with fossils. There were people legit digging for fossils. Little Bro found a fossilized worm! 

He also found a dinosaur egg. But we already have a pet bunny so we didn’t wait for it to hatch.

To get to the waterfalls, there is a significantly steep descent. Hold onto the ropes and don’t be like me and forget your shoes and have to this sketchy part in flip flops. 

And definitely swim into the waterfall. It’s cold. It’s amazing. It’s totally worth it. 

#11: Take in the views at Mt. Washington 

We brought our mountain bikes and spent a day riding the chair lift up and biking down all the different trails. Our favourite was Highway 19, really fun berms and bridges that even I could do. Even if you don't bike, you can take the chair lift just for a scenic ride or do the zip line adventure course. We watched people fly across the mountain at crazy speeds.

#12: Fill your gas tank 

One thing you should know about the island is that once you’re on the highway, you are commited to going that direction indefinitely. You can’t turn around for a looooooong time. So when your gas light comes on, you have to start praying that you can drive 40km+ on empty. We have never been so happy to make it to Black Creek to pay for overpriced gas!

And lastly, you’re on vacation so

#13: Go make some great memories 

Play at the playground with your kids. Swim into the waterfall. Jump off that cliff. Soak up that vitamin D. Embrace the time with great friends and making core memories as a family. 

Til the next adventure...