Visitors to the Cowichan Valley note a common thread: a down-to-earth quality radiating from its community members and local businesses. It’s a way of being deeply influenced by our ecosystems and the bounty of food, artistic inspiration, and activities they provide. “Respect and gratitude come to mind when you’re thinking about the valley,” says Jen Rose-Miller of Miller & Co Wood Studio and Pottery. This mindset permeates the warm welcome extended to all who come to the Cowichan Valley; an expression of the joy found in sharing our abundance with travellers.
This tangible appreciation for place invites you to “go with the slow” during your visit. Take your time exploring the quiet, meandering country roads and accessible trails of our region. The 122km Cowichan Valley Trail is an excellent way to travel between our communities. When you take the slower road, quite literally, by bike, car, or foot, you’re rewarded with delightful encounters in unsuspecting places: farm stands, delicious wineries, and artistic studios. These businesses are created from passion and purpose, each with a story waiting to be shared. And when you carve out time to barely move at all, wildlife emerges to be quietly observed.
The unique flavours of the Cowichan Valley
“The people here, and the people that visit here, have the opportunity to connect with the simple pleasures of life,” shares Quw’utsun artist, Charlene Johnny. Have you ever been blown away by just how incomparably delicious a fresh-off-the-vine tomato tastes or a fresh-off-the-tree stone fruit? Our heritage farms are the perfect spot to experience these simple pleasures, connecting to the truest taste of the Cowichan Valley.
Motivated by the health of the community and the planet, many of our small food producers follow sustainable, organic, and regenerative principles. Our wineries too tell the slow, considered story of grapevine to glass. “Down to earth is the basis of all winemaking…and this is reflected in what we do at Averill Creek. It’s all about the terroir, which is the flavour of the earth and the vineyard,” shares proprietor, Andy Johnston. “Brent Rowland, our winemaker, is a natural winemaker and he emphasizes—he adds nothing, and he takes nothing away—so the terroir, the flavour of the valley, is in the glass”.
The Cowichan Valley is not only home to traditional vegetable growers, wineries, and cideries, but also Canada’s first commercial tea farm (Westholme), and producers of local lavender, honey, cheeses, baked goods, foraged mushrooms and more. Then there are coastal fishers, providing hyperlocal seafood straight from tide to table in our independently-owned restaurants.
Nature encounters by kayak
The fulfillment of immersing in place is apparent in the activities on offer across the Cowichan region. When it comes to the water, the uncomplicated nature of self-propelled paddling is one of the best ways to experience this. “There’s a very thin layer of fibreglass that separates me from the water, and you can really feel the movement of the water when you’re sitting in the kayak. It’s that movement that settles me and allows that connection to take place,” shares Georgia Newsome of Coastal Bliss Adventures.
Gently floating through our coastal waters, into estuaries, and upriver, by kayak or canoe brings you close to the bustle of life above and below water; the complexity of an ecosystem that’s often hidden. It gets you back to life’s simple pleasures, undisturbed by the rush of cities or the pull of modern technology. “Paddling with the birds and the wildlife, the seals, the orcas that come in, this is all part of the real world,” adds Gary Ward of Coastal Bliss Adventures.
Extensive trails to be explored by bike or on foot
If you’re more of a mountain or forest person, our extensive trail systems are waiting to be enjoyed by mountain bikers, hikers, and trail runners. “I can easily say, the riding here is some of the best in the world,” shares Adam Walker, Mountain Bike Coach at The Cycling Co. Despite the claim, our trails are often emptier than you might expect, offering users serene moments of solitude. But when you do come across another party, the joy of sharing the trails is evident in a mutual smile or a wave. Like so many experiences in the Cowichan Valley, it’s the unique conditions found here that draw bikers back again and again. “Just the feeling of having your tires in the dirt, the beautiful soil that we have here in the Cowichan Valley is incredible,” Walker adds.
Creative pursuits inspired by the earth
These distinctive encounters with wildlife, the richness of our forests, our waterways, and the changing colours of the wide open sky, have also inspired artisans to call Cowichan home. With nature as a muse, these moments are reflected in photography, painting, glassblowing, ceramics, printing, perfume, woodworking, and other creative pursuits.
“Being inspired by the natural beauty, becoming a mum, putting down roots—all these transformations come through in my artwork,” shares Jen Rose-Miller of Miller & Co Wood Studio and Pottery. “Everything we do comes from the earth”.
Despite there being so much to see and do in the Cowichan Valley, no experience is too far from the next. There are few places where you can soak up vibrant communities and still escape into the calm of nature so quickly. “You can be in your town and then you can be in the raw wilderness within a matter of minutes,” notes Devin Miller of Miller & Co Wood Studio and Pottery. Here, you don’t have to choose or rush—you can take your time in the most “down-to-earth place on Earth”.
