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Story & photos by Ann Snow
The tiny seaside village of Lund, BC, embraces a sheltered harbour at the north end of the Sunshine Coast. Fishers, kayakers, and yachters share hidden bays and coves in the nearby Copeland Islands Marine Park and world-famous Desolation Sound. Truly an ocean-based paradise!
Boasting the warmest water north of the Baja, this area of the Salish Sea produces abundance of oysters, clams, mussels, prawns, cockles, crabs, and geoducks – as evidenced at the Shellfish Festival held annually at the end of May.
For two days the harbour’s shores host food vendors offering up tantalizing samples of ocean fare cooked with carefully guarded recipes, and offered to hungry patrons for $5.00 per plate. And everything is local - the fresh sea harvest, the artists and craft vendors displaying their talents for your shopping delight, the chefs giving free cooking demonstrations, and the musicians entertaining all day, both days!
Admission to the festival is free with the exception of Friday evening’s Chowder Challenge where, for $18, discriminating patrons can sample each of the ten chowders, vote for their favourite, then enjoy a full meal and musical entertainment. The cash bar serves locally brewed ales next to an extensive silent auction. This event sells out every year so get your tickets early.
But wait! There is more to the festival than eating, shopping, and foot-stomping music. Take a tour of the area’s splendor; lunch and dinner yacht cruises, introductory kayak tours, zodiac sightseeing trips, and backroads 4x4 wilderness excursions. Truly, there is something to spellbind everyone.
By the way, the Lund Shellfish Festival is a green event, producing absolutely no garbage. In fact, there is no public waste disposal service in the village at all, simply a recycle centre located on the north side of the historic Lund Hotel so, visitors, plan accordingly.
But one weekend is not nearly enough to discover the undiscovered treasures hidden on this remote peninsula. The Sunshine Coast Trail passes along the bluffs above this community and continues south through Powell River to Saltery Bay. It has many access points along its route, ideal for easy half-day exploring or more adventurous overnight trekking. Accommodation is free in each of the trailside huts.
Looking for relaxation? The kilometres of white sand on nearby Savary Island are never crowded. Find a private beach and layback with sunscreen and a book, or swim in the warm – yes, warm – shallow water, dig for clams, pick oysters, stroll the footpaths, or watch for eagles and orcas. It’s only a twelve-minute water taxi ride from Lund for people and pets.
Semi-arid Mitlenatch Island Nature Park is home to the largest seabird colony in the Strait of Georgia including gulls, cormorants, guillemots, oystercatchers, and many others. River otters and harbour seals frequent the Island year ‘round, with sea lions passing through in the fall and spring.
Crowning the Sunshine Coast, Lund’s public marina offers nightly moorage, electrical hookups, sewage disposal, clean washrooms and coin-operated showers. The Lund Hotel and Lund Seaside Inn offer ocean-view rooms, and SunLund By-The-Sea RV Campground has full-service RV and tent sites, self-contained cabins, showers, laundromat, and free Wi-Fi within a three-minute walk of Lund Harbour.
From the lower mainland, BC Ferries offers two trips for the price of one when travelling along the Sunshine Coast. Lund is also served by BC Ferries from Vancouver Island through Comox and nearby Powell River, or through the Powell River airport.
Find more tantalizing recipes for adventure and relaxation at LundBC.ca.