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Lund
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Lund Marina
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Lund Boardwalk Restaurant
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Lund Hotel
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Okeover Oysters
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Stew & Vee Carrington
Savary Island water taxi schedule
Stew & Vee Carrington photo
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Pipers opening the festival
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Shellfish Festival oysters
Dave Hamoline shucking
By Barb Rees
Shellfish Capital of the Sunshine Coast
“I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky,” wrote English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. For eons, the Coast Salish people and later, the first white homesteader Swede Charlie Thulin, were drawn to these shore's bounties. Charlie named the harbour Lund in 1889 after a city in Sweden. Today the Lund Hotel is the central point of the village.
Is it the end of the road or is it the beginning? Lundites say it is the beginning of one of the longest highways in the world. Mile 0 marks the beginning of Highway 101, which ends 15,202 km later at Monte Alban, Chile. Lund, a tiny seaside village, overflows with treasures, history, superb food, recreation, and the best shellfish festival. The population ranges from about 300 in the off-season to bursting at the seams in the summer. You can walk the whole thing in 10 minutes but why would you when there is so much to experience?
Driving over the hill into Lund, the first thing that’ll strike you is the view the historical hotel has across the Salish Sea (Georgia Straits). It has a dining room and a pub where sitting on the deck you can enjoy a meal, local beer and water traffic streaming by. There’s a store, liquor store, post office and Laundromat in the hotel.
Stroll past palm trees and a giant chessboard to Tug G’Uhm Gallery where Debbie carves rock into magnificent eagles, whales, otters, and seals. Her gallery brims with local creations.
If you’re in an RV it’s best to park at Dave’s Custom Parking instead of trying to turn it around in a crowded area by the water. Parking is free to those visiting the businesses. There isn’t any fuel for vehicles, however there is a marine fuel dock. Powell River is the closest service.
This place is all about the ocean. Desolation Sound, Copeland Islands Marine Park (also known as the Ragged Islands), Okeover Inlet, and Savary Island bring boaters from around the world. A water taxi shuttles people back and forth to Savary Island, the west coast version of Hawaii with its white sandy shores. Orcas, the occasional humpback, eagles, otters, seals, sea lions and more frequent the area. Kayakers paddling to the Raggeds experience this pristine beauty up close. Scuba diving in clear waters, fishing, boating, or photography are but a few things that await you.
Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park has the largest seabird colony in the Salish Sea. No pets, camping or harvesting of any kind permitted in the park’s marine zone extending 300 metres around the island but you are welcome to visit.
Sarah Point is the start of the 180 km Sunshine Coast Trail, the longest free hut-to-hut trail in Canada. With seven huts, it takes you from the seashore to the tops of mountains before bringing you into Saltery Bay. www.sunshinecoast-trail.com
Dry camping is available six kilometres away at Okeover Provincial Park with oyster and clam beds close by. Imagine fresh oysters done over a campfire? Take a stroll through the forest to the marina then a walk up the hill to the Laughing Oyster Restaurant for gourmet food in a world-class setting.
About five kilometres south of Lund Dinner Rock Forestry Site has free dry camping on the bluffs in a stunning setting facing Savary Island. There are no facilities or water. It is over one km. down a very steep hill and the sites are small not suitable for big rigs. Our 24 ft C-Class fits in the sites.
The only full-service campground is in Lund at SunLund By-The-Sea RV Campground and Cabins. www.sunlund.ca Surrounded by trees, and creeks, with wide sites, it has clean showers, Laundromat and free WIFI in a quiet setting. Want a break from sleeping in your RV? Check out the various B & B's, lodges, cabins, and the Lund Hotel. www.lundbc.ca
And then there’s the abundance of delicious, local food. Stop at Nancy’s Bakery for world famous blackberry cinnamon buns, homemade soup, and baked goods. Sit on their patio watching a dazzling array of kayaks, sailboats, fishing vessels or luxury yachts pulling into the marina. There are at least seven boat charters plus several rentals and tour companies.
The Boardwalk Restaurant perched on pilings offers an inclusive experience with the water world of Lund. Once a bunkhouse, and even a “special” plant nursery, it’s now home to a gluten-free and nut-free kitchen. Relish unsurpassed gluten-free fish ‘n chips or cheesecake on the deck while the sun paints the harbour with vivid brush strokes of colour.
Lund has the finest free shellfish festival on the coast. May 22-24/15 the annual Lund Shellfish Festival takes place throughout the village. SunLund books up fast so reserve early. We love this festival as a place to revel in the seafood, food demonstrations, crafts, music, tours and the famous ‘Chowder Challenge’ on Friday night. Chefs from Powell River to Lund vie for the honour of making the best seafood chowder. Tickets for sampling must be purchased ahead of time and they sell out fast. They can be bought at Tourism Powell River, the Boardwalk Restaurant, and SunLund By-The-Sea. Imagine hanging out for a few days surrounded by beauty with nothing more to do than eat, listen to music, socialize, and watch the sun go down. http://www.lundbc.ca/Shellfish_Festival.html
A trip to Lund is just what the doctor ordered. It’s not at the end of the road; it’s at the beginning of a delicious experience.
Barb Rees, Mètis writer is the author of four RV Canada books with the fifth due in the fall of 2014. From their home in Powell River, BC with husband Dave they have travelled Canada from coast to coast to coast on working holidays since 2003. Information on the books available at: www.write2dream.com
To watch a video about this year's Lund Shellfish Festival, click here.