{"id":24827,"date":"2026-04-14T20:57:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T00:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/?p=24827"},"modified":"2026-04-15T00:46:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T04:46:33","slug":"the-last-train-to-parksville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/index.php\/2026\/04\/14\/the-last-train-to-parksville\/","title":{"rendered":"The Last Train to Parksville"},"content":{"rendered":"
Position: 49\u00b019’03.8″N 124\u00b019’05.7″W<\/a><\/h6>\n

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Hiking and beer go together like rain and galoshes. At least it does when you\u2019re on Vancouver Island. Rarely have we visited a place with more managed trails for walking up an appetite and a thirst. Our land-based excursions are inevitably geared toward making up for our on-board indolence and lack of exercise. That means a minimum of five miles walking a day, with or without an appropriately enthusiastic dog in tow. Carol supplements her peregrinations with an hour or more of yoga.<\/p>\n

Yoga sounds and looks like stretching to me. Something I swore off during my stint as a marathoner-in-training. Runners divide into those that stretch religiously and those that avoid it at all costs. The latter, and I am among them, learned that stretching is a one-way trip to strain and pain and time laid up recovering from trying to fix something that wasn\u2019t broken in the first place. \u201cIf it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it\u201d, is the motto of every sailboat owner with whom we have made our acquaintance. It was a lesson I brought forward from my time as a distance athlete. As you might imagine, the debate between the stretchers and the non-stretchers in the running community is heated and polarised. Kind of like shea butter for cyclists. These are topics of religious fervour best avoided if you\u2019re new to your running or riding group.<\/p>\n

There is a compromise. Rather than rush back to the yoga studio, stop at a dog friendly pub and relax over a pint and a snack. On this Carol and I are fully aligned. Fortunately, Vancouver Island has no shortage of excellent breweries where hikers can exercise rapprochement with their pups. Here is our very short, rough guide for hiking and recovery spots near Nanaimo.<\/p>\n

Copley Ridge Recreational Trail Hike<\/a><\/h6>\n

The general consensus is this is an awesome place to walk a pooch. Just off Highway 19 in Lantzville, Copley Ridge\u2019s trails<\/a> run for miles through a managed forest. That makes for a blend of paths and wide forest roads that criss-cross the front of the ridge. Dogs off lead don\u2019t generally invite comment from other walkers, of which there are vanishingly few on a weekday. Knarston Creek Falls<\/a> is a highlight of the early part of the walk. Like the rest of the hikes mentioned here, parking and trail use are both free.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve covered your five or six miles, you have a choice of local watering holes.<\/p>\n

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