Welcome to the Galloping Goose Hiking and Cycling Trail. Skookum Bed and Breakfast is just 40km from Victoria, BC on the Galloping Goose Trail. We are an approved cycling accommodation – we cater to the needs of cyclists like no other. Here’s what our cyclists have said about Skookum Bed and Breakfast:

There’s easy access to Skookum Bed & Breakfast at the 40 km mark on the Galloping Goose Trail. A perfect place to rest and recuperate after a days' ride. On arrival, we pamper you with a hot or cold beverage, fresh fruit and home baking.

Later, unwind in your comfortable room, sitting room or on our wrap around porch. Pull up a lounge chair and listen to the breeze in the maples, relax and watch our resident deer meander past.

When evening comes, you may wish to have dinner out or order in and enjoy your meal on the property. After a refreshing sleep in our comfortable beds enjoy our full breakfast designed to meet your dietary needs.

Spend the next day exploring the hills of Sooke, swim in the refreshing waters of the Sooke Potholes or cycle to the end of the trail. Or rent a kayak and explore the Sooke Basin and Harbour. Another option is to visit the galleries in Sooke village just 5km along highway 14. Continue on along the road and enjoy more ocean front scenery at Whiffen Spit Regional Park.

Skookum Bed and Breakfast is located at the 40 km mark – many guests take only 3 hours to cycle to us from Victoria. Coming from the mainland via BC Ferries or Washington State Ferries – then it will take 5 to 7 hours as it’s 70 km to us. We've entertained cyclists from all over who have told their clubs and friends about us and about our wonderful cycling area! Individuals, tandem cyclists, families and cycling clubs have all enjoyed our hospitality.

Click here to view a map of the Galloping Goose Trail and Lochside Trail.

Here are a few cycling hints from our guests to make your trip more enjoyable:
When coming over on the Black Ball Ferry from Port Angeles, walk your bikes along Government Street to the Blue Bridge. Along the way listen to street musicians, stop at Murchie’s Coffee for a light lunch or indulge in chocolate at Victoria’s oldest chocolate shop – Roger’s Chocolates. If you’re traveling from Swartz Bay or Anacortes on the Lochside Trail, take a break at Adrienne’s at Mattick’s Farm Market. Cute shops – so leave room in your panniers just in case! Just after going under the overpass of Highway 1, riding parallel to Highway 14, look for the 6 Mile Pub on your left – excellent lunches and beverages for all over age 19. When crossing Highway 14 at Colwood Corners look around here for the Deli at Thrifty Foods. There are also a number of convenience stores, fast food outlets and a Drug store in this area. Stock up on water too! From Colwood to Roche Cove you will be cycling through fields and forests. You might like to take time for a refreshing swim in Matheson Lake. At Roche Cove be sure to take a nutrition break at the picnic tables before finishing your ride. Remember to dismount at the river crossings – see you soon - you’re almost at Skookum Bed and Breakfast – a cool beverage awaits.

The Galloping Goose Trail is a former rail line. It meanders through some of British Columbia’s finest scenery. As you cycle, the scenery flows by in slow motion. A quiet cove, a dark, hidden lake, rocky outcrops split by twisted Garry oak. You can spot bald eagles or turkey vultures floating on a thermal breeze, cycle through majestic Douglas Fir forests and rural farmland. The Goose provides you with the opportunity to experience every landscape on Southern Vancouver Island.

Starting in Victoria, it travels the back roads to Saanich. Then it slices through the urban setting of View Royal, Langford, and Colwood. At Metchosin, the trail moves lazily past small farms surrounded by hills. At Matheson Lake Regional Park, you can catch a glimpse of dark water guarded by steep slopes. Watch for bald eagles and ravens. Stop for lunch here, rest a while, and enjoy this peaceful lake.

To the west, in Sooke, the trail skirts the Sooke Basin. Down on the water, you can watch buffleheads and Barrow’s golden eye bobbing on the swell. Across the Basin, the hills of East Sooke Regional Park rise out of the water. This is the Goose at its best.

Near the mouth of the Sooke River, the Galloping Goose veers north and climbs out of the coastal plain and up the canyon. Far below, the Sooke River plunges past potholes, back eddies and hustles out to sea. The original railway tracks once spanned Charters and Todd Creeks. Today only the tall wooden and iron trestles remain. The view from the trail perched on the side of the canyon slopes is spectacular.

The Goose steepens ever so slightly on this last section. Finally it levels out at Leechtown, an abandoned gold mining town.