Newcastle and Gabriola Islands are small islands less than 5km off east coast Vancouver Island's city of Nanaimo. They're part of a group of islands in the Strait of Georgia locally known as the "southern Gulf Islands". Both are accessible by ferry.
Newcastle Island has been home to Coast Salish First Nations villages, a sandstone quarry, and a resort. It is now a car-free parkland with trails and a campground. Gabriola Island is an island village of 50 square kilometres and 4,500 residents. It has a seaside campground, nearby pubs and cafes, a farmer's market, and small deer.
View a few photos by following this link:
http://www.ulrike.ca/2007/09/cycling-newcastle-and-gabriola-islands.html
I've travelled by bike and train in Thailand, New Zealand and the U.S.; but it wasn't until a couple of tour-ready folding bikes were put into my hands that I even considered doing it at here in B.C.
Accordingly, I devised a "gonzo" three-week bike and train journey across western Canada and presented an itinerary to my friend Michelle: we would board the "Whistler Mountaineer" from Vancouver to Whistler, pedal around Whistler valley for a couple of days, then board Rocky Mountaineer's "Fraser Discovery Route" to head north and east to Jasper, Alberta via Quesnel. After a few days in Jasper, we could swap trains and step aboard VIA Rail's "Canadian" and head east to Saskatoon (in Saskatchewan), then Winnipeg (Manitoba). We'd spent a couple of days cycling around in each city and then take VIA Rail back to Jasper.
I warned her that in Jasper we'd go hardcore: we would clip panniers onto the Dahons and road-test the bikes on the 300-kilometer stretch of mountainous highway between Jasper to Banff. We'd leave our sleeping bags at home and stay at yet-to-be-confirmed Hostelling International wildernous cabins along the way. Once in Banff we'd get back on track and complete the rail circle almost a month later by climbing on Rocky Mountaineer's "Kicking Horse Route" to return to Vancouver via Kamloops.
What happened? I wrote 35 short stories en route and if f you're interested in a trip like this, I hope the stories provide you with some useful information!