We say farewell to the Rockies and drive south to the Kootenay lakes region. It’s still beautiful here, but it’s a different kind of beauty; less dramatic but more verdant and the lakeside towns are proper little charmers.
The weather gods suddenly start smiling on us too; someone flicks a switch and we go from sub-zero temperatures to gorgeous summer afternoons.
The largest and prettiest of these towns is Nelson. The local police officer - who is dating our campsite host - tells us it was recently voted Canada’s most desirable city to live in (‘city’ means something different over here by the way – to our eyes Nelson is a small town, to someone in British Columbia it’s a bustling metropolis).
We love it and stay at the municipal campsite for a couple of days.
Check out the High Street. Cherry blossom in full bloom, an artisanal ice cream parlour and a couple of micro-breweries. It doesn’t get much better than this.
The local ale is superb. Named after a local mountain apparently and not a psychopath from Leith.
Do you remember that Steve Martin film ‘Roxanne’ based on the Cyrano de Bergerac play? It was set and shot in Nelson.
They’re rightly proud of this and have painted a large mural depicting Steve in his Fire Chief’s garb. It’s funny. If you haven’t seen it already treat yourself and get hold of a copy.
They also have a beach. And their own version of the Forth road bridge.
It's a liberal place. Anyone with an open mind would surely love a town that promotes a ‘Sparkle & Sass Soiree’? Yes, if we could navigate our way through the choppy waters of Canadian immigration we could easily see ourselves living here.
Even the insects are interesting.
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