There’s a bike trail called The Galloping Goose that winds its way from Victoria up the western coast a bit before veering off into the woods. The trail follows an old train route and it’s mostly paved, but gives way in spots to trestle bridges, street routes, and a few dirt roads. Though we have to tackle some elevation to get on it, the trail is mostly level going NW from where we’re staying.
When we learned that the trail runs near Professor Xavier’s School for the Gifted aka Hatley Castle, we obviously had to go. To get our cardio in. It was about a thirteen mile round trip, so I’m pretty sure that counts as a workout. The tour we took in the middle of that trip? That was just an excuse to catch our breath.
The tour only runs during the summer and costs $18.50 CAD. There’s more info on their site, but they don’t share that the ticket booth is down by the garden center. We circled the castle a couple of times before we spotted a friendly Canadian to guide us.
The hour long guided tour covers the history of the land and building from First Nations, the James Dunsmuir family, Naval Officer Academy, to its current stewardship under Royal Roads University. The building, obviously, has been featured in the X-men movies, but it has also appeared in a long list of feature films and television shows. We enjoyed the tour quite a bit, and were glad we took the time to do it.
Surrounding the grounds are fourteen themed gardens, including a croquet lawn, Japanese garden, Italian garden, and a walled garden for raising fruits and veg. We also spotted a cutthroat trout ladder that lead from the ocean up a natural stream to a lagoon.
Back in the day, someone gifted the Naval Academy with a pair of peacocks. Their descendants live freely on the grounds, and we’re told that they’re not fed or otherwise taken care of. It’s pretty cool to see them posing along the garden walls.
I almost think the grounds are more special than the house, but definitely look through both when you go. More pics on Instagram.
