On the west coast of Vancouver Island, tiny, remote Bamfield sits on a protected inlet on Barkley Sound’s south shore. Bamfield Inlet divides the village, with a local water taxi linking the two sides. In West Bamfield, there’s the post office, a general store (with a premium selection of single malts, thanks to the local Scotch Club), and a pedestrian boardwalk cantilevered over the inlet. East Bamfield has a school, a café and market, a pub, and a building centre. Cottage properties overlook the sheltered inlet and exposed outer coast. In all weather, hikers explore the open beaches and lush rainforest trails, dodging fat yellow banana slugs. The West Coast Trail ends at Bamfield’s doorstep, traversing 77 km of coastline northward from Port Renfrew. The nearest centre is the city of Port Alberni, 76 km by road.
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