Things to Do
At DownTime cottage time stands still, giving you the freedom to kick back and relax. Perhaps you prefer to hike and explore, or maybe you would rather just relax on the wrap around balcony and read a book while sipping a glass of ice tea.
At the house and on the property
There are many activities at DownTime and on the property to keep guests of all ages busy.
- Scrapbooking. I have a wide collection of tools for catching up on your scrapbooking activities and our library has facilities for printing photos from digital format.
- Painting and drawing. There are a wide variety of plants, animals, and views for the budding nature artist. Please bring your preferred media and equipment.
- Hiking around the property. We do have several trials around our property and across to Richard's and neighboring properties. Believe it or not, there's even a walk to Whaletown!
- Swimming. The water in Gorge Harbour gets quite warm durning the spring and summer months, so you can enjoy a dip off of our dock.
- Sling-shot & BB gun range. Just for fun and practice.
- Oyster and clam harvesting.
- Lawn games (horse shoes, croquette, bochi, frisbee & frisbee golf)
- Reading. We have a wide range of books, fictional and nonfictional, that can be borrowed onsite only. Please leave them behind for others to enjoy!
- kayaking Gorge Harbour. We have two inflatable kayaks, and strong plastic kayaks are available at Gorge Harbour Marina. Dinghy's with outboard motors can also be rented from the marina to explore the bay.
On Cortes Island (may require a car)
Cortes Island is a busy place in the summer with many activities for visitors. A car may be required to access some of these facilities, but this probably won't present a problem.
- There is extensive hiking on Cortes for those who like to get out and explore beyond our spit.
- Freshwater swimming at Hague and Gunflint lakes and picnicking along their sandy beaches.
- Shopping and exploring local craft fairs and shops.
- Horseback riding. I understand there are a few places that will provide guided tours.
- Candle making at Trude's Cafe.
- Bicycling.
- Berry picking (not Barry picking... ). Cortes is a haven for wild berries.
Around Cortes Island (requires a boat)
The Discovery Island group and Desolation Sound are mariner's havens. If you have a boat, or go exploring with us aboard M/V Komokwa or S/V Papa Rumba, there's lots to do!
- Salmon and halibut fishing aboard M/V Komokwa.
- Prawn and crab trapping.
- Exploring the islands and surrounding waters by power or sail.
- Exploring the Gorge, Shark Spit and Uganda Passage via kayak
Future plans
This is our first year so we're rather disorganized. In the future we're hoping to add a proper Chilean fogon and Argentinian parillada for barbeques. We will extend our capacity by building tent platforms. We also plan to extend activities by obtaining sailing and rowing dinghies.
