​At 15:00, we collected our keys from a 7-Eleven and checked into our Airbnb. We couldn't believe how amazing our fantastic city centre apartment on Burrard St for the next 3 nights was, having initially been booked into a hostel we decided fairly last minute to change and it was a definite upgrade!

The next morning, we had a big brunch at the Templeton, a hip, coffee smelling, bacon infused diner that we had visited during our honeymoon. It has become a bit trendier than the last time we visited with vegetarian, vegan and keto options now joining the staples that brought us back. Afterwards, with some food to work off, we walked down to Vancouver harbour and then around Stanley Park. Sadly the weather wasn't perfectly clear but we still enjoyed the views and fresh sea air as we went.

Once we got back, we decided to have dinner at the apartment as both of us were missing homemade food. Craig made a bolognese to the best of his abilities (no tins of chopped tomatoes in the supermarket, no point getting an entire bulb of garlic, a lack of spices and, to top it all off, quinoa and cauliflower pasta). We enjoyed our pasta and decided to have another laid back evening as the rain had started.

The next morning we had a long lie and then a leisurely breakfast in the apartment. The rain from the night before was still with us, so we decided to look into indoor activities for the day and found One Under, a virtual golf bar and restaurant. We played for 2 hours on the Old Course at St. Andrews (we did have to skip holes 15 - 17 due to time constraints) and enjoyed finishing (both avoiding the water) on the 18th. Craig won although not a score that will get him on the professional circuit any time soon and we won't talk about Katy's 24 on the 2nd hole!

With the rain still falling as we left the bar, we headed back to the apartment via the supermarket for this evenings dinner. Thursday Night Football was on so we watched the Panthers v Buccaneers before packing up for our flight and then heading to bed.

On our last morning, we checked out and headed down to Tim Horton's on Canada Place to meet an old friend of Katy's from halls at uni, Philip and his wife Natasha for a coffee and a catch up. We then headed to the airport on the SkyTrain after having lunch (and a beer) at Steamworks. 

The journey took just shy of 6 hours and after picking up some supplies for the next few nights from the local supermarket we checked into the Fred Tibbs condo's that were situated right on the water, at the sea plane terminal (much to Craig's delight). We properly indulged ourselves this evening and, had a 'homemade' meal of tikka masala! Having had a long day and not much sleep in Victoria we crashed into bed, after watching some TV.

The next morning we walked to the Tonquin trailhead and enjoyed the walk out to both Tonquin beach and then onto Third beach. Although it wasn't beach weather we enjoyed the fantastic scenery with the refreshing smell of sea water reinvigorating us. Sadly despite being in wolf territory, no wolves were seen. 

Once we got back into town, we completed one of our favourite tasks, the laundry! We also got to enjoy a light lunch in Shed which has definitely grown from the coffee shop we visited for a quick breakfast 2 years ago! Speaking of 2 years ago, we took some time that afternoon to drive south to the Long Beach Lodge, a resort we had spent 6 nights at during our honeymoon, and we got to spend some time at outdoor cafe on the beach reminiscing over a drink (a 'hauf' for the driving Craig) as we took in the majestic view on a sunny but rather windy afternoon.

After some chill out time back at the condo we went for dinner at the Wolf in the Fog a truly excellent restaurant for a meal! We hadn't been able to book a table for this evening so we chanced our arm at 9pm and managed to sneak a seat in the lounge area. The meal was fantastic although extra care had to be taken (by Craig) so as to ensure no spillage from plate to mouth due to the lower set table. 

The next morning, we set off early to complete the rainforest trail loops (2 separate loops taking in the temperate rainforest). The near silence of the rainforest was amazing with only the slight, distant roar of waves to remind us of our proximity to the ocean. The humidity also took us by surprise as the air felt almost heavy amongst the ancient trees. The trails had been billed as taking 1.5 hours total time but we whipped around in just over an hour (clearly all this hiking is paying off!) After a recommendation from Keith and Heather we stopped off at the Wickaninnish Inn on our way back to Tofino to admire the views of Chesterman beach out to the Pacific Ocean. We were a bit muddy to go into the main restaurant but we enjoyed our contented hour sat at the Driftwood cafe with a hot drink. Katy thoroughly enjoyed her very indulgent hot chocolate. 

After some more laundry (something about this advert), some chill out time but, most importantly, some game day preparation, we sat down to the kickoff of the 100th NFL season. Thursdays game was the Packers vs the Bears with the Packers ultimately winning out (Katy had a minor heart attack when Craig reacted to Adrian Amos's INT in the 4th quarter). Afterwards we watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Katy's choice) before heading to bed for a fairly restless nights sleep for both of us. 

The next morning we woke up to discover we had both been badly bitten overnight on our feet and lower legs by what we suspect were black flies (midgie type creatures that are black and a bit bigger) that had flown in during the day. Between scratches on our red welts we managed to pack up, check out and be on the road again at 10:00. The road back down to Victoria was very slow with road works, camper vans not moving over and generally busy traffic. We decided to carry on as the parking around Cathedral Grove was carnage and instead stopped off in Nanamio for a quick bite to eat. We arrived back in Downtown Victoria for 16:00 (William was still surprised Craig hadn't tried Salisbury steak) and headed up to our accommodation, the Ocean Island Inn.

When we arrived there was a general odour of urine (poetic licence, not the actual word used) as we stepped inside the front door. The next red flag was when the gentleman checking in, in front of us, was looking for reassurance from the staff that no one could just walk in as 'people were looking for him'. When it came round to our turn to check in there was a complication with our booking as it appeared it had only been booked for 1 person and the room we had chosen is normally only let to single travellers. The member of staff consulted her manager and for a further occupancy fee we could both stay in the room. However, after going through a cage door, we arrived at room 24A and were utterly gobsmacked that the notion of both of us staying in this room was even considered. The bed took up the entire room, running wall to wall with only enough space at the foot of the bed to open the door with a bin and fridge taking up most of that floor space (for reference, the picture below was taken standing in the doorway).

As we were both tired and clearly unable to stay comfortably in this room we calmly checked out (emotions had been running high in the room, so Craig spoke to reception as Katy was pretty confident she would burst into tears if she tried) and booked into the Hilton for the night. It was definitely an expense we hadn't planned for but we ultimately, the right decision and one we would make again. We were also able to have our best nights sleep in a long time which was fantastic.

That evening, we went back to Brown's Socialhouse for drinks after dinner, a place we had previously run up a $250 bar tab in one sitting whilst visiting on our honeymoon. We were nowhere near this time around but the cocktails were still as good and very much enjoyed after a bit of a stressful day!

Tomorrow, we head back into the states, to Seattle. 

​As we were heading out for a quick dinner we passed 3 gentlemen in the corridor outside of our room that were definitely from the homeless community which unsettled both of us. Over dinner, we debated whether or not we would book in to somewhere different however, as it was Labor Day weekend, everything was extremely expensive and we would have to forgo other activities if we moved to different accommodation. So after a couple drinks we decided to chalk it up to experience and, if nothing else, it would make a funny story so we decided to suck it up for the 3 nights!

The next morning, after not such a restful nights sleep (Craig's Fitbit didn't even register that he had slept at all!) we set out on a walk up to Beacon Hill Park. We enjoyed the sights including; the worlds tallest free standing totem pole, Canadian geese, ducks, beautiful flowers and a family of deer. There was even a free mini-golf course but both of us had forgotten our putters!

After Beacon Hill Park we walked along the coast back to Downtown Victoria for some lunch at the Sandwich Corner Cafe. After lunch we walked along the river to the Selkirk Trestle bridge, an old railway bridge that has been restored and converted into a walking trail. 

After a day of walking we were delighted to grab a bite to eat (and a few too many drinks) at the El Furniture Warehouse across from our hostel followed by some ice cream for dessert from Perverted Ice Cream and then back to the hostel for an early night!
​
The next morning we had an early start as, having scrapped booking in to another hotel, we were heading out whale watching with SpringTide Whale & Eco Tours. We had heard that Victoria was the best place to see Orcas at this time of year and seeing them in the wild had long been something that was on Katy's bucket list. Thankfully the zodiac tour did not disappoint, we were just out of the harbour when Craig spotted an incredible Humpback Whale that we stayed with for quite some time to ensure he safely passed the harbour. Then, we got word from another tour that there was a pod of Orcas about 8 nautical miles south of the harbour, so we set off to find them. We arrived to find about 12-15 of them and watching them was just incredible, sorry Sea World, but they definitely seem to have way more fun in the wild!!

​After whale watching, we both had a much needed afternoon nap. Later that evening we made our way to the Capitol 6 cinema to finally see the Lion King! With electronic recliners and foot rests it was definitely the most comfortable cinema we've ever been in! Given we both love the original Lion King we were a bit apprehensive however we loved it, especially Timon & Pumba!

Back to the hostel to get packed and it's time to be on the move again. Next stop Tofino!

​With a fairly restful nights sleep (for the first time in over a week) we got back on the road early, only after getting Katy a pumpkin spiced latte from Starbucks of course (it is now 'fall' apparently). Another 4 hours on the road today however, it was a beautiful drive down to Whistler as the brown of Kamloops gave way to the forested hills and greenery of the Coast Mountains. The only blemish was the insistence of RV's to keep climbing the hills instead of pulling in to let the que of cars behind them past. There was a slight time constraint today though, as Craig's NFL Fantasy Draft was at 1pm. Luckily when we tore into Tim Horton's with 2 minutes to go (we needed their very generously offered free wi-fi) he discovered it had been put back to 1:30pm (thanks Anna!) although there was a slight smell of burning rubber from the car!

Katy very patiently waited the hour or so for the draft to finish before we got back in the car and headed around to our hotel for the next 3 nights, the Executive Inn at Whistler Village. With the gentleman behind the counter being a stickler for the 16:00 check in at 14:45, we parked the car in the underground car park before going for a walk into the village. We browsed some of the shops and saw the Olympic and Paralympic signs from when Vancouver hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics.

We returned to the hotel just after 16:00, desperate to get out of our jeans in the 29C heat, to discover the room we had been assigned was still not ready! Annoyingly, we landed ourselves an upgrade to the loft suite - we definitely weren't complaining!

With some chill out time required after 2 days of travelling we took a moment to read our books before heading out to the local supermarket to stock up the fridge with breakfast and some alcohol. A late dinner at The Amsterdam Cafe Pub for some pub grub alerted us to the fact Whistler was going to be a tad more expensive than what we have been used to for the last few days!

​After some much needed showers we headed back into town for a quick bite to eat and then headed out on a hike to the Lost Lake. It wasn't an arduous journey, indeed it was mostly flat, on the Lost Lake Trail and the trees provided some shade from the glorious sunshine as we walked out to and around the lake. The lake itself , was very popular as families surrounded a sandy area at one end, close to the food trucks that were belching out the smell of burgers, fries and ice cream, to the comparatively peaceful docks that were decked with teenagers sunbathing at the other end. We whizzed around and headed back to our hotel room for a bit of relaxation.

​The next morning, Craig was as excited as Katy was nervous. Ever since Whistler had been slotted into the trip, Craig had been planning to get out onto Blackcomb mountain to try his hand at downhill mountain biking. He had a 3 hour group lesson with Dahj as an Intro to Park and had an absolute blast, who knew he had such a need for speed!? Below are 2 an 'on-board' video shots at the end of his last run (anti-sickness tablet may be required).

Exhilarating rides down a mountain over, we headed to lunch at Basalt Wine & Salumeria and went for the Local and Handcrafted Charcuterie board that was filled with delicious cheeses, ranging from a smooth honey and black pepper labneh to a red wine dipped, hard goats cheese, and meats, such as the spicy bison and herb salami and prosciutto di parma, served with bread and chutneys. We can safely say not a drop was left! We also have to give a special shout out to Kyle from Uddingston who was our server and will be forever known as the man who explained the Caley Swally (Glaswegian accent encouraged whilst saying it) to us!

​After lunch we attempted to go a short local hike however Craig's legs had started to seize up from sitting at lunch so, instead, we went to the pool in our hotel's sister hotel and enjoyed a leisurely swim in their heated outdoor pool before soaking in the hot tub.

Unbelievably the time to pack had come again and neither of us can truly believe we leave Canada 2 weeks today. Although, we do still have some stops in between time, and the next is Victoria on Vancouver Island. 

From Emerald Lake we doubled back on ourselves back towards Banff until we hit the Icefield Parkway, this roadway is regularly spoken about as being one of the most picturesque in the world so much so that you need a Park Pass just to drive it. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate with us and therefore rather than mountains we saw an awful lot of moody looking clouds. However we did make some stop offs and were able to enjoy the views. Our first was Peyto Lake, which is definitely one of the most turquoise lakes we have seen, sadly it is however also a massive tourist trap so we snapped our pictures and moved on!

We arrived at HI Beauty Creek Wilderness Hostel at 5pm ready to begin, somewhat nervously, our evenings adventure. It started off with a wander down the river before heading back to the gas powered kitchen to begin dinner preparations. Unfortunately this was when we discovered we had inadvertently picked up gluten free pasta and, the delicious looking pasta sauce we had picked up, was actually a pre-made bruschetta topping however needs must! It filled a hole but not a dinner we will ever be repeating! After dinner, the rain stopped and we settled in by the campfire for the night. We had a lovely evening putting the world to rights over a few drinks with people from all over the globe, so much so that by the time we reached our bunks for the night we were able to forget that we were essentially sleeping in a shed (even the drop toilet and lack of shower weren't enough to take the shine off the evening!!)

Up early the next morning we checked out of our shed and made our way to the Columbia Icefield Adventure. The adventure started with us taking a giant Ice Explorer onto the Athabasca Glacier, our driver Philip who likes to refer to himself as Prince Philip (thankfully his driving skills were better!!) took us through the history of the glacier, teaching us about glaciology and even delighted us with a song or two. We then got to step out onto the glacier itself (we were the first group of the day) and despite Craig's foot going through and him taking a bit of an ice bath (although with no shower he may have needed it) it was a truly memorable experience.

​From the glacier we were taken to the Skywalk which is a glass walkway with views down the Sunwapta Valley, whilst the views were fairly spectacular it again felt like a bit of a tourist trap so we didn't stay long before hitting the road again.

Thankfully this time the weather cooperated a little bit more and we were able to see more of the stunning drive North to Jasper. This time we stopped off at Sunwapta Falls and Athabasca Falls before arriving into Jasper just in time for lunch. Ravenous after our less than appealing meal the night before we made our way to Famoso for some of their delicious pizza and salad to tide us over until we could check in to our hostel. 

​We checked in to the Jasper Downtown Hostel, which was thankfully a big improvement on the hostel in Banff (and the night before) and got ourselves settled. On the recommendation of the lovely girl at check in we headed to the Jasper Brewing Co. for some dinner and some of their beers/cocktails. Craig had the nachos which were possibly the biggest we have ever seen (not even close to finishing them), and Katy had the Elk meatloaf which was absolutely delicious, a very gamey meat but very tasty!

The next morning we enjoyed a well needed long lie then set off to the Bear Paw for some breakfast (I think they have knocked the cafe in Iceland off the top spot for cinnamon rolls!!) and headed off for a hike on the Bighorn Alley Trail to Lake Annette. We enjoyed the walk around and then set off on a tangent to the Beauvert Lake at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and for Craig to use the fanciest loo he has seen so far before heading back to downtown Jasper. 14km later we were ready for some food and a late lunch/early dinner at Montana's was exactly what was required.

​After a post walk nap we headed to the Chaba Theatre to watch Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Katy had never seen a Tarantino movie previously and walked away from the film completely befuddled, Craig however thoroughly enjoyed it!

​Another long-ish lie the next morning we headed back to Bear Paw for breakfast before driving over to Maligne Canyon. We had been informed by the waiter at Famoso to begin at the Sixth Bridge as it was the quietest and where we were most likely to see wildlife. Well, our luck was in, as when we turned into the car park, we were greeted by a small herd of elk.

Our hike took us from the Sixth Bridge of the canyon up to the First, where it got noticeable busier with tourists. However, understandable as there were some pretty spectacular views down the canyon.

From Maligne Canyon we decided to drive up to Maligne Lake via Medicine Lake as all of the research we had done before leaving said that this road was the best place to spot wildlife. Thankfully our luck was in on the drive as we saw a moose, some mule deer and a female elk. All extremely impressive if a bit sad to see how many humans get out of their cars and intrude on the animals space, the phrase "it's not a zoo" was definitely used once or twice!

We had been so impressed with the animal sightings we had had during the day we decided we would head back out at dusk to tempt fate and see if we could see any bears. At about 6:30pm we set off back up Maligne Lake Road however, we had clearly pushed our luck too much and there wasn't even so much as a chipmunk! Coming back in to Jasper however there was a large herd of Elk (at least 30 of them) grazing at the side of the road which was just spectacular to see, especially getting to watch the calves play together and listen to them 'talking' to each other with excited yelps and more nervous grunts.

Back in to Jasper we headed for a quick dinner and back to the hostel to pack. Next stop Whistler (via Kamloops)!

​With our very sporty Toyota Corolla we headed into the mountains with Banff as the first stop. Having visited Banff on our honeymoon for only one night (and a tired night at that), we wanted to really explore it further as we felt we had unfinished business here. Our accommodation was the Samesun Hostel on Banff Ave which came with the very convenient (although a touch tight) underground parking. The staff very kindly let us check in early and after 'bagging' our bunk bed in our 6 bed dorm we headed out to explore the town as we wound our way down to the Bow river. After Parks Canada being a tad liberal with the distances we headed to the Bow Falls (it was definitely further away than 600m) along the river trail however we felt the word falls might have been a slight overstatement.

Happy hour greeted us when we got back to the hostel so thought it rude not to have at least one! Sadly, a stag do had the same idea and so, despite our plan to eat at the hostel, we headed back into town for food. After a quick dinner, we headed upstairs to spend our first night in a shared dorm, dreaming of an 8 hour sleep.

The next morning, neither of us having slept overly well, we headed out to the Upper Banff Hot Springs and managed to be first in the queue for its 9am opening. This meant we were first in the pool which was an amazing experience to have the place to ourselves. Sadly, it is not a natural hot spring but the, slightly sulphur smelling, spring water was instead pumped from deep inside the mountain to the man made pool. After relaxing and enjoying the spring waters for around an hour we left as it had got much busier and, surprisingly, there were far too many children swimming.

With a driving day the day before and not a great nights sleep we decided to hike Tunnel Mountain to clear our heads and get some fresh mountain air. With a near vertical start (Katy thought Craig was trying to kill her) the trail progressively changed to switchbacks and we were up in just under an hour. It may be the smallest mountain in Banff however the 360 degree views we were afforded at the top were stunning, made better by the glorious sunshine that had made the climb somewhat harder. 

​We headed for lunch at Good Earth Coffeehouse for some much needed nourishment! The tuna salad and chicken panini were delicious and unceremoniously scoffed down! After a well needed shower and some relaxation time back at the hostel we caught the bus to the Banff gondola and arrived at the top of Sulphur Mountain just after 18:30. We managed to get a gondola to ourselves both up and down. This was Craig's first experience of a gondola and he would admit himself he was a little scared (little being the understatement of the century!) The views really speak for themselves with a special mention to Phillip Nugent who entertained us with his fantastic music at the top of observation deck.

​Once we had descended however, came the great food dilemma of the 20th of August. At the hostel, it was Taco Tuesday. We had been very much looking forward to them all day however, by the time we got back, we discovered the only tacos left were the vegetarian ones (a starter at best (honest opinion)). Disheartened, we decided to order something else from the menu only to discover that the frier had broken and the only accompaniment with the main dishes was a salad (we wondered if they were trying to get rid of some old vegetables). So, with Craig being worse than hangry, we headed back downtown to get some cheap and cheerful food. This, however, decided to be the best decision we made as we came across The Old Spaghetti Factory and had the best value meal of our trip. With almost every main, they served a starter of either minestrone soup or a salad and a scoop of ice cream for dessert. It was amazing and we went back to the dorm room both full (Craig had recovered fully) and optimistic of a good nights sleep.

Amazingly, despite thinking we would be first up at 07:00 we were surprised when our 3 other dorm mates got up and left just after 05:00. This meant we headed to Lake Louise a little tired, for the second morning in a row. The actual goal, was not Lake Louise, it was Moraine Lake, as we had missed it on our honeymoon. Frustratingly, it appears we are destined to always miss it, as the car in front of us was allowed up the road, we weren't. The parking lot was now full and therefore the road was shut off. To save money by not parking at Lake Louise we took the car to the park and ride and took the shuttle bus. As the queue for the shuttle to Moraine Lake was massive, we decided to go and explore the trails around Lake Louise further and try the shuttle again in the afternoon. We started by hiking to the Fairview Viewpoint where we saw stunning views out across the lake back to the hotel. This was such a peaceful moment as we were the only ones on the platform despite the crowds below. Once we were back on lake level we walked around the lake to the end of the Nordic ski trail, a relatively flat trail offering more views of the majestic lake and back towards the hotel. After our morning exertions we visited the Alpine Social for a well deserved lunch and somehow landed the best seats in the restaurant!

​After lunch, we headed back to the Moraine Lake shuttle however were disappointed to discover that at 14:00, the only spaces left for the day was on the last shuttle of the day at 16:00. This would have given us only an hour at the lake and to our minds this wouldn't be worth it. Today's goal wasn't achieved but we did have fun at Lake Louise with the promise we would be back (third time is the charm)! 

After some consolatory drinks at the hostel, on happy hour prices, and a bit of chill out time while no one else was in the dorm room we decided to have a quick dinner, before heading into Banff for a walk. We managed to somehow find ourselves in the ridiculous queue for Cow's ice cream shop with both of us having a cone. Katy had her usual mint choc chip and Craig the cheesecake which had broken up Oreo's through New York cheesecake flavoured ice cream, definitely a treat for a sweet tooth!

Next morning we had another early start as we wanted to get ahead of the tours at Johnston Canyon. This was a moderate (strenuous if you include the fact Craig decided to add in hill sprints as we went) trail that took in the lower falls, the upper falls (both of Johnston Canyon) and we then left most of the tourists behind as we carried on to the Ink Pots which were 5 amazing pools of various shades of blue/green. The slower the pool filled from below, the greener the colour before they flowed slowly into the river. We also ventured further on the trails and came to a narrow bridge over the river but we decided to turn back at this point as we weren't prepared for the full wilderness of Canada (forgot our bear spray). Speaking of which, we also spotted a red squirrel as we came back down from our 14km hike (we also saw an abundance of chipmunks - one woman was so desperate for a photo she was clicking her fingers at a chipmunk so it would look at her!) 

We had a quick lunch before heading back to the hostel where we organised our bags, had some down time, before going for a drink with one of our new dorm mates, Dan. We headed out and had our last meal in Banff, at Pacini, which was a delicious Italian attached to the Moose Hotel, just along from our hostel. It was the best meal of our stay in lovely surroundings with Katy saying she would love to stay there if we come back. The real highlight - for Katy, the highlight for Craig was that they were showing the Green Bay Packers game - was the garlic bread station which allowed us to pick a bread, a choice of spreads from plain, garlic, pesto, tomato & basil and then grill it. The smell was amazing (if you like garlic) and tasted great as well. 

It was well worth coming back to Banff but we are both looking forward to no longer staying in dorms in 4 days time as we continue our adventure North, up the Icefield Parkway towards Jasper.

​Footnote: we must give a special mention to our various dorm mates during our stay in Banff (names and nicknames as follows): Stroppy English Girl (4 nights), Sephine (sp?-sorry!) (formerly French Canadian girl, formerly Dutch/German girl) (4 nights), New Girl (2 nights), Michael (1 night) and Dan (1 night). 

​Having had such a hectic few weeks on the run up to our stay in Calgary we were excited to have a bit of chill time in a city we knew so well, so we headed to a local supermarket, stocked up on food, enjoyed a night in with some Friends on Netflix and an early night.

The next morning, in the pouring rain, we headed into downtown to torture ourselves with a visit to Lammle's Western Wear and Tack where we both wanted to buy just about everything in the shop. However given our 55L rucksacks are already full, no boots were purchased however Craig did treat himself to a new hat given the one he brought with him is already sun bleached.

​After another afternoon of chilling out, more Friends on Netflix, we headed to Modern Steak to experience the famous Alberta Steak (Katy hadn't heard of Alberta steak). We were served by the lovely Brendan, who's father grew up in Lanark (what are the chances!) and he talked us through the different meats and the farms that they come from. Craig had the Wagyu beef (blue) from Brant Lake Farm which was described as the crème de la crème of Alberta beef and Katy had the Wild Rose Angus fillet (rare) from Spring Creek Ranch, where the cowboys do all of their farming on horseback. Every day the cowboys walk the cows the 35km to their river and back so that the cows only ever eat the top of the grass, this gives the beef a whole different flavour. We both agreed that our steaks were some of the best, if not the best, we had ever tasted, they fell apart as we cut into them. Perfectly accompanied with a Steam Whistle Beer for Craig and a glass of Ontarian Baco Noir for Katy. 

Our evening could be described as an evening of two halves as after our delicious dinner we wandered down to the world famous Cowboys Casino and Dancehall, somewhere Craig had previously frequented when in Calgary on a rugby tour in 2013. He was definitely happy to be back even though Katy most certainly couldn't drink like one of the rugby lads and we were in a taxi for 01:00 after drinking maybe a little too much tequila (wine, gin, Smirnoff ice...)!

The next morning was a very, very slow start after the events of the night before, and slightly worse for wear we literally dragged ourselves to Palomino Smokehouse for a quick lunch and a hair of the dog before jumping on the C-Train out to Prairie Winds Park for Country Thunder. As the tickets had been purchased in November 2018 it was safe to say we had been waiting for this for quite some time! The festival was so much more laid back than those in the UK with most people coming armed with camp chairs and picnic blankets. Given we sadly didn't have either we set ourselves up on the large hill in the park that thankfully had a near perfect view of the stage. First up was Shawn Austin who was someone we hadn't heard much of his music beforehand but very talented. Next were the Hunter Brothers, 5 brothers (and an estranged guitarist) from nearby Saskatchewan who unsurprisingly received an amazing reception from the crowd which was difficult not to get caught up in! Craig's favourite song they played was Northern Lights. Then we had Jordan Davis who Katy was extremely excited for and he was every bit as good as she had hoped. Lauren Alaina was next who neither of us thought we were too bothered about (we even had a drinks run planned) however we were completely wrong, she was very charismatic, sharing stories of her "crazy family" and getting Tim, a very enthusiastic member of the crowd, up to dance and sing with her on her song "Next Boyfriend." He was absolutely hysterical, singing every word and showing off some excellent dance moves. When Lauren asked why the song was so important to him he, very emotionally, shared he had seen her at the Route 91 festival in Las Vegas the year of the shooting and since then she had become very special to him, I don't think there was a dry eye in the entire park. Jake Owen was the headliner of the night and he was absolutely incredible, playing a mixture of his older songs and his new album he was very deserving of the headliner spot and we both agree we would love to see him in the UK! We had fantastic day out however if we are being honest the crowds in North America just aren't as good as back home!!

A bit weary the next morning we had a very slow start before heading out to One18 Empire for brunch which thankfully revived us enough to enjoy the sights of Olympic Plaza. The Plaza was created as the venue for medal ceremonies at the 1988 Winter Olympics and is now home to the Famous Five statue which was erected in 1999 in honour of the five women (Emily Murphy, Irene Parlby, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney and Henrietta Edwards) who petitioned to have women legally considered "persons" so that they could be appointed for Senate. Initially, in 1928, the Supreme Court ruled that women are not such "persons" however that was then overruled in 1929. Very inspiring ladies - and a sad reminder that 90 years on the fight continues and women are still not really viewed as "persons" in the eyes of some of our world leaders!

After, you guessed it, we watched more Friends we decided to go for a walk and we set out along the Bow River pathway to enjoy the last of the days sunshine and take in some of the lovely views back towards the city. Then it was time for a quick dinner, packing the rucksacks and an early night.

Next stop, Banff!

Once we had overcome the trauma, we composed ourselves (like the adults we are) and decided to keep the university days theme going and headed to Halifax Alehouse as Monday night is their wings night! With a lack of real atmosphere (probably as the students weren't back and it was, you know, a Monday night) we ventured deeper downtown and landed in the Loose Canon, a Scottish pub, on Argyll Street, in Nova Scotia (something about Brits abroad!?) We only stayed for one as the party didn't seem to start at all on a Monday night but Craig did notice this charming poster on his way back from the loo.

Tuesday morning and we reengaged tourist mode from being students the night before and headed down to the Marina. We walked along the promenade from South to North starting at Pier 21, where 1.5 million immigrants entered Canada (similar to Ellis Island in New York) from the early to mid 20th Century. We wandered along the promenade taking in the views and admiring some of the ships docked, which included the HMSC Sackville which is the last 'Flower-class' corvette from WWII.

With the walk going quicker than we expected (no space for souvenirs) we took a seat outside, near the end of the promenade, and consulted the world famous google to decide on our next steps (our planning never seemed to get as far as Halifax). With a high rating on trip advisor and neither of us quite ready for lunch we headed to Alexander Keith's brewery to take the 12:30 tour. We had a great time sampling 4 different beers and learning more about the Scottish man who put beer on the map in Halifax in the 1800's. The Scottish links followed throughout, with ancient Keith tartan decorating areas and we finished our tour in a bar similar to the one that used to be near the brewery and were entertained with live music. We had a great time although we did have the misfortune of an American woman on the tour asking great questions like "was the ancient Keith tartan named after Alexander Keith" and "does Nova Scotia really mean New Scotland?" One of the most interesting things we saw however was a bottle half filled with beer that had been found by a diver that dated back to sometime between 1870 and 1880. When it was tested it was found to be a beer very similar to the current iteration made to a similar recipe today, the IPA (India Pale Ale).

A lazy afternoon followed as we let the alcohol leave our systems with someone napping out the worst of it (ahem, Katy). Dinner for the evening was a subdued affair as Tuesday appeared even more quiet for a night out than Monday and an early night with our books followed.

On Wednesday morning, Craig cheated. Not on Katy, nope, on Gary, his barber from Badlands Barber in Glasgow (sorry Gary!) and he went for a haircut at Noreast Barber with Liam who left him without a beard for the first time in years! After Katy had nearly walked past Craig in the street we headed to the Halifax citadel which was a crucial fortress during the British empire with strong connections to the Scottish armed forces. We spent time walking along the ramparts, wandering around the museum dedicated to the armed forces of all Nova Scotia, the museum walking us through the history of the citadel and the city of Halifax itself and we witnessed the noon canon (Katy still got a fright despite watching the fuse being lit). 

After a quick sandwich stop we headed to the public gardens and spent time wandering and relaxing around the 18 acre garden in what was a nice afternoon. We of course, because it would have been rude not, got ice cream cones to enjoy as we went.

Just like that, we were doing the 'p' word again and after organising our bags we headed out for our last meal in Halifax. On the third time of asking we finally found a restaurant, Antojo, that was busy and had a great atmosphere! We enjoyed some tacos and tequila based cocktails (because, when in Mexico...) before heading back to our room to grab some shuteye before the 03:15 alarm on Thursday morning!

​The first stop on the Ceilidh Trail was Mabou, where we were booked in to the Mabou River Inn. We had the friendliest welcome and we immediately felt at home, so much so that first on the agenda was to get a load of laundry done - Craig was beginning to reach a bit of a sock crisis (his words)! The obvious thing to do whilst we waited was to make use of the hotels table tennis table and we have finally found a sport that Katy is better at than Craig! Post laundry and table tennis we took up the locals recommendation of dinner and entertainment at The Red Shoe. We were treated to some ceilidh music by Melody & Derrick Cameron, although sadly there was no space for us to get up and dance! However, Katy maybe...possibly...definitely got a wee bit teary eyed when they played Mull of Kintyre (the first time either of us have felt a little homesick). After the entertainment finished we enjoyed an incredible meal of locally sourced fish and a local wine for Katy and a Red Shoe Ale for Craig.

The next morning after what we both agreed was the best nights sleep we had had since we left we were treated to Dave's delicious freshly made cinnamon rolls for breakfast. They were just what we needed to set us up for our tour of North America's first (Canada's only) single malt whisky distillery and those of you who know Craig can well imagine that he was delighted that Katy had gotten over her fear of driving on the opposite side of the road in time to be his designated driver. We enjoyed the tour despite the few inaccuracies made of Scottish distilleries (Glengoyne spelt Glendoyne and apparently all distilleries in Scotland use peat to dry out their barley - they clearly weren't used to having such connoisseurs on the tours!) Sadly there were no bottles on sale small enough for Craig to drink before we get on our next flight (as the whisky finished in ice wine casks sounded amazing) so he had to make do with both of our tasting samples at the end of the tour. He thoroughly enjoyed them albeit he was left aghast at how others on the tour downed theirs like a shot of tequila!

Next stop on our tour was Inverness Beach, where thankfully there is a lovely promenade as neither of us are big sand lovers! It's a lovely short walk with a stunning view out to the Gulf of the St Lawrence River. We then left the car at the beach and walked up in to the town of Inverness for some lunch at the Westside Cookhouse. More delicious seafood and we were set up for the rest of the day, so much so we even went back down to the beach and changed into our flip flops and hit the sand (we still don't like it!).

Another 45 minutes in the car, as we left the Ceilidh Trail behind and joined the Cabot Trail, we reached our next stop, Alberts Motel in Chéticamp. Having felt a bit like nomads for the past week we were delighted to finally check in to somewhere for a whole two nights! We dumped our bags and walked along the coast to Chéticamp Harbour Range Front Lighthouse, it was one of the landmarks pictured in the Lonely Planet guide when we had first started planning our trip so it was a little bit surreal to be standing in front of it. It is a small but very picturesque lighthouse with excellent views over the water to Chéticamp island.

Having had a big lunch we popped into the supermarket for some picnic supplies and enjoyed some sandwiches in our room for dinner before crashing out.

After a bit of a long lie we made our way out to the Acadian Trail in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. We did however, have an interesting start to the morning as a spider took its opportunity to crawl onto Katy in the car, causing a scream, a flap, nearly causing Craig to crash. It went from bad to worse for Katy as our first wildlife sighting on the trail was a snake she nearly stood on. However, we reached the view point where there were more incredible views of the Gulf of the St Lawrence and this time we were sure we could see some Minke Whales in the distance. Coming back down we spotted a red squirrel and some chipmunks however we didn't have the camera ready to get shots of them as they dashed off into the woodland.

Having only had a bran muffin for breakfast we were both absolutely ravenous post walk so we grabbed a quick shower and walked along to the Harbour Restaurant and Bar for a very late lunch. It had beautiful views of the lighthouse we had walked to the previous day and particularly tasty food, unsurprisingly more seafood!

We finished off our day with some Steam Whistle and a particularly competitive game of Rummy on our terrace.

The next morning we had a rather early start as we wanted to climb the Skyline Trail before the forecasted rain stopped us from seeing the incredible view. Sadly as with a lot of these places it had become a bit of a tourist trap so it was too busy for any wildlife spotting and the walkway was a bit crowded but we beat the clouds and the view more than made up for it.

After the Skyline Trail we were in desperate need of something to eat so stopped off at the famous Chowder House in Neil's Harbour to try out their chowder that everyone raved about, it was incredible and just what we needed after the mornings exertions.

Next stop was our accommodation for the night, the ZzzzMoose in Birch Plain, 4 little clamping cabins run by a Dutch gentleman. We thought it was the perfect stop off for the night until the rain forecast earlier in the day came in and then some as it turned into a thunder and lightening storm along with the biggest hail stones either of us have ever seen. We realised just how vulnerable we felt essentially staying in a shed for the night! However, us and the cabin, survived!

​Our last full day on the Cabot Trail began with some delicious Dutch pancakes and we set off to Big Bras d'Or to board the Puffin Express with Bird Island Boat Tours (a company that has been going for over 40 years). We spent 3 hours touring the Bird Islands and saw Atlantic Puffins, Great Blue Herons, a Black-Legged Kittiwake among many others. It was an incredibly interesting tour run by a father and son, Vince and Ian, whose enthusiasm for the birds was just infectious!

Managing to leave without picking up any Puffin-related merchandise (well done Katy) we set off to Baddeck to check into the Telegraph House Hotel, a very twee hotel. With the floral wallpaper and thick quilt covering the bed we felt like we had checked into someone's Granny's spare bedroom! However, it was extremely comfortable and put us in the perfect location for the pièce de résistance of our time in Cape Breton and that was having the lobster platter at the Linwood Inn. Having mostly eaten picnics in our hotel rooms during our time here to justify having lobster on a backpackers budget, we can definitely say it was worth it and every bit as good as it looks! After dinner we set out in hunt of a bar or pub where we could join the locals for a drink or two only to discover that Baddeck is actually a dry town and can only serve alcohol in licensed restaurants so a bit disappointed we made our way back to our hotel for an early night!

We are now off back to the city, Halifax here we come!

We left the trappings of the very European Quebec City behind us and headed East on the Trans-Canada Highway (or the Autoroute Jean-Lesage if you are French Canadian). This 400km segment of the journey was pretty heavy going as the holiday weekend traffic built up over the hours and the rain came pouring down (it's the same as home, mention a holiday and it automatically rains). With the promised costal view fairly restricted we entered Matane and ran in to the lovely Auberge La Seigneurie and checked into our very comfortable room (our only complaint was the shared bathroom). We had booked dinner at Cargo, known for it's fantastic views of the St. Lawrence River. Annoyingly the weather and darkness had other ideas and the views became similar to a gloomy day on the Clyde! That theme continued when we came back to our room and, one wine Katy, tripped on the plastic recycling box (that statements seems like an oxymoron) and put her foot through it causing the first injury of the trip. We did however get to test the first aid kit (it worked)!

The next morning Craig could barely contain his excitement as our next stop was a trip to the Chic-Choc mountains in Gaspésie national park which included a hike up Mont Olivine. Sadly, the rain that had plagued us yesterday had forgotten to stop overnight but we stoically waded our way to the top. On the way back down, almost at the car park, we stumbled upon two moose (Craig insists the plural should be either mooses or mice!) grazing at the river bank, quite non-plussed about our presence. This was absolutely the highlight of the hike and something which was so humbling to witness.

​Sunday nights accommodation was the Auberge L'Amarré in Mont-Louis. This time our picture perfect seaside town was in full glorious sunshine and we had some fantastic views across the St. Lawrence from both our room and dinner that evening. 

Holiday Monday and our last full day on the Gaspé Peninsula. It started off with, surprisingly, a long drive down to the beautiful seaside town of Percé that reminded Katy of Elie, on the East Coast of Fife. We parked up and headed to the lookout for Percé Rock that is attached to the mainland via a causeway. Unfortunately, we were apprehended by a young gentleman in a kiosk who demanded (in French) that we pay €1 each to walk the 50m up to the lookout as it is a historic site (Katy did mutter something about North Americans wouldn't know what historic was if it bit them, Craig didn't catch the rest...!) In all fairness we did have fantastic views of both Percé Rock and Île-Bonaventure. We headed into town and enjoyed our walk along the promenade. 

Due to a quirk of planning, we then drove back the way we had come for 45 minutes to the town of Gaspé, where we were staying in the Auberge sous les Arbres hotel. When we arrived we were warmly welcomed by our utterly fantastic hostess Mimi - with a brilliant sense of humour she told us we would require a key to get back in to the hotel after dinner because "at 9 o'clock Mimi go night night"! With a few hours of sunshine left (and too much rain over the last 2 days) we headed down to the river to walk along the promenade and we arrived at the Birthplace of Canada. Here we learned about the early French colonisers in the area and the early meetings with the First Nations. It was full of fascinating information although we felt it had become a bit of a tourist trap.

When we had checked in earlier in the day, Mimi had recommended Brise Bise for dinner as it did good food, good beer and well, it was across the road! We decided to head over without a reservation at 19:30 however this was an error as the restaurant had lines out of both doors and the waiting list was already over an hour! We decided to cut our losses and ventured to TÉTÛ Taverne Gaspésienne instead which we are sure was just as nice!

We woke up on the Tuesday knowing this was the big travelling day, it was a 9 hour journey down to Moncton, however this did include a lunch pit-stop in Campbellton! We checked in to the Rodd Moncton Hotel, to one of the motel style rooms, that was definitely quieter than the main hotel. After a quick dinner trip to the brewpub, Pump House we crashed out in bed as we were exhausted!