A Season on Vancouver Island

by Bill Arnott

A beautiful collection of images and short travel essays highlighting the fun, eclectic, and unique nature of Vancouver Island and the attraction it has for travellers and tourists from across Canada and around the world. Join intrepid travel writer Bill Arnott as he escapes the confines of life in Vancouver for an epic and quirky road trip around Vancouver Island and to some of the surrounding smaller islands. Hitting all of the high points and chatting with locals along the way, Bill discovers why Vancouver Island has become one of western North America’s top tourist destinations. From great food to wonderful wine, stunning natural habitats and memorable encounters with wildlife, Bill paints a charming picture of life on Canada’s West Coast. Featuring original colour artwork throughout, A Season on Vancouver Island is a unique gift for anyone who has ever spent time on Vancouver Island.

Genres: Travel, Canada

120 pages, Paperback

Published September 27, 2022

About the author

Bill Arnott is the bestselling author of A Perfect Day for a Walk, A Perfect Day for a Walk by the Water, A Season in the Okanagan, A Season on Vancouver Island, A Festive Season on Vancouver Island, and the award-winning Gone Viking travelogues. For his expeditions he’s received Fellowships at Britain’s Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Bill's a Travel Ambassador for Canadian Geographic and Adventure Canada, contributing writer for newspapers and magazines, and is a frequent presenter for universities, podcasts, TV, and radio. When not trekking with a small pack and journal, Bill can be found on Canada’s West Coast, where he lives near the sea on Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh land.

Reviews

[Bill Arnott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this is my book, so of course I like it. But the truth is, I'm particularly proud of this publication as it includes my visual art, digitally painted photos from three months of travel around Vancouver Island and British Columbia's surrounding Gulf Islands. It's a spectacular part of the planet, and I'm thrilled to share my experience with readers in this multimedia format. The area's vibrant with unique flora and fauna, and culturally rich, with four millennia of Indigenous history. So join me (if you like) on this special voyage, what advance reader Graydon Hazenberg describes as "like a road trip with your best friend." Cheers!

[A.M. Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Season on Vancouver Island is a travel memoir for all seasons. Arnott’s writing is humorous, poetical, and illuminating. For those yet to visit one of the world’s most majestic islands (and its surrounding archipelago), the book will whet their appetite and inform their journey. For those who’ve been there, the book will bring them back - to, as Arnott describes it, the language of ravens and the sound of sea-wash.

[T.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read one of Bill Arnott's books, I feel like I'm skipping alongside him on his travels, seeing the sights through his perspective, and meeting colourful locals with the help of his friendly disposition. His latest book, A Season on Vancouver Island, is a gorgeous little book and an absolute pleasure to read. The author's lyrical prose cheerfully blends humour with interesting facts and history, and urges the reader to compile their own bucket list of places to visit on Vancouver Island and surrounding islands. The photos transformed into paintings are a fitting tribute to the beauty and culture of the West Coast. I highly recommend this book for everyone who loves to travel or anyone who likes to live vicariously through those who do.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an absolutely delightful book!!! These short vignettes made me laugh out loud and want to take an extended trip so badly. I read part of this book out loud to my family while waiting for the ferry to Vancouver Island and finished the book literally a block from my house upon our return.

I read this while on a visit to Vancouver Island (where I am originally from) and it made me grin with delight that the spirit of Vancouver Island and Island life was captured so well. I love the folks from Vancouver Island!

The book had me dreaming of summer days and the smell of blackberry bushes. The stargazing, the hiking and the market days are all experiences that I have had on Vancouver Island so it really heightened the experience for me.

I loved the snippets of history (both colonial and Indigenous). I learned a few things about the history of a few of the towns.

The lazy pace of the travels which really focused on getting to know the individual towns and immersing yourself in the community made me long for an extended vacation where the goal of the vacation was just to be. I am normally a very fast paced travel trying to cram as much as possible into my time in a community but this way of being in the world is just what I needed.

[Anne Smith-Nochasak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes, travelogues are simply charming documentaries of the author’s experiences; other times, they entertain, educate, and delight. A Season on Vancouver Island is a very special travelogue, one that leads us into the world that the author travels, one in which we participate in his experience as we reflect and learn. Bill Arnott writes with depth of insight and description, tempered at times with humour, and always with humility. There is a profound connection to the history of the places he visits; there is genuine grief, for example, as he acknowledges missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
At times, his experiences relate to other times and experiences; a personal favourite is his recollection of fly fishing, and it occurs to me that he sees his world as a fly fisherman does, with reverence and intimacy. His descriptions are always vivid: “A vibrant sunrise starts the day, apricot and peach, with a blush of strawberry sea.” (167)
The artwork, which I understand is digitally reworked photos, is a series of rich images set against a strong sky.
I was delighted and moved by the book itself, and also by the packaging. It is easily slipped into a pocket or purse to take along on one’s journey. I highly recommend A Season on Vancouver Island to all travellers and students of life.

[Paul Raworth Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful collection of brief travel essays that introduce you to the flora, fauna, history, geography, and peoples of Vancouver Island, written from the perspective of an easygoing traveler who closely observes and contemplates his surroundings while easily making friends along the way. Moving lightly and briskly through numerous very short chapters, "A Season..." piques one's imagination using multilayered storytelling (in several places, Arnott relates the present-day tale back to his youthful experiences) that illustrates the resonance of traveling with our own heartfelt memories. With plenty of historical tidbits, cultural insights and more than a few laughs, the book can be polished off in one or two extended sittings or spread out over several days. Oh, and it also has gorgeous blue-themed pictures throughout that resemble paintings but are in fact derived from digital photos. Well done, Bill!

[Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

The idea of a book of vignettes about Vancouver Island seemed promising, but I could not get on with this and abandoned it early, in part because it is completely dominated by the “I” / “We” voice so prevalent in contemporary non-fiction. I will admit that I have swum through other such books, though, so something else bothered me that is hard to pin down. I glanced ahead of where I stopped and there were an awful lot of itty-bitty pieces along the lines of “We ate at this restaurant.” Nope, not engaged by that. The book was published in 2022, post-COVID and frequently mentioning it, and that’s not something I care to be reminded of. I sometimes think that I should not attempt newish books at all, since the 21st Century just puts me off, and that is in play here too: The narrating voice seems superficial and insubstantial in a particularly up-to-the-minute, short-attention-span way. It is not the first time that I have found a recent book with a rather pleasant or intriguing concept to be surprisingly distasteful in execution.

[Linda Ranson-Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

While visiting Vancouver Island, I picked up this mini travelogue in a charming shop in Victoria. I was mostly drawn to it by the stunning altered photo images, and the size of it could fit in my purse for easy reference while I traveled. There was no mention anywhere of who the creator of the images was, but through investigation online I was able to discover it was the writer himself. The writing is less of a informative guide but more of musings of places passed through. I came to love the description of land and atmosphere, and especially his appreciation of the Indigenous people, their history, old growth forests and our changing environment.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author travels around Vancouver Island for a season. The book was OK, but I was somewhat disappointed with the content. There was not much meat to the book. You would think with that much time they would have gotten to more places. Instead the author relied upon looking back on past travels. The author tried too hard to be poetic in writing and descriptions. While others may more appreciate this more, I prefer a little more factual and a little less highbrow.

[Trevor Atkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

10,000 horses brought us home again. Our trip was not quite "A Season on Vancouver Island", but reading Bill Arnott's book as we went felt like we kept bumping into a fun fellow traveller who would joyfully exchange experiences, recollections, and recommendations – Great reading, great destination.

[Kim Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, little read, about the author’s summer visit to the island. A bit of history, some light observations and very few personal notes. Quick, short, chapters. Could be read in an afternoon, but interesting if you’ve ever travelled up and down the island.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

beautiful, reflective, and comedic read. especially liked the authors artwork added throughout.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely and often amusing selection of stories and vignettes from travel on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Inspiring art work included.

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light reading

[Richard Lehingrat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Living on the Big Island and a frequent travel on it and the Small Islands , there was a truth in what he writes and experiences. The art work is remarkable. ***

[Shareen MacNeil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful, easy, and relaxing read. Perfect for our short stay on the Island.