It’s also a pleasure every year to see some of our “regular” guests.  Some come for specific events in the area, such as the Brentwood College Regatta at the end of April, or the Shawnigan Regatta two weeks later, some come to visit their children who are attending any one of four private boarding schools in the area, and some come just to relax and rejuvenate, or because they love visiting the Island.  It’s very rewarding to see them return to Cobble House, and to catch up on how things have been going in their lives.

Because some of our guests have taken the time to share their experience of staying at Cobble House on TripAdvisor, Cobble House B&B was given a certificate of excellence by TripAdvisor, based on a TripAdvisor rating of 5 as given to us by our guests.   We thank all of you who have taken the time to write a review, and appreciate it so very much.  We strive to offer the best Bed & Breakfast experience that we can, and after 17 years in business here in Cobble Hill we’re still learning new things every year to help make your stay with us the very best that it can be.

We hope to see you back with us, and would like to wish all of you a wonderful Christmas or Hanukkah, a happy holiday season, and health and happiness in 2011!

The property is about 32 acres with a number of heritage structures, the most important one being the farmhouse.  The original house was quite small, but was doubled in size when Andrew Keating bought the property around 1888.  Keating hired architect John Gerhard Tiarks who designed a huge addition in the form of a great hall.  The hall has a vaulted ceiling supported by carved beams that arch across the hall.  It is intricately panelled and built with first growth cedar and fir, which maintains its original 1894 finish.  There is also a massive 10 ft. tall fireplace. 

There are numerous outbuildings on the property including the hay barn which may have been built in 1894, and the attached dairy barn built by the last owner, Hugo Tews, in 1949.  There is a orchard with many heritage apple varieties as well as a nut orchard.  At the south end of the property are a creek, a wetland and a wooded area.  The old CNR right-of-way spur to Cowichan Bay runs through this part of the property and connects to the Trans Canada Trail.

Keating and two of his sons died in 1901 in the shipwreck of the S.S. Islander.  Strangely enough architect Tiark also died that same year, from a fall off his bicycle in Victoria.   The farm then had a number of owners before Hugo Tews, from whom TLC bought the property.

TLC has started restoration work on the farm house, as there currently is scaffolding in the Great Hall.  Much remains to be done, but the farmhouse is also still occupied by a descendent of Hugo Tews.  Tews farmed the property and won many awards at Duncan’s Cowichan Exhibition with the grain that he grew on the property.  The dairy barn that he built is closed up as it is home to a rare colony of blue-listed Townsend’s Big-eared bats.  After the bats migrate in the fall, TLC will install a webcam to monitor their behaviour when they return in the spring. 

The farmland is also being put back into agricultural production through the Keating Community Farm Cooperative established by TLC in 2006, to create a multi-functional community farm and heritage site.

It’s great to see this slice of Cowichan Valley history saved for future generations.  As a Bed & Breakfast innkeeper in the Valley, I appreciate all the interesting history in the area which I’m then able to share with guests staying at Cobble House B&B.

The Kinsol Trestle was originally completed by Canadian National Railways in 1920.  It was officially named the Koksilah River Trestle, and the more popular name “Kinsol” came from the nearby King Solomon copper mine.  The trestle is the highest and largest surviving timber trestle in Canada and reportedly one of the four largest wooden structures in the world.  The last train crossed the trestle in 1979 and a year later it was abandoned.  In 1988 a fire burnt part of the trestle.  In recent years the Cowichan Valley Regional District conducted several studies to decide if the structure should and could be saved.  In 2009 a fundraising campaign was launched, and $3.8 million dollars in provincial/federal government funding was announced, as well as $1.0 from the Island Coastal Economic Trust.  The public campaign to raise the remaining $2 million is ongoing even as the work has begun.

I took a drive out to the north access of the trestle this week, as the south access from Shawnigan Lake is closed for the duration of the project.  You follow Riverside Road, off Koksilah Road, for about 10 km.  The road is paved for the first several kilometers and then becomes sand and gravel.  Just when I thought I must have missed a turn off I arrived at the parking area.  The main trail to the trestle is blocked off and you take a little path through the woods to get there.  They are still working on putting in box steps on the actual path, and have also just started constructing the viewing platform.  I was able to get down to the water and look up at the trestle, but it involved crossing a steep slope with lose gravel, so a bit of tricky manoeuvring was involved to get close.  Even in the state of disrepair the trestle is in, it is an awesome sight and it’s going to be so exciting to see this historic structure repaired and open to the public.  The new completed Kinsol Trestle will include landscape improvements, a walkway down to the canyon and an information kiosk.  At the same time during the project, the area will be carefully managed to maintain the important heritage elements of the trestle.

The Kinsol Trestle will be an added reason to visit the Cowichan Valley.    Bring your bicycles when you stay at Cobble House B&B, and cycle the completed trail next summer.  For now, keep an eye on the progress of the rehabilitation, and if so inclined, support the fund raising campaign to make the Kinsol Trestle complete!

26th annual Visions Summer Art Tour

The Cowichan Valley is a wonderfully relaxing place to wander around, either by car or on the bike.  In between artist studios, you can check out the Saturday market in Duncan, and tour some of the Cowichan Valley wineries.  Enjoy a glass of award winning wine while relaxing over lunch at Merridale Cidery’s La Pommeraie Bistro, Cherry Point Estate Wines Bistro, Thistles Cafe at Glenterra, and Vinoteca at Vigneti Zanatta.  Locally grown produce and products are featured at many of the local restaurants, and we’re very fortunate in the Valley to have access to so many specialty products grown at home.

What better way to celebrate Canada and Canadians than a relaxing weekend in the beautiful countryside, tasting some canadian grown goodness!