The weather seems to be cheering up, giving lots of opportunities to get outside for some fresh air and a chance to burn off some of the winter reservoirs that some of us may be packing around. Some people have injuries, physical limitations or just prefer a relatively flat walking route and the loop from Brickyard around El Verano Road and onto the beach seems to be one of the favorites on Gabriola.
There are some ways to extend this walk as well by adding in the clamshell/stokes roads, you can make it all on the road or incorporate a walk on the sandy beach into your route by going down the boat launch off El Verano (which is easy to spot – it’s one of the few places on the Island that has more than 5 cars on the side of the road).
There is also history here,
brickyard beach use to have a substantial industrial role on the Island, producing over 80,000 bricks daily, brick remnants still line the beaches. If you’re in to creating an adventure, there is a geocache site hidden near the Brickyard picnic site – have fun!
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It's amazing to look at this landscape and imagine that there was industry here. The only hint of it left behind is the small portion of red brick that you may stumble upon on while walking along the shore line. It seems as though the earth has reclaimed this space and is once again churning the landscape back into nature. I love looking at this space and trying to imagine what it would have been like when there was a brick factory that produced millions of bricks a year, and to see the transformation over the last century from nature to industry and the path back to nature again. The Gabriola Historical and Museum Society has gathered a lot of photos and information on Brickyard's past.
