The Outdoors

Step outside and you immediately feel the west coast magic! The ocean before you is the Saanich Inlet, a calm, protected fiord that you will never get tired of watching. The Saanich Inlet is 750 feet deep in some places and the marine life is unbelievable! Across the Inlet is the Gowland-Todd Regional Park. Its steep sides provide a dramatic backdrop to the many moods of the Inlet. To the north is access to the Pacific Ocean and Saltspring Island. To the south is a dead end with Goldstream River flowing into the Inlet. In the fall there are up to 60,000 salmon waiting in our bay to go up the river to spawn.

If you look carefully at the water you can nearly always spot seals… in the trees you can nearly always see bald eagles waiting for their next meal to surface. Looking up the mountain you will see the magnificent forest of Douglas fir and West coast cedar… and you think to yourself ‘this is a close to perfect as you can get!’.

The Dock

Morningside Estate now has a commercial dock. This means that you can come by float plane, boat, or any conveyance that will land you at our dock! You can also use it to launch kayaks, canoes or any other rentable watercraft. The dock also serves as a launching place for your adventures on the inlet whether it be sightseeing, a trip to Butchart Gardens or the beginnings of a whale watching or fishing trip.

Right beside the dock is a beautiful waterfall to greet intrepid voyagers coming ashore. We are working on a sandy patch between the waterfall and the ocean where you can work on your tan and (only for the hardy) take a dip in the ocean.

When you arrive by water to the dock, you hear the water of the massive waterfall just behind the dock. The water seems to be literally pouring out of crevices in the rock and cascading down to a catchment pool at the bottom. This spectacular feature provides the guest of only a hint of what is to come.

The Inlet itself is an awesome place to explore via kayak or canoe. The sea life can be seen in pools of crystal clear water. A paddle at night can light up the sea with phosphorescence that would make any fire fly envious. The sea provides an altenate gateway to get to Moningside Estate. You can come by car, by boat or by seaplane. You will leave with fond memories to last a lifetime.

Decks and Ponds

There are two main decks. The lower deck is about 7000 sq feet of interlocking pavers, gardens, ponds, pools and waterfalls. It is a wonderful space to entertain and enjoy the outdoors. The deck is protected by a glass railing that gives you the feeling of closeness to the ocean and wildlife yet protects you from the cliff to the ocean. The lower deck is the preferred spot of sun worshipers, book worms and those who just love hanging out by the pool.

The upper deck is more ‘event’ oriented. It is a great slab of cement surrounded by glass railing and gardens. The deck itself has a massive ‘korean style’ pergola/koi pond as well as an area for setting tables for formal outdoor dining. The area is perfect for awesome outdoor oriented events such as family reunion dining or other formal dining. When the sun goes down, the deck is lit up with thousands of LED lights providing extra star light! Right beside the upper deck is a viewing deck where you can survey the kingdom of Morningside and gaze south to the ocean below.

Pool:

On the lower deck between the big house and pool house lays the swimming pool. It is a heated pool that kids of all ages enjoy. The pool is a perfect place to swim in, splash around in, sun tan by, read by or eat by. Unwinding and relaxation are a given.

A special feature by the pool is the waterfall which provides a subtle background ‘white noise’ of the tricking of water. The garden beds by the pool grow some of rarest and most delicate plants. The dramatic rock outcrop by the pool provides a heat sink so even on cool days the plants and you will feel warmth radiating.

The pool is open May 1 until September 30.

Hot Tub:

The hot tub is a perfect place to be in the evening after the sun goes down or sitting out defying the cool or rainy weather. The hot tub is large enough to accommodate a small group so be prepared to share the space!

Gardens:

Olives, pomegranates, pistachios, pomellos, bananas… in Canada? Is this global warming effect? You won’t believe what will grow in our valley by the sea. The climate is actually much like southern France and we have the vegetation to prove it! Come wander through the gardens and enjoy the natural architecture the plants provide. (Download Our Garden PDF)

The gardens are one of the loveliest aspects of Morningside Estate. Janet and Gerry are very knowledgeable about the plants so ask for a tour. It is unlike any other garden tour in Canada.

Waterfalls:

There are two main waterfalls at Morningside Estate. The smaller one is right beside the pool. It is quiet and tranquil with a constant flow of water down the rock face.

The great waterfall (by the dock) is 40 feet high and 35 feet wide and is anything but tranquil. Water seems to gush out from all manner or nooks and crannies in the wall and then drops down to catchment pools below. It provides a dramatic entrance to the property from those coming by boat.

Fishing:

Some say the fishing at Morningside Estate is excellent (those are the one’s who caught something) Others say it is not so good. If the fish are biting you will catch ling cod, rock cod or maybe even salmon. There are lots of fish in the area… the same with crabs and prawns. What we can say is that there is fishing right off the dock and off the rocky point. You need a salt water license to fish but the rest is up to you.

We are often asked what lures to use… How should we know??? We have seen fish caught by an old chunk of copper and not caught by the fanciest of equipment. One thing that seems to be universal however is that if you are going to fish here the sea will claim some of your lures, which is another way of say that there is rocky bottom out there waiting for you to snag it. The bottom nearly always wins. The inlet is over 750 feet deep in some places… who knows what lurks in the depths?