Merville is a small community located between the Comox Valley and Campbell River. The village was named after a place in France, the Canadian Forces built their original headquarters there during WWI and upon their return, they named the area Merville in honour of this. The government had offered land to the soldiers and their families here and other island spots like Seal Bay on their return from fighting in Europe.
There are a lot of outdoor activities for those looking to head out mountain biking, hiking, or skiing. Seal Bay has some great trails to hike around that will take you down to the bay and if it’s mountain biking you like, there are great trails that head out from the park.
Maybe you like downhill mountain biking, just head up to Mount Washington during the summer months, and you can take advantage of some of the best downhill riding in the world, bikes are available for rent. There are miles upon miles of alpine hiking trails located in the park as well. During the winter months, you can ski, snowboard, go tubing or head out on a number of different snowshoe trails.
You can go exploring the area and perhaps find the old community of Headquarters, it was a small community located on the banks of the Tsolumn River near Courtenay, BC. It was originally named Fraserville, it was built to house the workers needed for the sawmill.
It had a hotel, power station, Restaurants, blacksmith, post office, and a roundhouse for the locomotives that pulled the trains loaded with logs from the surrounding forests. A few old buildings still stand today, and you can still see where the homes were located. It has mostly returned to the forest though.
Miracle Beach is just a short drive away, this is a premier beach and park, there are lots of campsites here along with a nature house and many trails, a great place to spend the day. I enjoy walking along the beach trail, earlier this year, in 2016, my wife and l witnessed a herring spawn and were amazed at the number of birds who came to be part of the feast, it was an incredible sight to see.
My older sister farmed in the area for years before her passing, and I was able to enjoy the hospitality of this wonderful community many times. My family were avid horsemen and spent as much time on the backside of horses as possible. The movie. The 13th Warrior starring Antonio Banderas was partially filmed at my sister’s location, using the barn to recreate the interior of the lodge used in the movie, my nieces were in charge of the horses used in the movie. It was quite a thrill for them.
Love your site and great suggestions as well as the historical stories.
thank you.
from a newbie resident of the Comox Valley