It all started with a book…

Hello Lighthouse by Australian author Sophie Blackhall was published on April 10, 2018, and won a Caldecott award in 2019. The book is about the life of a lighthouse keeper and a fantastical visual representation of what it might feel like to live on one. 

I take out an embarrassing amount of books from the library each week and often leave slowly limping my way back to my car. Reading each book aloud is thrilling because sometimes, even the most peculiar books surprise me. Some of my recent amusing finds include Whose Poo? by a famous secretive author using a pseudonym and Halloween Hustle by Charlotte Gunnufson. Reading these books is both ridiculous and entertaining.

Cover of the book Hello Lighthouse

After visiting the Sheringham Point Lighthouse and reading about lighthouses, we had to see another one. Although this week did not occur in a forest, it was an outdoor adventure at a place I had never been before. Fort Rodd Hill was bigger than I expected and felt like a typical school field trip. 

Fort Rodd Hill

If you are the type of person who likes to sit in the parking lot before a place opens, as a precaution Fort Rodd Hill does not allow that. The gate opened promptly at 10 am, and most visitors did not arrive until closer to lunch when I was ready to leave. The site is enormous and includes a nature trail that was unfortunately closed when I was there. Fort Rodd Hill is described by the website as a “Tour through secret bunkers, military command posts and original 19th-century buildings at Fort Rodd Hill, a west coast artillery fortress on active duty from 1895 to 1956. Be touched by the personal stories of soldiers and their families. Camp overnight in a group-friendly oTENTik. Grab the wheel as a “master mariner” at Fisgard Lighthouse, the oldest on the Canadian west coast, and wander through a rare Garry Oak meadow.” Missing from this description is the overpopulation of geese in March.

Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites are located on the traditional territories of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples, today known as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations, whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.

We extend our appreciation for the opportunity to live and learn on this territory.

Parks canada

The Lighthouse

The Fisgard Lighthouse is the first lighthouse on Canada’s west coast. Unlike the Sheringham Lighthouse, visitors are allowed inside. Although the top is closed, information about the lighthouse keeper and how they lived is shown using interactive displays and artifacts. The views from the edge of the rocks are spectacular, overlooking the Esquimalt Harbour.

Wandering Around

Lagoon Beach

The Fort Rodd Hill website welcomes visitors to bring their dogs along and a picnic. Instead of eating there, I drove a few minutes down the road to Lagoon Beach, where there were no geese. The beach was surprisingly busy. While at the beach, I saw many cargo ships and a BC ferry.