I never understood how Vancouver Island was heaven on earth, until I visited Sooke

From windy roads and crashing waves; pizza, cookies, and cafes – did you know that there is way more to South Vancouver Island than just Victoria?

This weekend, my good friend Jenaya and I took a day trip out of our Greater Victoria bubble out to the communities of Metchosin, Sooke, and Shirley as an early way to celebrate the end of the semester and to visit our friend, Christina, at work at an incredible pizzeria (more on that later in the post).

This trip was well-needed and extremely nourishing to our stomachs and hearts and lungs. When you hear someone say that Vancouver Island is a paradise on earth, this is definitely what they mean. Here’s what we did on our day trip!

Crazy Cookie House | 4105 Metchosin Rd, Metchosin

Don’t adjust your glasses when you drive by the Crazy Cookie House – the roof is crooked but the cookies are seriously delightful!

Drive by the House, pick up some deliciously sweet cookies (I got cookie dough and Smarties-filled cookies!) and drop your cash off in the box or pay by e-Transfer.

This is my second time at the Crazy Cookie House and both times have been so so good! Thanks to TikTok for this reco.

Shirley Delicious | 2794 Sheringham Point Rd, Shirley

In true South Island fashion, up next was brunch! We got a recommendation from our friend here since it is apparently one of the best restaurants in Canada as decided by Yelp.

Jenaya and I both got breakfast wraps – hers was vegan (beans, yams, tofu) and mine was standard (beans, bacon, egg) and these were SO GOOD! Dab a little hot sauce on them and it was a great energizer. The atmosphere was incredible with a heated greenhouse patio!

Sheringham Point Lighthouse | 1 Sheringham Point Rd, Shirley

We had to burn off our burritos before we got our pizza, so our next stop was the Sheringham Point Lighthouse!

Built after many ships ended up crashing on Vancouver Island in the 1910s, it’s now maintained by some dedicated volunteers. Take a breather in the fresh air and walk around the perimeter of the lighthouse to see the Olympic Mountains in Washington State.

French Beach Provincial Park

Continuing on into Shirley, we reached French Beach! French Beach had some of the most perfect circular rocks stretched out along about a 1km distance.

The best part of sitting on the beach was definitely hearing the waves crash into the rocks and then pull back into the Salish Sea. We weren’t quite sure what made that sound – either the water rushing into the spaces between the rocks or the rocks actually being pulled back into the water, but either way, Jenaya and I were obsessed with how peaceful and lush the water and trees were.

Stoked Pizzeria | 2908 Tieulie Pl, Shirley

Our marquee stop – Stoked Pizzeria! Located between the Lighthouse and French Beach, you cannot miss this one as it’s quite literally on the side of the highway.

Walk into the doors and the smell is to die for – fresh dough, local veggies, and a wood-burning oven. Jenaya got the funghi pizza and I got a classic margherita; dear reader, I cannot express to you in words how amazing this pizza was. Soft, salty, sweet, this one is a no-brainer when you’re on Highway 14 headed towards Jordan River.

Christina also treated us to a slice of New York Cheesecake – another sweet treat for the day. Thanks Christina!

Ed Macgregor Park | Sooke

Before Jenaya and I fell into our food coma (seriously, I pretty much passed out as soon as I got home), we ventured into Sooke proper to visit Ed Macgregor Park, which treated us to some more views along the boardwalk.

We got to see some folks crabbing on the dock and learn about how the T’Sou-ke First Nation of the SENĆOŦEN language traditionally interacted with the different animals and fish around what we know today as Sooke. We ended our stop here by walking around the neighbourhood, stopping in front of a church with a cross in front of some beautiful blossoms and a free library.