Heriot Bay Guide

Heriot Bay Ferry Port

Bounded by the lush, evergreen woodland that cloaks the hills of Quadra Island, part of the island mosaic that forms the shattered western coast of Canada, is the picturesque port of Heriot Bay. It’s a tightly-knit community on the island’s south-eastern coast, at a point where the land tapers into a narrow tail and traces the adjacent shoreline of Vancouver Island. The entire town is centred around the century-old Heriot Bay Inn. This historic wooden building sits at the end of a twist of lanes lined by quaint cabins, their eaves shadowed by the leafy boughs of the forest. The main roads all meet at the town’s pristine waterfront. From here one can watch the gentle swell of the Salish Sea and the yachts and dinghies roll smoothly over each and every wave. The port of Heriot Bay is found on the eastern edge of the bay. It is a small facility, much in keeping with the rest of town, that consists of little more than a check-in kiosk and a stubby pier that overlooks the local marina. There are no facilities at the port itself, though travellers can purchase hot food and drink from the nearby Heriot Bay Inn. No system of public transport services Heriot Bay, meaning that it can only be reached on foot or by car. The main road route circles Quadra Island’s southern peninsula and the small settlements that largely exist along the coast. The neighbouring town of Quathiaski Cove, just a 10-minute drive away, is also home to a ferry terminal that acts as a gateway to the town of Campbell River on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island. One ferry route currently operates from Heriot Bay. A BC Ferries service leaves the port multiple times throughout the day, heading east to the quirkily named Whaletown on Cortes Island. It’s a journey of less than an hour that takes passengers by the pointed tip of the Rebecca Spit Marine Provincial Park and across a pocket of the Salish Sea.