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DESTINATIONS ROCKY MOUNTAINEER | CANADA expert ASK THE “I love the Spiral Tunnels, because


it’s such an engineering marvel for the early 1900s. It’s a beautiful location and a fascinating part of history so everybody gets really excited.


“My advice for travellers would be to pack layers and be ready for any type of weather, and as much as you want to capture everything on film, don’t constantly have the lens between


you and what you’re seeing. Spare a moment to take it all in – even the changing greens of the trees and the landscapes are beautiful to see.”


Wendy McMichael, train manager


VANCOUVER & BANFF: DON’T MISS


E Granville Island Public Market: Turn up hungry to Vancouver’s foodie haven, full of stalls stacked high with colourful cakes, traditional fudge, artisan cheeses and cured meats.


E Stanley Park: Vancouver’s green lung is even bigger than Central Park. Walk or cycle its 5.5-mile sea wall and stop off to see its First Nations totem poles.


E Bow River: The gentle walk along Banff’s riverside trail to the famous Banff Springs Hotel is an easy option for beginners and offers a crowd-free experience.


E Banff Gondola: Take the gondola up Sulphur Mountain for incredible views and great food at the Sky Bistro restaurant.


travelweekly.co.uk


fails to take your breath away. It’s why Kananaskis was one of four destinations introduced by Rocky Mountaineer this year as self-drive add-ons to its regular rail routes – alongside Canmore, Sunshine Village and the Cariboo Mountains – complementing time on the train with a chance to pause and appreciate the region’s rugged beauty.


COAST TO COUNTRY


We had plenty of scenery in store as we gathered at the Rocky Mountaineer station in Vancouver, ready to set off on two-day journey The First Passage to the West. There was an air of anticipation among the other passengers – all 689 of them – as a bagpiper set the scene and we boarded one of the new GoldLeaf cars (see Tried & Tested, page 42). Warn clients to expect early


starts as Rocky Mountaineer travels only in daylight hours, spending nights off the train – all the better to enjoy the breathtaking views. It didn’t take long to escape


Vancouver’s industrial outskirts and get our first glimpse of green, backed by the distant peaks of the


CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: SilverLeaf Service; Katie in Kananaskis Valley; Castle Mountain; GoldLeaf’s glass-domed carriages PICTURES: Rocky Mountaineer/Laara Cerman; Katie McGonagle


33There was an air of anticipation among the other passengers as a bagpiper set the scene and we boarded one of the new GoldLeaf cars


Cascade Range across the border in Washington. Even before reaching the scenic heart of the Rockies, the landscapes offered a kaleidoscope of greens and greys, from the bright emerald of new-growth trees and soft grasses that line the edge of the Fraser River to the deep forest pines blanketing the hillsides and sheer grey rockfaces criss-crossed with scars from falling boulders. It’s impossible not to think of the


single-minded determination it must have taken those early engineers to drive a railroad track through this unforgiving terrain. While Rocky Mountaineer is just 29 years old – it will mark its 30th anniversary next May – the Canadian Pacific Railway is much older, completed in 1885 as part of a pledge to unite east and west. The train passes through


Craigellachie, where the last railroad spike was driven into


the ground, completing the transcontinental connection. But you don’t have to be a rail geek to be touched by stories of the Chinese workers drafted in to build the most hazardous sections of track – two men died for every mile that was laid – or the marvels of engineering that let 19th-century labourers traverse gaping canyons or tunnel through solid stone. That curious juxtaposition of


industry and environment becomes a recurring theme, with the ultimate in wild, untamed nature sitting side by side with the ultimate in engineering. Freight trains, timber yards and trucks trundling along the Trans-Canada Highway are just as common a sight as sweeping views of untouched scenery, but it doesn’t detract from the journey. If anything, it adds to travellers’ appreciation of what it took to bring them this close to nature.


² 22 AUGUST 2019 41


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