Road Trip - Fort Langley and Steveston

 

Do you remember our wild ride from Texada Island and down the Sunshine Coast in our last post? Well, later that evening after all the excitement and stress of the day, we arrived at our secret garden hideaway.

Fort Langley, BC, 2025

Our 3-night rental was chosen for it's serene, relaxing sunken garden, as well as it's location. Historic Fort Langley where so many TV shows and Hallmark movies are filmed was just minutes away on a refreshing walking/bike path.

Glover Road, Fort Langley, BC, 2025

The film industry often uses Fort Langley's Glover Road with its historic buildings as location shots for several TV shows and Hallmark movies. Glover Road is special to our family because it was named after Lt Frank Wesley Glover, 1st cousin of Nelson's great-grandmother, Ida Amelia Glover. Frank was the Civil Engineer for the Municipality of Langley when he took a leave of absence to enlist and go fight overseas in the Great War of 1914-1918. He was in France awaiting passage home when he got sick and was transported to London where he succumbed to an operation and died March 29, 1919. Although he is buried in England, he is remembered in Fort Langley where his name appears on the Cenotaph, as well as on every corner of Glover Road.

 

St Andrews United Church, Fort Langley, BC, 2025

Along with Glover Road and Mavis Street, St Andrew's United Church, St George's Anglican Church, and the stately Fort Langley Community Hall are often recognized in many TV shows and Hallmark seasonal movies.

Jamestown Movie Set, MacInnes Farms, Langley Township, BC. Credit Hallmark Media

The above photo is from the Jamestown Movie Set where When Calls the Heart is filmed for the Hallmark Channel. It shows the fictional town of Hope Valley with its iconic church/schoolhouse in the background. The Jamestown Movie Set is a short 10 minute drive from Fort Langley to the 96-acre working MacInnes Farms where I hoped to explore and take some photos. To my chagrin, although I knew no filming was scheduled, there weren't any tours scheduled for our time there either. 

Trinity Western University, 2025, Langley, BC 

While in Langley Township we drove down Glover Road to Trinity Western University where Jessie has a teaching position. She often finds Hallmark movie sets in the lobby, offices, etc when she goes to work. Last summer before our trip, Jessie told us of seeing a broken, giant gingerbread man and fake snow mounds lying around the lobby when she went to work. And then I happened to be watching Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper last November and recognized the railings and the stairs. And yes, there were giant gingerbread men in the movie. This was a funny, feel-good movie and I'll be watching it this Christmas season again.

Fisherman's Wharf, Steveston Village, Richmond, BC, 2025

While using our Langley garden hideaway as a base, we headed west the next day to take in Steveston Village which has its roots in BC's fishing industry. Like Fort Langley, the quaint village looks and feels like it stepped out of history, and like Fort Langley, it's a good part of BC's film industry. We walked Fisherman's Wharf admiring both the pleasure and fishing boats. 

Steveston Village, Richmond, BC, 2025

Dockside shops show their history with false fronts and breezeways. We stopped and had our first taste of gelato in the open between shops, sitting under an umbrella with the air full of the normal harbour sounds of squawking birds, excited tourists, and the hum of boat motors, with the scent of the Pacific wafting over it all. 

Gulf of Georgia Cannery, Steveston Village, Richmond, BC, 2025

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery is a National Historic Site of Canada in Steveston Village. Built in 1894, it's a museum showcasing BC's leading cannery in canned salmon. 

Britannia Shipyards, Richmond, BC

Nearby are the Britannia Shipyards, another National Historic Site of Canada with some buildings that date back to 1885. The site includes boat yards and residences, along with stories of the multi-ethnic residents and workers who helped build BC's fishing industry

Manhole cover Seven Generations (2019), designed by James Henry, photographed 2025 at Steveston Village, Richmond, BC

I was fascinated by the manhole covers in Steveston. My research led me to the City of Richmond's 2014 manhole cover contest to celebrate Canada 150 where residents of all ages and abilities were invited to submit a circular design involving events about Richmond's rich culture, history, ecology, and environment. Four winners were chosen out of the 150 entries with each receiving $2,000 and having 100 manhole covers cast with their design. The above photo shows the artwork of James Henry with his design, Seven Generations (2019). You can find the description of his artwork and his artist's statement on Richmond's website.

Golden King Holly Variegated, Fort Langley, BC, 2025

The evening before we left Fort Langley I spent time in the garden taking more photos to use for online jigsaw puzzling. Above is the photo I took of Golden King Holly Variegated on a trellis. I had seen holly before, but not the variegated type and it just seemed to be a quintessential plant of that secret garden. 

Fort Langley, BC, 2025

One final shot of our secret garden was the steps leading up to the driveway. I hadn't really noticed them when we arrived late in the evening, exhausted from the full day of ferries and driving, and dragging our bags and luggage down the few steps. But when we took the time to rest and explore, everything in the garden was truly peacefully artistic. The look of the worn stone steps...ferns and greenery growing between rocks and crevices...off-colour vines trailing over the walls and down to the patio stones...all added to the memory of peace and rest. If we get another chance to visit Fort Langley, this is where we want to stay. And yes, the Airbnb was an excellent choice inside as well. 

 

Join us for our next post when we visit White Rock with possibly the longest pier in Canada. Actually, the location is like a cross between the streets of San Francisco and a romance movie with pier and promenade. Check back in November.

The images on this post reflect our October calendar page.