The West Shore is composed of the communities of Colwood, Highlands, Langford, Metchosin, and View Royal. This region lies to the west of Victoria, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island from Esquimalt Harbour to rocky Point along the shore of Juan de Fuca Strait which leads out to the Pacific Ocean. Colwood, at 10 kilometres from Victoria is located on a series of hills sloping up from the sea allowing many locations excellent ocean views. Although largely a residential area, Colwood has a major commercial area and many excellent restaurants.
Outdoor activities are abundant throughout the West Shore.
Hiking, biking, swimming, fishing, and golfing all vie with team sports such as soccer and baseball for popularity, several being year round activities. Eleven parks cover nearly 2000 hectares and provide a myriad of hiking trails from simple nature walks along the shore to challenging day hikes. The Galloping Goose Trail, a 60 km former rail line, is a linear park running from downtown Victoria, through the West Shore, to the ghost town of Leechtown, a long abandoned gold mining community near Sooke. Visit the Colwood page for more details on this community. Southwest of Colwood is Metchosin.