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It's a moot point where the north of Vancouver Island starts, but if you're travelling on Hwy 19 the landscape's sudden lurch into more unspoilt wilderness after Qualicum Beach makes as good a watershed as any. The scenery north of Qualicum Beach is uneventful but restful on the eye, and graced with ever-improving views of the mainland. Along Hwy 19 is the hamlet of Buckley Bay, which consists of a single B&B and the ferry terminal to Denman and Hornby islands (16 sailings daily; 10min; $4.50 return for foot passengers, $11.25 return for a car). Few of the towns along Hwy 19 amount to much, and you could bus, drive or hitch the length of Vancouver Island to Port Hardy and take the Inside Passage ferry up to Prince Rupert - the obvious and most tantalizing itinerary - without missing a lot. Alternatively, you could follow the main highway only as far as Courtenay , and from there catch a ferry across to the mainland. If you have the means, however, try to get into the wild, central interior, much of it contained within Strathcona Provincial Park .
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