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A personable, informative guide to Vancouver by way of its waterways and coastlines
Located on Canada's West Coast, one of Vancouver’s greatest and most spectacular assets is its proximity to water. In this follow-up to A Perfect Day for a Walk, author Bill Arnott takes readers on another exploration of Vancouver by way of its shores. A Perfect Day for a Walk by the Water is an informative, eclectic series of excursions in, on, and under the water around Greater Vancouver, delving into cultures, histories, and narratives that make this region unique.
Join Arnott as he goes scuba diving off the shores of West Vancouver, becomes steeped in the watery traditions of the Coast Salish people at the Museum of Anthropology, visits the stomping grounds of legendary Indigenous leader Chief Joe Capilano and the longshoremen of Burrard Dry Dock, and learns about the history of Burrard Inlet aboard a SeaBus. From Granville Island and the North Shore’s Spirit Trail to False Creek, English Bay, and the Lions Gate Bridge, A Perfect Day for a Walk by the Water is an engaging and invigorating tour of the city as expressed in its beautiful shores and waterways. Using footwear and flippers, not to mention paddles, oars, engines, and sails, Arnott offers a whole new perspective on Vancouver's diverse coastline and what it means to our present and future.
Includes numerous maps and photographs.
"Like a walk-and-talk with a trusted friend, Bill Arnott invites readers to rediscover Vancouver's shorelines with a fresh perspective and quiet wonder. Blending the inquisitiveness of a traveller with the familiarity of a local, he guides us through a city we thought we knew, revealing its layered stories, hidden histories, and sensory richness with each step. This immersive narrative captures the rhythm of place and people as part travel journal, part cultural reflection, and part guide to the overlooked and extraordinary. With lyrical, rich prose that carries the reader above and below the waterline, Arnott brings light to liminal spaces where memory meets geography and the everyday reveals something profound. Walking at the pace of the people he wants to meet, he redefines how we see, feel, and connect with the land and its legacy."
—Jill Heinerth, author of Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver
"Bill Arnott's A Perfect Day for a Walk by the Water is a lyrical journey along Vancouver's coastline. Blending history, adventure, and poetic insight, he explores beaches, inlets, and maritime culture with humour and heart—a gorgeously fresh take on the city's storied shore for locals and visitors alike."
—Wayne Ng, award-winning author of Johnny Delivers
"A Perfect Day for a Walk by the Water soars to a bird's-eye view, then swoops like a kingfisher to a fish-eye perspective as Bill walks, meanders, dives, hikes, and once again, takes the reader with him on the trek. A great read, a real adventure leaping from the page."
—Jacqueline Carmichael, author of Heard Amid the Guns: True Stories from the Western Front, 1914–1918
Bill Arnott (he/him) is the bestselling author of A Perfect Day for a Walk (Arsenal Pulp Press), A Season in the Okanagan (Rocky Mountain Books), and the Gone Viking travelogues (Rocky Mountain Books). A fellow of London's Royal Geographical Society, he's a frequent presenter and guest on podcasts, TV, and radio. When not roaming the globe, Bill can be found on Canada's West Coast.