A WHALE OF A TIME; canada Neil Murray braves the cold chasing majestic sea mammals in Vancouver.

We saw seals first as they popped up near Vancouver Island in the border waters between Canada and the US.

Then, a massive, cream-coloured sea lion appeared out of nowhere to grab our attention.

Although my wife Linda and I were on a whale-watching adventure, this was a pretty good start.

As the excitement mounted, it just seemed a matter of time before we spotted killer whales.

And sure enough a distinctive black-andwhite beast soon rose out of the water, almost in salute, to the delight of everyone on our 12-seater, inflatable craft, a zodiac.

We'd set off from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, clad in all-in-one outfits that withstood the cold and would have kept us afloat had we fallen overboard.

Victoria - named after Queen Victoria - was founded in 1843 by the Hudson's Bay Company as a British fur-trading post.

The Gold Rush years filled the town with rough-and-ready miners but British settlers brought "civilisation", with afternoon tea, fine architecture and cultural sophistication.

They still do afternoon tea, as we discovered, at the Fairmont Empress Hotel, one of two buildings (the British Columbia Parliament being the other) that dominate the Inner Harbour.

There's a pleasant, slightly hippy-70s feel about Victoria, which is 90 minutes by ferry from Vancouver, Canada's third-largest city.

Wandering the streets of Victoria, we saw English linen, Scottish tartans, Irish lace and Shetland Isles sweaters on display.

The Royal British Columbia Museum is one of North America's leading natural and human history museums and, with 10million exhibits, it's easy to see why.

Our next stop was the Butchart Gardens, founded by the son of George MacLauchlan Butchart, who emigrated from Forfar.

The Butcharts converted 55 acres of their 130-acre estate into this colourful display, the outstanding highlight being the Sunken Garden.

Leaving Victoria, we headed north up Highway 1 past Mill Bay and the Merridale Ciderworks (with scrumpy and Somerset cider on sale) through the Cowichan Valley to Chemainus, 'The Little Town That Did'.

The town earned its name when, after facing ruin with the closure of its sawmill industry, it reinvented itself by having a series of huge murals painted on the side of its buildings. It now has 36 and we saw most of them.

Our route took us west into Coombs - with a stop to see the Goats on the Roof Market (literally, goats grazing on the grass-thatched roof of the market) - before we hit stunning Cathedral Grove.

Massive trees, some of which are 800 years old, tower over the highway.

As we walked into the forest, the sound of the traffic died away until we were left with just the tree.

Tearing ourselves away from the stillness of the Grove was quite a task but it was worth it to witness the grandeur of Sproat and Kennedy Lakes and the imposing mountains surrounding them.

But if they were impressive, our first glimpse of the Pacific coast beaches on the west coast of Vancouver Island was something else.

By chance, we got the best seat in the house for lunch at Wickaninnish Restaurant, which overlooks the stunning sweep of the beach.

Our hotel - the Best Western Tin-Wis Resort - was also on Mackenzie Beach and the aptly named Long Beach (a great haunt for surfers) was close by.

Tofino is a town in Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Its friendly shops, interesting galleries and a variety of restaurants and pubs all tried to lure us in but it was bear-watching that really intrigued us.

Heading out on another zodiac - all suited up, of course - we spotted three orcas (killer whales) early on. But our main focus this time was bears and we saw a black mother with her two five-month-old cubs rummaging around a beach for food.

Then, who should appear on the other side of the boat but the whales we had left behind earlier? Amazing.

On the way back, we reached Nanaimo for the ferry to Horseshoe Bay - and hit Vancouver at rush-hour, quite a contrast to the empty roads of Vancouver Island's west coast.

Historic Gastown, named after 'Gassy' Jack Deighton, a notorious barman, is a mixture of restaurants, smart boutiques and gift shops.

It is also home to the world's only steam-powered clock, which blows off steam every quarter of an hour.

Stanley Park is where city dwellers escape to blow away the cobwebs but we were surprised to run into a statue of Rabbie Burns (erected in 1928 by the Vancouver Burns Fellowship).

You can see the park clearly from the top of the 581ft-tall Vancouver Lookout Harbour Centre Tower (British Columbia's tallest building).

On a clear day, you can spot Mt Baker in the US state of Washington - even though it is 90 miles away. But who'd want to go there when Vancouver and has so much to offer?

I LOVED racing across the water, trying to find killer whales.

I HATED how I Iooked, all kitted out for whale watching.

VANCOUVER MAILFILE

Zoom (www.flyzoom.com, 0870 240 0055) flies from Glasgow to Vancouver on Fridays and Sundays, May to October, from pounds 129 (one-way, plus tax).

For more info, visit www.canada.travel, www.britishcolumbia.travel, www.vancouverisland.travel, www.tourismvancouver.com

CAPTION(S):

Neil saw red when he got into his bright whale-watching outfit; There were hugs all round when bears were sighted; Magnificent murals give Chemainus its character; Sunken Garden in Victoria has Scottish roots