photo: David R. Gluns
Slow down in Sorrento
Splash in Shuswap Lake, explore the local arts scene, or just relax and unwind with an organic Irish ale in this laid-back waterfront community.
There is an old-fashioned ambience to Sorrento that invites the busy traveller to adopt a slower pace. It’s one of the first things I notice after checking in to my waterfront lodgings. On the quiet residential streets that snake down to Shuswap Lake’s main arm from the strip-mall style business centre along the Trans-Canada Highway, the architecture is a mix of post-war cottages and later-model retirement homes. There is a refreshing absence of glitzy, over-sized vacation mansions. Porches are common, as are hand-painted or carved wooden signs displaying the owners’ names. The landscaping tends toward wide lawns and simple flower beds chock-full of cheerful annuals. It’s a town without pretensions, but not without attractions—the greatest one being, of course, Shuswap Lake, with the Shuswap Highland as a pleasing backdrop.
For many Sorrento visitors, the lake is where the fun begins and ends. It’s easy to fill long, hot summer days with swimming, water-skiing, wind surfing, sailing, canoeing, kayaking, or fishing. Or simply to while away the hours gazing across the water and listening to waves lapping the shore.
Eventually, though, happily waterlogged visitors turn their attention to the non-aquatic charms of Sorrento (population about 1,400).
Read more in the current issue of British Columbia Magazine
