Living in Errington

Errington is the rural country inland and southwest of Parksville, a spread of acreage, small farms and treed lots along country roads. It has a strong sense of itself as a rural community, and it sits close enough to the coast that the beach is a short drive rather than an expedition.

Rural Country With a Coast Close By

Errington is farming and forest country that happens to sit ten minutes from one of the best beaches on the Island. That combination is the whole argument for it.

The community has a genuine identity rather than being simply the land behind Parksville. A community hall, a farmers market, a wildlife recovery centre and a set of people who know each other through the land rather than through proximity.

Nothing is walkable. There is no commercial centre and the roads are country roads, so a household here drives for everything, though the distances are short.

Parksville covers the shopping and Nanaimo covers the hospital, which is the pattern for most of this rural belt.

The Englishman River

The Englishman runs down through this country toward the coast at Parksville, and the provincial park upstream carries the falls and a trail network that is used year round.

For residents that is recreation at the end of the road rather than a drive away. Swimming holes, walking and the forest around them are ordinary parts of a week here.

River proximity brings the usual property considerations. Floodplain designation, riparian setbacks and bank stability all apply on ground near the water, and they are cheaper established before an offer than after.

How the other communities compare:

• QualicumThe broader Qualicum area along the coast, from the town out to the rural edges.
• BowserLighthouse Country on the northern coast, rural and quiet.
• Deep BayA small marine community on Baynes Sound with shellfish water in front of it.
• CoombsThe market community on the old highway, small and rural with a famous roof.
• HilliersFarm ground between Coombs and Qualicum Beach with no centre of its own.
• French CreekThe harbour between the two towns, with a marina and the Lasqueti ferry.

Wells, Septic and Land Status

Everything runs on private water and septic. Once there are animals to water, a garden to keep alive and irrigation to run, the number that matters is how many gallons a minute the well gives in late summer.

On the septic side: when it was installed, what kind it is, how the field is performing, and whether it sits clear of any creek or anything you intend to build.

Agricultural land status applies to parts of Errington and governs subdivision and permitted use. Confirm it for the specific parcel rather than inferring from what the neighbours appear to be doing.

What an Acreage Costs to Run

The country budget is fencing, keeping the pasture and the trees in order, maintaining the driveway, testing the water and pumping the tank, with travel time on every invoice.

Outages happen on rural lines and take longer to restore than in town, so backup heat is standard equipment. Against that, land here costs a fraction of a serviced lot in either town.

Who Errington Suits, and Who It May Not

Errington suits somebody whose actual requirement is land, who intends to use it, and who wants a beach and a town within ten minutes rather than an hour. It suits animals, growing and workshops.

It suits less well anyone assuming municipal servicing, anyone who wants anything walkable, or anyone whose plans require subdividing land the province has protected.

If the land is the point but the farming is not, the treed lots here and around Coombs carry fewer constraints. If services matter more, Parksville is ten minutes away.