I met my sisters and mother yesterday in Fort Langley for lunch. A 40 minute drive from my home in Vancouver, Fort Langley is a quaint town on the banks of the Fraser River. A hidden gem filled with boutiques, pubs and galleries, Fort Langley was originally a trading post of the Hudson’s Bay Company and is also said to be the birthplace of British Columbia.
After cocktails and lunch at The Trading Post https://tradingpostbrewing.com/ we made our way down Glover Street stopping to window shop along the way. Book stores, the hat shop, the florist and Bella & Wren who carry a beautifully curated collection of knits, natural linen blankets, handmade jewelry and candles.
The Fort Langley Candy Company is like stepping back in time. Fudge, handmade Taffy and colourful sweets in big glass jars. Mum picked up her favourite: Turkish Delight and my sisters left with brown paper bags with chocolate and sponge toffee. https://intochocolate.ca/
The real charm about the town is that they haven’t allowed the modern world in. Original wood buildings painted in bright colours, alleyways you just have to explore and the heritage CN Train Station are all intact. Fort Langley was built in 1827 and it certainly has a haunted energy about it.
You could literally spend the entire day at the Antique Mall; 10,000 sq. feet of everything you can possibly imagine. My sister found a 100% pure cashmere sweater and a pie plate she’ll use for her famous pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. I enjoyed looking through the old book collections by the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. https://villageantiquesmall.com/
A few hours had passed since lunch so we headed over to Wendels Bookstore & Coffee Shop for teas, coffees and treats. https://wendelsonline.com/. The Butter Tarts are delicious and reminded me of a small Scottish bakery I used to visit with my mom before my ballet lessons when I was a child. We took our orders over to the old train station and sat near the original tracks (no longer in use) to enjoy them. There are new tracks a few feet away and we waved at the engineer when the train whizzed by.
There are 2 old caboose carts on the property and we posed for pictures under the sun. October and it was 24 degrees (celsius), it felt like summer!
If you’ve not visited Fort Langley, it is worth the drive. The town’s charm has attracted Hollywood for years and there are a few movies scenes where I can clearly make out the Town Hall and streets (like the remake of John Carpenters The Fog and the TV show Supernatural).
Until the next adventure!
Love,
Jennifer