"Established in 1990"

Overlooking fields of grazing sheep against a spectacular backdrop of sea and mountains, Swallow Hill is pastoral bliss. Built by the owners in 1987, the house looks surprisingly settled; as if it's always been there.

The large bright rooms are decorated with Canadian antiques and furniture handcrafted by the owner.

"Get familiar...... with the birds and the bees and a whole lot more. There's  James Brown ("I feel good") the rooster and his harem of hens (some lay blue eggs). There's a gang of ducks who sometimes block the driveway (don't worry they're not that tough) but will move out of your way, a recent guest told me, if you tell them to go in Czech. All these years I've been yelling at them in English. No wonder I couldn't get them to co-operate!

There are six sheep - Mavis the matriarch, Isabelle, Winnie, Bernice, and Chloe the real boss (where she leads the others follow), and Sierra, who keeps the grass mowed and gives us wool. There are two mischievous miniature horses, Smokey and Zazzy who love Peter because he gives them treats. Zazzy, the pinto, is our little princess and a real cutie. Smokey is the prankster with a wicked sense of humour. He can be a spoiled brat but Zazzy knows how to put him in his place.

And then there's Jess, the Border Collie who loves to bark at the chickens, herd the ducks, play ball with the guests, and generally run our lives. Be warned, she can be very manipulative and before you know it you'll be playing ball even if you didn't plan to. But she is a sweetie and a charming hostess. You'll be sure to fall under her spell, especially if you like dogs.

Our apple orchards have over three hundred dwarf and semi-dwarf trees, producing over a dozen different varieties of juicy, crunchy apples and wonderful pure apple juice in the fall." We planted our first orchard in the spring of 1987 on a muddy slope in the pouring rain. I could never have imagined those twiggy 2 year whips would eventually turn into a beautiful grove of trees.

Our Border Collie, Jess, loves to travel but doesn't often get the chance. Mail Jess a postcard telling her why she should visit your corner of the world and get your choice of...

• Free Farm recipes or
• An autographed photo of Jess or
• Some of Jess' favourite jokes or
• Jess' favourite Web sites.

"We are very proud of the historical significance of our land which was once part of a pioneer farm belonging to the Helgesens who settled in the area in 1863."

"Hans Lars Helgesen, born in 1831 in Norway, chose this location because of its similarity to his old home, a beautiful farm overlooking the Oslo Fjord. He and his wife, Lillian, who came from Ireland, were among the first to make Metchosin their home. We named our place Swallow Hill because of the many swallows which return every spring."

A B&B AT SWALLOW HILL FARM
Your Hosts: Gini & Peter Walsh
4910 William Head Road ,
Victoria, British Columbia,
Canada. V9C 3Y8
To Reserve: (250) 474-4042

E-Mail: info@swallowhillfarm.com