I moved to Victoria West in 2020, part of the City of Victoria on the Esquimalt side of the Gorge, west of urban Victoria.
As of November 2020, I was north (or west) of the Bay Street Bridge, north of the Johnson Street Bridge, near the Selkirk Trestle. I was few hundred m. west of the 1 km Galloping Goose post, where the bike lane along Harbour Road ended and the trail became a cycling trail with an adjascent walking trail, I was a few hundred m. east of the 2 km post at the west end of the Trestle. I could get onto the Goose by riding along Catherine Street north across Skinner/Craigflower, and down the eastern part of Raynor Avenue onto Regatta, a road across the housing developments on along the Gorge. This local route let me get onto the Goose at the Trestle. I could take the Goose north, or south to Esquimalt Road, and the Bridge. I also had access to the Bridge by taking Catherine Street south, crossing Wilson and Esquimalt Road and riding on Kimta and the 2023 extension of the E&N tail on a bike lane along Kimta to the Bridge.
I could take the Goose along the Gorge to the Swingbridge and either the Goose or the Lochside. I was a little closer some of the waypoints on routes that I took regularly. From CRD 1, in James Bay, I had to travel about 2.5 km to reach the Bridge and another 1 Km to reach the Selkirk Trestle. My trips up the Goose to the Switch Bridge and north on the Lochside were a bit shorter that trips from James Bay:
| Point | Catherine North & Trestle | Catherine South & Bridge |
| Royal Oak at Lochside (Lochside School) | 8.9 | 11.3 |
| Claremont Road at Lochside | 11.0 | |
| Cordova Bay Road at Lochside (Mattick’s Farm) | 12.2 | 14.6 |
| Island View Road at Lochside (Michell’s Farm) | 17.4 | 19.8 |
I could get onto the E&N Trail at Wilson. I could also reach the E&N trail by taking side streets out of my immediate area, crossing Hereward and taking Devonshire to the E&N trail.
I began many rides by taking either the Goose or the E&N to the point that the Island Highway intersects with Highway One; it was about 9.5 Km along the Goose, and about 8 Km along the E&N.
I could get into the West Bay area of Esquimalt, south of Esquimalt Road by taking Wilson to Dominion, crossing Esquimalt Road and taking Wollaston or Dunsmuir west o reach Lampson. Going south on Lampson would take me to Lyall, which would takes west me past the back (south side) of the Archie Browning (a curling arena that served as a vaccination center in 2021) and Esquimalt recreational buildings, to Fraser Street close to the Esquimalt branch of the library. The ride to the library and back was 6.2 Km. by that route. Or a trip to the library can be part of a ride across the Bridge or a ride past the base on Admirals Road and out the E&N. I can also get onto the south end of Admirals Road, which gives me a way to reach the naval base and to connect to the E&N at the base.