Lavington
Lavington is located about halfway between Vernon
and Lumby on Hwy by 6 by around 6 km (4.5
miles) and is situated in the Coldstream Valley just east of the
District of Coldstream.
Sir
James Buchanan, Bart.
Lavington was named by Sir James Buchanan, Bart., after his home
in Sussex, England, Lavington Park. In the early 1900's, Sir James
Buchanan, Bart., owned various sections of land around Lavington
and later in 1921 purchased the historic Coldstream Ranch.
Small
Community
Lavington is surrounded by small mountains flanking the north and
south sides mixed with hay fields, ostrich farms, ginseng plantations
and residential homes on small acreages making up most of the surrounding
area. You get to the small community by turning off of Hwy 6 on
School Drive and travelling south towards the Kelowna Pacific Railway
tracks.
Hwy 6
There is no real major centre business section or town to speak
of in Lavington except for on Hwy 6, the Lavington Store, which
has an Esso service station, the Lavington Family Restaurant and
the Lavington Market grocery store which includes a Shell service
station. The only industry around Lavington is a small sawmill called
the Lavington Planer Division that is owned by Tolko Industries
Ltd. and a turf farm; unfortunately, the Consumers Glass Lavington
Glass Plant closed in 2008.
Recreational
Paradise
Nestled in amongst numerous lakes Lavington is a recreational paradise
giving you easy access to the Okanagan, Kalamalka and Mabel Lakes
and the nearby Monashee Mountains and Sugar Lake to the east on
Hwy 3 north of Cherryville. Activities
include hiking, wildlife watching, swimming, boating and snowmobiling.
High
Country Lakes
There are also some excellent fishing lakes up in the high country
around Lavington. To get to them you have to turn off Hwy 6 onto
School Drive, turn left onto Learmouth Road, then sharply onto Reid
Road to Whitevale Road, then look for the sign for the backcountry
Aberdeen Main FSR.
Aberdeen
Main FSR
Found to the south, travelling on the Aberdeen Main FSR, turn at
the Haddo Main FSR to find three good-sized lakes called Nicklen,
Aberdeen and Haddo Lakes. The lakes have old forest service recreation
sites featuring some rustic campgrounds and boat launches for car-tops.
Philpott
Main FSR
If you have time for more adventure, other forest service roads
such as the Philpott Main FSR then Dee Lake Road interconnects with
the lakes above Winfield in Lake Country
or continue on Philpott Main FSR to Grizzly and Ideal Lakes. Or
you can try adventuring on the Aberdeen Crescent FSR which interconnects
with the King Edward Road to go to Oyama Lake high above Oyama in
Lake Country.
Dirt-Bike
and ATV Trails
There are some dirt-bike and ATV opportunities around Lavington
including the Vernon Hill Trails which are towards the west on Hwy
6 on Buchanan Road. The area features a selection of both difficult
and moderate ability trail sections.
Bluenose
Mountain
For hiking and walking trails try visiting Bluenose Mountain which
is situated south of Lavington on Bluenose Road (Aberdeen Main FSR).
Backroad
Mapbook
If you do venture off on the forests service roads, make sure that
you take a Backroad Mapbook in order to find the correct directions.
There are many different roads going in all directions around Lavington
so getting lost is quite easy.
Bear
Country
Just remember if you are enjoying the countryside around Lavington,
please remember this is Bear Country as is the rest of British Columbia.
Try to avoid the rivers during heavy salmon spawning times unless
you feel comfortable with bears around. There are also the possibilities
of encounters with wolves or cougars so please play it safe and
practise good outdoor wildlife procedures.
Relaxed
Lifestyle
If you are thinking of moving or are relocating to Vernon, consider
Lavington as an option especially if you're looking for more of
a private setting. Lavington has nice rural-sized lots surrounded
by small acreages as well as a few small subdivisions. The air is
clean, the lifestyle relaxed and there is a real friendly neighbourly
atmosphere.
Information
on Lavington
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