Access Okanagan (A-OK)

Hi
We just relocated from UK and have fallen for a place in lake country, the area is beaufiful and we like the quieter life we think this area will offer.

But can anyone offer any info on the schools in the area? I know the choice is limited to 1 high school and 2 elementry schools, our daughters are 13 and 10 so grade 8 and grade 5 im september. would love to hear from anyone with experiance of these schools, the school bus and general socal life for children of this age....

Thanks in advance for your help.

Nicol... ;0)

Hi Nicol - welcome to Canada

Say thanks to SivoxII ... he gave me a kick and mentioned that you were interested in Lake Country. I've not been on the forum for a little while (very busy work life right now) - and I've just been catching up on your adventures so far. How well I remember how shocked we were at the cell phones and plans that are offered here, and the charges for receiving calls. It hurts, doesn't it?!

We (that is hubby, daughter and myself) moved over here from just outside Glasgow a little less than 2 years ago. We live in Lake Country and we just love our house and its location. We don't have too much experience of the schools. My daughter had actually 'finished' school when we came here, but because she was still 17, she went back to school here for Grade 12 - more to meet people of her own age than anything! So she spent that year at George Elliot and had a great year. I don't know much about the elementary schools, though our neighbours kids have both gone to Davidson, and are/were perfectly happy there.
I work in Kelowna, and find the commute perfectly pleasant. It's an easy drive in the morning and evening, rarely experiencing any kind of hold ups. It's way better than travelling the motorways back in the UK for sure. There is a bus service from Lake Country in to Kelowna, though it's not particularly frequent at off-peak times, and you could find yourself a little off the route depending on where you live. We are lucky in that it's not too far away from us (though I have never actually used it!)

There's enough around Lake Country for groceries etc. though I do tend to do my 'big shopping' in Kelowna - being there for work anyway makes that easy.

I don't know if you are looking for any particular activities - but there are 3 lakes practically on our doorstep, plenty of parks, and loads of trails you can reach without having to go too far. There is an ice rink that's used for curling in winter, sports facilities (tennis etc.) too. We chose Lake Country partly because of its proximity to Vernon and Kelowna, but mainly because we wanted to be out of the main town, but close enough that it wasn't a chore to drive there.

I hope you are finding life good so far - and hopefully the OK summer will kick in soon so that you can really enjoy it. Feel free to ask more, or PM me - that way I'll get an email note to tell me you've a question!

Morag

Hi Morag

Thanks so much for finding the time to reply to my post.
Everyone has been so friendly since we arrived, we could'nt have wished for a smoother introdution to our Canadian life and cant wait to move up to Lake country. the girls are looking forward tostarting school in september but until then having lots of time on the beach. If you could recommend a beach in lake country that would be great!.
Im sure i'll come up with some more questions as time goes on but for now we are trying to relax for 5 minuets before we have to move again.
Hope to keep in touch with everyone.

Nicol, Brad and the girls.. ;0)

Hi again,

I'm glad to be of help, and if there is anything else don't hesitate to ask. Feel free to PM me - that way I'll know there is a message for me too. Did you find a place in Lake Country? - I'm sure you'll love it.

For beaches, there are a few to choose from. There's Okanagan Centre (on Okanagan Lake) - it's pebbly though so maybe not ideal for the young ones. There are a couple of other parks farther along the lake too at Carrs Landing where it may be more sandy. In Winfield itself there's Beasley Park which does have a sandy beach and grass park area around it too. It's on Wood Lake. Then down the highway a bit at Oyama, you can reach another beach on to Wood Lake, or take a turning off Oyama Road and go down to Keloya Park - this is probably my favourite. It's a lovely park with a reasonable amount of beach access, and it's on Kalamalka Lake - in my opinion the nicest of all of them.

I hope you keep enjoying summer - now that it has finally arrived!
Morag