In a Canadian region tourists often miss, I went in search of grizzly bears [Video]

A wild grizzly bear stands 40 metres away as I crouch behind a fallen tree, watching it chow down on some grass.

Am I to be the next course? Or merely a Brit abroad, irritating this magnificent animal as it tries to concentrate on a post-hibernation meal?

I’m in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest, deep in the wilderness of British Columbia. As the name suggests, bears take up residence in the shadows of Canada’s mountains and live off the dark waters of the estuary.

And I’m here to find one.

It’s one of Canada’s lesser-visited destinations, with none of Quebec’s culture or Toronto’s culinary wow factor.

But there’s more to Northern British Columbia than bear spotting; the area is steeped in a bloody colonial history I imagine few in the UK are aware of.

Plus, with snowcapped mountains, chocolate box towns and the city of Vancouvera one-hour flight away, the region …