Arisaig Provincial Park

We keep raving about the Provincial Parks. This one lies on Route 245 north of Antigonish, about one hour from our cabin. The park sits on top of a cliff with picnic and camping sites.

There are several hiking trails that lead through the woods down to the beach  You really can't get lost here; the park is just not that big. At one point, you're in the cool woods with glimpses of the water beyond and then you're out in the sun right on the beach.

This coast is unusual because it's made of shale. Here, you can see one of the small streams that cuts through the shale banks on the way to the ocean. The shale is known for fossils and it's pretty easy to find small samples in the loose rubble on the beach.

There's a lot about this place that reminds us of Skaneateles Lake in the Finger Lakes of central New York - the shale beaches, the crumbling slate banks, and the cold water. Except, this is the ocean as you can see.

 The park overlooks the port village of Arisaig, which you can see here with fishing boats, the restored lighthouse (serves ice cream cones) and the seafood plants.

Rare Bird Pub

Guysborough County in Nova Scotia is the home to a lot of Germans, including seasonal visitors as well as permanent residents. There are three German families on the point where our cabin is located. One of them (our next door neighbor) invested heavily in the town of Guysborough, which lies on the other side of the harbor from us.

The pub was a defunct general store, refurbished and outfitted as a microbrewery, pub, restaurant and musical outlet. It quickly caught on in an area of Canada that loves music.

As you can see, the interior is beautiful. Lots of seating downstairs, as well as on the side patio or rear deck. In fact, it was on that deck in 2006 that Lee and I were lamenting our inability to find a small vacation home, when a family of Germans at the next table took up our case and introduced us to the cabin we now own. We have a lot of fond memories here.

The Tall & Small Cafe

Another favorite restaurant - strictly for lunch. This tiny hole-in-the-wall is located on the main drag (342 Main Street) in downtown Antigonish. This is definitely an earthy venue favoring natural ingredients.

The restaurant a favorite with college students and faculty, since St. Francis Xavier College is located nearby. Students bring laptops and sit in the window. There are also easy chairs and tables for 2 or 4. Be warned, however; this place is usually packed at lunch. Lee and I tend to go there later in the afternoon. The walls are lined with works from local artists.

   The Tall & Small specializes in vegetarian food, but you can get great sandwiches with turkey, ham, grilled cheese etc. as well as their own homemade soup and combos of both. We've eaten here a lot and never been disappointed.

Finish your meal with coffee and one of the original cookies or date bars. Having grown up with fig newtons in the States, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when I tasted these. And they're healthy, right?

Dragon Fly Cafe

There are several great restaurants in the Antigonish area and this is one of the best if you're interested in breakfast or lunch or a coffee for the road. Located right on the Trans-Canada Highway just east of Antigonish in Lower South River, it's easy to find (and convenient for our long road trips back to Boston - always the first stop along the way).

The Dragon Fly people make their own homemade muffins, scones, and cookies - and they sell bags of day-old products (my favorite for a road trip). However, you should stay for a regular meal as well as the breakfasts are unbeatable and the service is great.

The Dragon Fly is mostly a breakfast and lunch establishment, but they do have a dinner menu and they host occasional evening events. Check their website for more detail on hours and menus.

There are many reasons we like this place, but one is that the dragonfly reminds us of our nephew Charlie, for this was his symbol. The sign on the Dragon Fly plaque above the cash register reads, Symbolizes going past self-created illusions that limit our changing and growing.

The Bayside Cafe

A great place for breakfast when you drive up into Cape Breton! These ladies serve up the best baked goods in an atmosphere that makes you feel like you're home (or at your grandmother's house!). 

Check out these biscuits. They also serve scones, muffins, full breakfasts, soups, sandwiches, and pies. Always hospitable.

The Bayside Cafe is located on the main road up the center of Cape Breton (9657 Trans-Canada Hwy 105) in Whycocomagh in Cape Breton, just about 30 minutes after the Canso Causeway and on the way to Baddeck.

Uisge Ban Falls Provincial Park

Another provincial park, this one in Victoria County in Cape Breton, only a few miles from Baddeck. The park is easily reachable by car and offers a spectacular water falls and hiking trails along the river through a wonderful forest.

The forest path along the river is littered with large rocks, some of which are entwined with the roots of trees. How in the world could a tree survive and grow in that location? 

The 20-minute walk leads up the river ravine into a rock-walled chasm that grows deeper and deeper, with sides reaching 500 feet at the falls. The Uisge Ban Falls tumble down in two stages - impossible to photograph adequately - and offer lots of viewing angles. 

There is a longer hike back to the parking lot, through a mile or two of sugar maple (seen here), birch, spruce and white pine. Loads of lichens and mosses and nothing but the sounds of birds, small mammals and the river. Definitely one of our favorite places.

Fairmont Ridge Hiking Trail

The area north of Antigonish is often called "Little Cape Breton" for the height, escarpments, beautiful views of the ocean and the hiking trials. And it's less than an hour from our home. The Fairmont Ridge Hiking Trail is one of the best. The map on this board outlines a variety of hikes from 20 minutes to 3 hours.

 The trails climb through gentle hills lined with black spruce, white pine, maple and old-growth hemlock. (The Nova Scotian hemlocks have not experienced the diseases now ravaging New England stocks).

Despite the presence of many streams and ponds, there are very few bugs - unless you sit for a while! This is easy hiking, with wooden bridges, wide paths and even some benches along the way to rest and enjoy the view of the Antigonish Harbor.

The end of the trail leads back to Route 337 through wide fields of hay. Next time, we'll bring some friends and hike all the way to the top.




Here's a final look at one of the ponds along the trail, which was full of water thanks to the beaver dams.

Bayfield Provincial Park

Nova Scotia has many, many small provincial parks. They are uniformly neat, well-maintained, beautiful and never crowded. Here is one of the tiniest, on the Northumberland Shore east of Antigonish.

I've added the weblink for this park. From there, you can browse all the parks Nova Scotia.

Today was sunny and the schools are nearing the end of the year so there were a lot of school buses heading to the beach. It's wonderful to think that somewhere people still believe kids ought to have fun experiences, outside the school building, as part of their education. 

 

This beach lies deep in a protected cove, so there are no waves to speak of. The water is shallow and warm. This is the first place we've seen children actually in the water in June. Great for small children.

These kids would have to walk out a hundred meters to get in water over their heads.

 

Right around the corner from the park is this small harbor. Again, it's afternoon, so all the lobster boats are in for the day. The building in the center, in the rear, sells fresh lobster right off the boats. Yum.

St. Pierre, Cape Breton

It's easy to waste a day doing nothing in Nova Scotia. We spent one day in St. Pierre, a little town on the main road from the Canso Causeway to Syndey.  "Little" means no stoplight and a one-lane bridge on the main route.

Cape Breton is a mix of peoples and St. Pierre is evidence. Once named San Pedro, then St. Pierre, Cape Breton also hosts Irish (Gaelic) and Scots as well. The music here is fantastic.


St. Pierre is best known for the small canal that links the Bras D'Or Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. They're not really lakes, but large inland seas with salt water. But the lakes are protected, so there are few waves and only a small tide. This is a sea kayakers' paradise.

We visited Battery Park, one of the many Provincial parks in Nova Scotia, which lies along both sides of the canal. Campers park along the seacoast and picnic areas with tables line the canal. The park warden was a very helpful college student.

The local lobster boats park right in the canal, since the waters are protected. Most of the fisherman are done checking their traps by noon. We could see them unloading crates of live lobster to the refrigerated trucks, which would take them to market and someone's table that night. Of course, you can buy lobster right off the boats if you want (cheap).

The canal has a system of locks so boats can get in and out of the lake.  Here the seaside locks are closed and the lakeside locks are open in the distance.
Looks like this is also a great place for fishing.





We're always on the lookout for good fish and chips. Believe it or not, Chubby's in St. Pierre's wins the prize for us. Best we've had yet.

Bette & Wallet

Lee and I went with some friends to a benefit concert with Bette & Wallet at the St. George Catholic Church on Cape George (north of Antigonish). Cape George is the "little Cape Breton" of the mainland - high mountains, dizzying coastal roads, and huge ocean expanses - and worth the trip all by itself.


MaryBeth (center) and Gabriel (left) did French, Acadian, Gaelic, Irish and Scottish songs - and sometimes blended them with rock music! Very talented musicians! They can play anything - accordian, fiddle, guitar, lute, banjo, mandolin.....



and the saw (see the man behind with the bent saw and the violin bow).....


and the suitcase!
What talent!