 The Willey Travel Guide: Maritime Provinces (Part 5) - Cape Breton
The rest of the trip on the mainland was uneventful though there was some congestion at Antigonish. We finally arrived at the Canso Causeway, the gateway to the island "kingdom" of Cape Breton. For trivia buffs the Canso Causeway is the world's deepest causeway. We had not planned any activities this day due to the travel but we had progressed better than I had thought so we made a decision to go first to Baddeck before checking in at our B&B. This turned out to be a wise choice. Near Whycocomagh we saw our first of several bald eagles. These are magnificent birds that soar majestically above the trees and Cape Breton is home to a large number. Baddeck is a beautiful town located on St. Patrick's Channel. It is renowned as the summer home of Alexander Graham Bell and the site of the first airplane flight in the British Empire. The Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site and museum are located here. The museum is on the small side but extremely interesting. Mr. Bell was a prolific inventor and the museum has lots of items, some of which they do not yet know what they were or used for!!
We set ourselves up and then drove to Mabou Harbour. The tide was out and we saw plenty of herons having their supper. We talked to the young lady at the tourist information located in the lighthouse and she mentioned that she was looking for the bald eagle that makes its home at the harbour. We were delighted to see the eagle perched in a tree and I was able to approach to within 100 metres. That night our host, Isaac Smith, indicated that there was a ceilidh taking place nearby and suggested that we take a look. We were tired and decided to pass on the offer.
At Cape North you can make a side trip to Meat Cove at the northern tip of the Island. We continued on our drive and in hindsight we regret this because we found out later in the day that you could see whales from Meat Cove that afternoon and that the views from there were excellent.
Our B&B was located in Albert Bridge (situated on Route 22 between Sydney and Louisbourg). While called Sunlit Valley Farms (902 562-7663) we were somewhat disappointed that this was not a heritage farmhouse but was instead a relatively plain looking house. The property itself had been in Hazel Ferguson's family for generations but it was primarily forested with no real access to the river. The twin room (C$50) was clean but simply decorated. The B&B is about 10-15 minutes from Louisbourg and this permitted us to visit the town that evening where we had a fish and chip supper by the harbour. Our host had been in the B&B business for a long time and during our conversations with her we found that she knew of a lot of the other B&B owners in the province. In addition, since the other guests had also driven the Cabot Trail we swapped stories. They told us that they had taken the side trip to Meat Cove in the afternoon and had seen whales just offshore. After a good nights rest, we left soon after a hearty breakfast of cereal, bacon and eggs and took the Marconi route to the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site. We arrived at the front gate at about 9:15 am. Access to the site is by frequent shuttle bus from the Visitor Centre. The Fortress is an impressive recreation (and one of the world's largest) of an 18th century town. About 25% of the town has been rebuilt. The French maintained immaculate records and plans so the buildings are accurate representations built on the original building sites! It is a work in progress and as such some of the buildings were not yet open to the public. Those buildings that were open were extremely well done with displays of antiques or replicas. In addition, there were friendly and informative interpreters in period costumes providing visitors with interesting information on the original occupants of the buildings. Some buildings housed modern exhibits explaining such things as the origins of the town and construction techniques. What struck me was the lack of costumed people outside of the buildings. The Fortress was a bustling seaport but the recreation did not give the visitor a sense of this. I think of Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, Ontario where costumed interpreters are present in the streets, adding to the ambiance. I would have expected at least one ship at the dock, perhaps even with people loading and unloading cargo. This would have made the site look more like the pictures and it would have added to the mood. We had arranged to meet my girlfriend's parents who happened to be vacationing in the same area. We ate lunch at the "L'Épée Royalle", an intimate restaurant built in the 18th century style and serving typical meals of the day. I had a nice meal of soup and grilled trout. The building and service may have been 18th century but the bill was paid with 20th century plastic. By 2:30 pm we had seen enough and were ready to make the trip towards Prince Edward Island. We took Highway 4 back to the Canso Causeway. The highway follows the shore of Bras d'Or Lake but I found that this route was not for those in a hurry. We finally arrived in Masstown just west of Truro around 6:30pm. Our B&B this night was Shady Maple Bed and Breakfast (1-800-493-5844). This is a working sheep farm and the Eisses family makes you very welcome and you pretty much become part of the family. The farmhouse is very nicely appointed. There is an outdoor pool and year-round spa which were much appreciated after the long drive. They also have a trampoline which allowed me to become a child again, if only for a brief time. More to come (I promise). |
Cape Breton: Saturday was a travel day as we
were heading to Cape Breton. Rather than take Highway 101 south to Halifax then
Highway 102 north to Truro, which I felt added too many extra kilometres, I decided to try
the more direct, back road route (Highway 101 to exit 5 then Route 14 east. At Brooklyn take Route 215
north for a short distance then northeast on Route 236. At Green Oaks follow Route
289 towards Brookfield where you rejoin Highway 102). This route takes you through some pretty country
including the crossing of the Shubenacadie Canal (see photo at right). The shortcut
worked out quite well.
Our B&B this night was Clayton Farm B&B (902-945-2719) located in Mabou. The house dates
from 1834 and is filled with antiques and old books and magazines. There was nobody
at home when we arrived but there was a sign outside welcoming all the guests, telling
them their room assignments and inviting them to enter and make themselves at home.
This was the most expensive of our B&B's at C$60 plus $9 tax but the room was
comfortable, the views were magnificent and the hospitality was great.
The next morning we had a bacon and eggs
breakfast, packed our bags and headed for the Cabot Trail along the coast road. This
route has some nice views. At Cheticamp we entered the 
We stopped
for lunch at Black Brook beach. It was crowded but the water was quite warm.
Christopher and I had a ball in the waves. We continued down the Trail and both of
us commented that the views on this side were not as spectacular as near Cheticamp.
We decided to take a side trip to Mary Ann Falls. Access to the falls is via a
gravel road from the Broad Cove campground. What we found was a lovely little
waterfall with two pools of water, one at the top and one below. People were taking
advantage of the great weather and were swimming in the pools. We were running a
little behind schedule but I let Christopher go swimming. He was in heaven (that is
him jumping from the rocks in the photo). I didn't have my bathing suit with me so I
could not go join him.