Louisbourg

Sunday 29 September 

Our drive to Louisbourg today took us through some spectacular scenery that was not at all spoiled by a bit of mist and drizzle. It just reminded us why it was named Nova Scotia. On this drive we were happy to find a couple of proper lookouts where you could pull off the road to admire a view. Fortunately the weather had cleared by the time we reached our destination.

St Anne’s Lookout

Another lookout

We bypassed Sydney, the biggest town on the island and a couple of kilometres beyond the town of Louisbourg found Fortress of Louisbourg, a reconstruction of the fortress built by the French in the mid-18th century. The reconstruction was begun in the 1960s, initially to give employment to out of work miners. From a heap of rubble and original documents archaeologists and artisans were able to rebuild this amazing community. We had expected to spend a short time looking at a ruin and instead spent half a day exploring a village and fortress. 

Then it was back around the bay for a closer look at the Louisbourg lighthouse, before taking a different route home to Baddeck. There is always water close by and this evening we even had a ferry crossing.