Baddeck to Halifax

Wednesday, 2 October

We said goodbye to our Red Roof Cottage this morning and took the road back to Halifax. Miserably wet weather and pretty unpleasant for driving but aren’t we lucky that it was a travelling day and not a looking day? Actually I quite like the misty views. Once we were off the island we started seeing road kill again, this time raccoons, porcupines and a couple of unrecognisable critters. These are my consolation prize for no moose sightings.

Stopped for a pretty ordinary morning tea in Antigonish. There are very few towns where you can stop for a cuppa or meal. They are just spots on a map, as we discovered when we decided to try Shubenacadie for lunch - because we like the name. They have a funeral parlour, a couple of old folks’ homes and a pizza place (closed). No sign of a cafe or even a convenience store. We returned to the highway and continued on to Elmsdale and a very nice little Chinese restaurant.

Then it was back into Halifax across the toll bridge ($1) and into the city centre where we parked in a multi storey car park. We walked down the hill to the waterfront area and the Maritime Museum. Lots of people about as there were at least two cruise ships in port. The little booths around the waterfront were mostly open so there was quite a different feel to the area compared with last December.

We stopped for a cuppa and a cinnamon scroll at the same cafe we ate in last trip. It was right next door to our car park. Then through peak hour traffic to the Commons Inn once again. This time we have a ground floor room which is much easier for Anne and the cases.

Iona

Tuesday 1 October

For some reason we thought today was our departure day from Baddeck, so we started packing up and I sent a little note to our host, who immediately replied that he was surprised we were leaving a day early. On checking our itinerary (Why didn’t we do that in the first place?) we realised that we did indeed have another day here. So we remade our beds and headed out and about again.

Once more we made the ferry crossing at Little Narrows before choosing the long way round to Iona via Washabuck. There were lovely reflections in the water so we hopped in and out of the car a number of times as we kept seeing good spots. Fortunately we were on the back roads so no worries about all the stopping and starting. There’s not a lot at Washabuck, mostly just potholes, but it was right on a point that looked almost across the water to Baddeck.

We continued on over an even worse road to Iona and Baile nan Gaidheal, the Highland Village Museum. It was like a very small scale Gaelic version of Sovereign Hill, with people in costume in the various buildings telling you about life in their time. It followed the Scottish migrants from Scotland of the 1770s to Nova Scotia and then through time to the 1920s. Most of the road signs we see are in both English and Gaelic and there is even a Gaelic language college on Cape Breton Island. There are also many Gaelic cultural events throughout the year.

By the time we were finished there, we were looking for lunch as it was about 2.30. The pub next door had a little cafe/chocolate shop that could offer us something from their breakfast menu so we had that. The pub itself was not open. Lots of places are closing for the winter and there are very few little cafes about. What we see most is seafood restaurants offering lobster or fish and chips. Most
settlements don’t even have a convenience store so people must stock up when they go to the bigger towns like Baddeck. Too bad if you get home and realise you’ve forgotten the milk.

Back in Baddeck we finally made it to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. What an amazing man and an amazing mind! The money he made from the telephone allowed him to continue his experiments into all kinds of things. He was especially interested in helping the deaf. He did lots of experiments relating to flight too and there is a reconstructed plane that he worked on with a group of similar minded men.

As we were leaving the museum we got talking to a woman who had just been delivering some little bottles of maple syrup to the museum shop. She told us all about her family’s maple syrup production process and gave us each a little bottle of maple syrup from her plantation down the road in Margaree. What lovely people the Nova Scotians are! The man we were talking to outside the pub offered to take us out in his boat this afternoon - because we had come so far. He’s trying to get in as much boating as he can before he has to pack it away for the winter. We declined that offer, however.

We both felt like a steak tonight but it wasn’t on offer at The Bell Buoy, so it was fish again. Coconut cream pie was on the dessert menu and it made me think of “Gilligan’s Island” so I had to try it. Nice, but I think once was enough.

The Cabot Trail

Monday, 30 September

Today was our big drive around the Cabot Trail, approximately 9 hours including stops for morning tea, lunch and one or two (!!!!!!) photos. The trail is 298 km and it took us from sheltered inlets to wild and windy coastline.
We passed through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, up and down steep roads, some of which were being repaired and most of which were in need of repair. I think the icy winters here must do a lot of damage to the roads.
We saw signs indicating that there are moose about but unfortunately the signs were as close as we got.
There were some beautiful autumn colours but we think we were a little too early for the deep reds we had hoped for. In some places there has been damage from Hurricane Dorian, which not only blew trees and branches down, but also dropped salty water onto them, shrivelling leaves and turning them brown.
When we finally arrived back in Baddeck around 5.30 we were surprised to see a cruise ship in port and even more surprised that it was a Hurtigruten ship. No sooner had we arrived than it departed, as we must do tomorrow.

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.

Halifax to Baddeck

Saturday 28 September

Anne took the wheel this morning, as we left Halifax and headed north to Cape Breton Island, a drive of about four and a half hours through beautiful forests with vistas of sea and islands appearing unexpectedly as we crested hills. We saw lots of road kill which looked very different from ours and a highlight was the flattened black creature with a white stripe which we realised must be a skunk! Didn’t stop for a photo though.

A woman we talked to at breakfast this morning, and who lives on Cape Breton Island, suggested that we visit Isle Madame on the eastern side of the island. It is inhabited by descendants of the Acadians, early French settlers who were deported by the British during struggles between the British and French for control of this territory. We decided to detour here for lunch before heading to our destination, Baddeck. Things are starting to close for the winter and we were lucky to visit a fish and chips cafe on its last operating day.

We then retraced our steps back to Cape Breton Island and on to Baddeck. Most of the countryside today was forested but we did see a few farms with corn and the occasional cow.
Baddeck is a very pretty town and our bnb is well-located close to the water, shops and cafes.
Our nice neighbour pointed us in the right direction for the supermarket but it was much further than we expected and had closed by the time we got there. Should have taken the car, but it was a beautiful walk along the shoreline and we did find  a convenience store just a little further up the hill.

Red Roof Cottage

What is it aiming at?

Dinner at “The Yellow Cello” was a salad for Anne and a lobster roll for me. Lobster rolls are advertised everywhere so I finally had one, and although it was enjoyable, there are many better ways to eat lobster. Unfortunately they’re not in season so I won’t be indulging as much as I’d like to.

Halifax - Peggy’s Cove - Lunenburg

Friday, 27 September

I’ll say this for us, we’ve got stamina. Despite our very long day yesterday, this morning we were up, breakfasted and out to wait for a bus to the downtown area. After standing at the bus stop for about 20 minutes we gave up and decided to walk, as Anne’s leg seemed to be operating pretty efficiently. It was a pleasant walk on a sunny 22 degree day and we found the Avis office no worries.

Our hire car is a black VW Golf. Thanks Rob for your Tom Tom. The nice Avis man set it up for us while he was showing us the ins and outs of the car. We all had trouble opening the boot but worked it out OK.

We set off with some trepidation but managed to drive to a shopping centre where we wanted to sort out phone issues. Have decided that mine can’t be sorted sensibly till we get to the USA and Anne’s is working well when we’re in an area with good network coverage. This settled we had a bite of lunch in the food court before setting off for Peggy’s Cove.

It certainly is a different place in September compared to December. There were people everywhere and all the little tourist shops were doing a roaring trade. They were expecting busloads of people from a cruise ship as well. 

This car certainly sticks to the road!

Because it was already about 2.30 we decided to take the scenic route to the highway and then follow
 it to Mahone Bay, rather than winding around the very long coast road. Mahone Bay was overrun by tourists and it took us ages to negotiate our way through the town and then on to Lunenburg in time for a look around and a desperately needed cup of tea. It was busy here too but nowhere near as bad as the other places. My recommendation for future travellers is to go in December!

Lunenberg

We headed back to Halifax on the highway and stopped for a few supplies at the same supermarket that Karyn, Chris and I shopped at last year. Then it was back to the hotel, finding somewhere legal (I hope!) to park the car and up the road to a nice little cafe for a meal of pumpkin soup. By this time it was about 8.30 and we were flagging somewhat.

A great day for our first in Nova Scotia although once home we both had to remake our beds.
Whoever has that job here has no idea how to do it. Last night the sheets only came up to chest level, the bottom sheets were straying everywhere but where they should be and the blankets were  too
small to tuck in at all.This hotel will not be on our recommended list. The scary breakfast  lady who watches to make sure we put our dirty dishes in the right spot and don’t take extra food for lunch is a bit of a turn-off too.

But tomorrow is another day and another location!

Melbourne to Halifax

Thursday, September 26
Up at 4.00 after a sleepover at Anne’s and out to the airport in record time. Anne had booked a wheelchair and what a great experience that was! We were whizzed through special gates and all the formalities in no time. Might not have been quite so great for Anne in her cumbersome leg brace. She does not look comfortable.

After a very long day - 31 hours since we left Lilydale - we have finally made it to our hotel in Halifax. If it were not for Anne’s leg we almost certainly wouldn’t have made our connection in LA, but being chauffeured through all the special needs lanes really speeded things up. Susan was waiting and Anne handed over an enormous bag of marmalade and Australian goodies, while Susan gave each of us a lunch bag, as we wouldn’t have time to buy food. Still a few treats left for tomorrow.

We started the journey in an A380 and the planes got progressively smaller. Our last, from Montreal to Halifax was a Bombardier with propellers.