genocolo
Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island
Thinking about driving from Bar Harbor to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia mid-August. Is the drive interesting? Have any photo location tips?
Do you think border will be open by August 1 to U.S.travelers?
Thanks I advance for any suggestions.
Cape Breton Island is beautiful. Louisbourg has an amazing French fort and period houses. There are a couple of “captured in time” villages close to the east coast between Cape Breton and Halifax. Halifax is an interesting city with an English fort. If you go to Halifax do not miss the Halifax Central Library. One of the most extraordinary buildings I have ever experienced.
Nova Scotia is beautiful! Double ditto for Cape Breton. Stop in St. Andrews on the way. Many of the homes there were originally built in Castine Maine but moved when the inhabitants grew tired of being a political football between the Americans and the British. Bring bug spray!!! Take the shore route. Hope you like fish and mussels, oh, and lobster and crab and scallops! We took the southern shore route so we never got to Digby. Wish I had been into photography then.
Cabot Trail is a must. Baddeck is worth an overnight. Margaree Harbor. There’s a place that sells larch wood cutting boards on the Cabot Trail, off the coast, west side. Not much else to buy, so worth a stop. Port Hawksebury is built up, maybe an overnight when you cross the causeway.
Did this years ago. At the time, the ferry was running from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth. Drove up the east coast - Lunenburg (a must) Peggy's Cove, Halifax. Then on to Baddeck which was our base for touring Cape Breton. Returned down the west side stopping to watch the tidal bore enter the Bay of Fundy. Overnighted at Digby and then back to Yarmouth. Spent 9 or 10 days. One big mistake - I'll never get that close to PEI again. Should have take a few more days and visited PEI.
Have fun!!
A few years ago we took a ferry from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth. Then drove on eastern coast to Halifax for a couple of days on our way to Cape Bretton. Peggy's Cove was very crowded even though it was quite foggy. Nice photo opportunities there apart from the lighthouse and rocks. Just walk around there.
Halifax worth spending a couple of days I think.
It was a family vacation, not photography trip, so I couldn't do all I wanted. Hiking some trails, driving around. There are lots of beautiful views.
We drove all the way back, it was very long and exhausting drive. We skipped visiting Hopewell Rocks because it was taking so long, but it looks very interesting on pictures. We stopped at St. Andrews for the night and it's a very nice town to walk with the camera.
Again, we didn't do it, but Lubec is right there.
Hope you'll enjoy it
Not directly on your path but the harbor town of Lunenberg is extraordinarily photogenic. Parrsboro was great for the Bay of Fundy tides.
Take the ferry from St John CA to NS, a very nice trip and the tides are amazing not to mention time saved from driving all the way to NS
Bay of Fundy very interesting and lots to see
You MUST go to the Celtic Interpretive Center in Judique and time it so you arrive for one of their Sunday dances with live performance. Everyone in that town immigrated from the same town in Scotland. Great photo opportunities and you can immerse yourself in the local culture with some of the best fiddling and step dancing, as well as pure, unadulterated fun!
http://www.celticmusiccentre.com/Also, ditto to not missing the Cabot Trail.
Lastly, please factor in driving time because it takes a long time to get from one place to the other.
Have fun!
~ Eileen
genocolo wrote:
Thinking about driving from Bar Harbor to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia mid-August. Is the drive interesting? Have any photo location tips?
Do you think border will be open by August 1 to U.S.travelers?
Thanks I advance for any suggestions.
sb
Loc: Florida's East Coast
So much will depend on whether the border is open. Given that it is currently closed, there are probably still reservations possible, but you may not be able to use them. Canada is apparently evaluating this on a month-by-month basis. Hopefully they will soon let vaccinated Americans in. If they open up they may restart the Bar Harbor ferry...
The drive from Maine to Cape Breton has a few interesting spots. St Andrews (just south of St Stephens, the town you are in when you first cross in to New Brunswick) is a cute old town. I think it is Moncton that has a large tidal bore that drives water way up the river, if you get there at the right time of tidal change. When you get in to Nova Scotia the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Baddeck is very interesting.
I recommend going around Cape Breton on the Cabot Trail (well, unless you have a sailboat it is the only way). A stay at the Celtic Lodge in Ingonish would be a great way to start the trip around Cape Breton. Take a short side trip to White Point (
http://trailpeak.com/trails/White-Point-Cape-Breton-near-Ingonish-NS-1885 ) - this is a beautiful spot. Staying at Margaree Harbor or in the beautiful Margaree Valley would be special. I stayed at the Normaway Inn one year - a nice salmon dinner in a beautiful spot was accompanied by a beautiful young lady singing traditional Celtic songs. It is a special place - has been decades since I was there, but I suspect that it is far enough from anywhere that it has not been too badly touched by change.
genocolo
Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island
Thank you all for taking the time to share your ideas and experiences. These are some great suggestions. Going to go to PEI also, which I wouldn’t have thought of on my own.
Just hope border opens up in time!
george19 wrote:
Cabot Trail is a must. Baddeck is worth an overnight. Margaree Harbor. There’s a place that sells larch wood cutting boards on the Cabot Trail, off the coast, west side. Not much else to buy, so worth a stop. Port Hawksebury is built up, maybe an overnight when you cross the causeway.
My sister has a house in Margaree Harbour. A beautiful place to visit. Cape Breton is one of the East Coast's most spectacular parts of Canada. People are great too!
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