I will break my Nova Scotia travels into 3 parts.  The first is Cape Brenton Island, the second is a music festival called Stan Fest, and the third is the remainder of my time in Nova Scotia.

The ferry from Prince Edward Island lands near Pictou, NS.  From there, I drove to Antigonish, NS and stayed overnight at the local Walmart.  Antigonish is a small town, rich in Gaelic history nestled in the north eastern part of the province.   It is home to one  of one of Canada`s most prestigious universities, St. Francis Xavier University.

I went into town for dinner at the Townhouse Restaurant. I highly recommend a stop here.  They had “old” wooden tennis rackets hanging on the walls as decorations.  I mentioned to the bar tender that I could add to their collection with rackets still hanging in my garage.

The next morning, I was off to Cape Brenton Island which is located at the northeast corner of Nova Scotia.  Nova Scotia itself stretches east to west with a little tilt.  The tilt puts the eastern end a little higher north than the western end.  While the island is physically separated from the Nova Scotia mainland by the Straight of Canso,  you can drive to the island via the Canso Causeway, a 4,544 ft. long rock-fill with a paved road on top.

Settlement on the island included Native, French, and Scottish / Irish cultures.  The mix of cultures and geographic location formed a community rich in music and tradition.  You can still feel this richness, pretty cool.

The Island is also known for the 185 mile Cabot Trail  and Cape Brenton Highlands.  The Cabot Trail is a scenic highway that completes a loop through the northern part of the island.  It is named after the explorer John Cabot who landed in Atlantic Canada in 1497.  Many cyclist consider the Cabot Trail as a classic / must do ride.  You will want to train before trying.

The western and eastern sections of Cabot Trail follow the rugged coastline, with views of the ocean. The southwestern section passes through the Margaree River valley before passing along Bras d’Or Lake.  The northernmost section of the 185 mile Cabot Trail passes along and through Cape Brenton Highlands National Park.

My first stop on the island was at Judique for a bicycle ride on the Celtic Shores Coastal Trail and to catch music at the Celtic Music Interpretive Center.  The Coastal Trail is 90 miles (one way) of gravel. dirt, and pavement that is set aside for hiking and cycling.  There are 20 entry points (where you can park) along the trail.  I rode the section from Judique to Port Hood Station, approximately a 20 mile round trip.  If you like to cycle, it is worth spending some time on the trail.  Some pics from the ride:

Cape Breton is well known for its traditional fiddle music, which was brought to North America by Scottish immigrant. The traditional style is well preserved in Cape Breton.  Judique is recognized as ‘Baile nam Fonn’, (literally: Village of Tunes) or the ‘Home of Celtic Music’, featuring the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre.

After the bike ride, I cleaned up (in the van) and walked to the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre for a show.

I arrived to the show 20 minutes late, given my cycling.  When inside, all the tables were taken.  One of the smaller tables had an empty chair and I asked a lady if anyone was sitting there.  She (Casey) said no and asked me to join her.  Two musicians were playing, one with a fiddle and one on a keyboard.  The keyboard player also had a little kick board.  They played traditional Gaelic music.  So much fun!!!!!.

In between sets, Casey and I talked.  She grew up on the island and knew a lot about the music and local traditions.  She shared a lot of insight with me.  She noted that music on the island grew in ways different from music elsewhere and that in Cape Brenton that the musicians play to the dancing versus dancers reacting to the musicians.

The initial crowd included locals and tourist.  After a couple hours, most of the tourist had left and the locals started dancing traditional dances.  It was awesome to watch.  The dances looked like square dances with a local twist.   I was asked to join but declined as all the dancers were just too smooth.  I would need a few lessons before trying.

Casey’s daughter was a waitress at the Center.  After I first sat down, she came over to see if we needed anything.  I think it was more to find out more about who was this guy sitting next to her mom.  I had on a flogging Molly t-shirt.  It was one of her daughters favorite bands, so I quickly got the OK.

Casey told me that I should try to catch a show at the Red Shoe Pub at the town of Mabou.  She said they have traditional music most evenings.  She also told me to watch for moose on the road as I drove to Cape Brenton National Park, given it would be around dusk when I was driving.  After the show finished, I met the musicians and then thanked everyone for giving me such a “royal” treatment.  Such a good time.

On my way to the National Park, I passed through Mabou and stopped for a picture of the Red Shoe Pub.  I was not able to catch a show there but will during a future visit.

And sure enough, as I got closer to the National Park, I came around a curve and in the middle of the road there was a mama moose with baby.  By the time I had the camera ready, they were trotting away.

My original plan was to enter the park on the west side, taking in the views and hiking a few trails.  I would then end on the east side and camp four nights at the Broad Cove Campground.

However, with a full day of cycling and music, I arrived at Cape Brenton Highlands National Park near sunset.  At the La Rigoueche Visitor center, I talked with a ranger and she recommended not driving to my campsite on the other side of the park for safety reasons (road and animal).  Even though all campgrounds were full, she found a site for me on the west side for the night and contacted the Broad Cove Campground to let them know I would be a day late.  Mighty nice service!

This worked out well for safety reasons and also let me explore the west side of the park before driving to my campsite on the east side.  My first stop was the Skyline trail.  This is a must do in the park.  I did the trail as a 5 mile loop.  It can also be done as a out and back.  The trail provides a great overlook of the rugged gulf coast.

During the hike, I saw two moose.  Not the best pics but …

I then hiked the Bog and Benjie’s Lake Trails.  One more moose on the Benjie’s Lake Trail.

A great scenic drive to the Broad Cove Campground along the Cabot Trail.

One of my friends asked me to describe the park.  I told him it was like Smokey Mountains National Park (in the US) meets the sea.

I spent 3 days at the Broad Cove Campground.  The weather was drizzle and overcast all 3 days so I spent time at the camp with hikes down to the beach.  I found that many Nova Scotia retirees will book campsites together at the Broad Cove Campground for most of the summer.  Since I had booked my site as soon as allowed, I ended up camped right in the middle of the group.  One gentleman even called himself the mayor.  Fun times swapping stories.

After leaving the park, I spent the morning in Baddeck, checking out the town and also the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Park.  It was interesting to understand the breadth of his inventions which included hydrofoils and aircraft.  He had a home and research facilities in the area.   

Next stop, Stan Fest in Canso!!!