The fiancee and I are taking an extended road trip - mid June through the end of July - for part of our honeymoon. We plan to car camp and stay (judiciously) in inns, B&Bs, and lighthouses. We’d like to skip up the coast, staying for multi-day stretches in the good spots.
We are bringing the pup, 30lb mutt built like a shrunken lab. She’s a mountain dog in search of adventure and squirrels (but curiously doesn’t like to swim). We figure we’ll board her on the way for a day or three at a time if we’re doing something dog-innapropriate (long bike day, kayaking, etc.)
What are the must sees, must dos, must eats, must stays, etc?
Must eats - lobster. Don’t bother with those silly Maine lobsters, the Nova Scotia ones are the best.
While you’re here, visit the Cabot Trail, Peggy’s Cove, and Lunenberg. While you are in Lunenberg, eat at Magnolia’s, or pop over to the town of Mahone Bay and go to the Salt Spray Cafe. If they have their rasberry pie in, definitely get a slice of that. There are a ton of good B&B’s, as well as campgrounds. Before you come, I highly recommend that you get a copy of the Do’ers and Dreamers Guide, you can request one here. http://www.destination-ns.com/forms/guide.asp
It looks like you’ll probably miss the Wooden Boat Festival and the Folk Harbour Festivals, they are both at the beginning of August. There are a ton of events on and around Canada Day (July 1).
The water should also be warm enough that you can go whitewater rafting on the tides in the Bay of Fundy (highest tides in the world). Kayaking is great on the Bay of Fundy as well as in Mahone Bay. Probably good kayaking in Cape Breton as well. When you do the Cabot Trail, you should also check out the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Baddeck.
Newfoundland I don’t know as much about, but I did enjoy Gros Morne national park. Watch out for moose though.
Sounds like a pretty cool voyage. I would like to do something like that one day. I have never been up there in the ‘far’ east. What’s up with St. Pierre et Miquelon? I think I would try to work that in somehow if I was anywhere around there. Check out the site where they used the guillotine or something.
What’s up with St. Pierre et Miquelon
No idea, I’ve never been there…I suppose its a little bit of the country that the English just never bothered to try to get from the French. French / Anglo relations has been rather, ummm, complicated, over the years.
If you’re looking for a sea kayak trip, the Kennebec River from Bath down to Popham Beach is a pretty good one. There’s a good put-in spot with parking just north of Bath, on the West bank of the river. Time this trip with the tide, because the current runs really fast (close to four knots at the bends below Bath). You can make an all-day trip out of it if you take a break at Popham during low water, or you can spot vehicles and just do the one-way.
Good kayaking in Casco Bay, too. Check out Fort Gorges off of Portland - only accessible by private boat.
There are plenty of other good trips, but if I had to recommend just two, I’d recommend these.
Thanks for the tips - I requested that guidebook. Is there a section of the Cabot Trail that’s good riding? Or a better spot? We’re only bringing the road bikes.
We want to get back for IMLP, so can’t stay into august. Maybe next year.
That sounds awesome. I’m not an experienced kayaker - is something like that ok for beginners? We’re fit and up for a challenge, but don’t want to get in over our heads.
I like the area just past Baddeck, as you head up the coast. Mind you, I’ve never ridden it, just driven it a couple of times, but if you want hills (and the corresponding view of the Bras d’Or lakes), then thats fantastic. Once the trail cuts inland, there are some great valleys and such.
Casco Bay should be fine for novices, as long as you check the weather and tides. Obviously you want to avoid setting off down current feeling fresh, then have a long slog against it to get home. (In the Kennebec, going against the current is pretty much impossible for any great distance, except at the very beginning or end of the tide.) Also, if it’s going to be windy, best to avoid going out when the wind is going the opposite direction as the current - gets choppy and unpleasant.
Fort Gorges is a pretty quick jump across from East End Beach. There’s a fair amount of commercial traffic (ferries, tugs/barges and ships), but there’s plenty of room to stay out of its way. Depending on the tide, you can extend the trip nicely along the shore up to Falmouth, or right into Portland Harbor. If you go for the latter, once again, watch out for commercial traffic.
The Kennebec should be okay for someone with a little experience. You’ll want to bring a chart in one of those big waterproof sleeves, I think. And obey the tide tables!
Top notch scenery for both trips.