Cape Breton, Nova Scotia trip renews couple love of travel | Things To Do

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Where Cape Breton

When September

Trip rating 4.5/5

Our 50th wedding anniversary inspired us to plan a trip to the Maritimes in the summer of 2021. However, COVID had other plans for all of us. We delayed our trip and enjoyed a quiet, family celebration at our daughter’s home. We rebooked the trip for the end of summer 2023. A phone call came after a routine mammogram and my wife, Cathy was diagnosed with breast cancer. We cancelled again. In July this year, Cape Breton was mentioned in a discussion we were having with some people. Cathy said she hadn’t been there yet. Someone suggested, at 77, “you are leaving it a bit late.”

That became the catalyst for us to finally plan our trip to Cape Breton.

On Sept. 6, we boarded Via Rail to Montreal and then “The Ocean,” VIA’s train from Montreal to Truro, Nova Scotia. We booked a cabin and relaxed while the mighty St. Lawrence glided by into the night.

Plan the trip well ahead. “The Ocean” sleeper train only runs three days a week, and it’s often full. The Enterprise Rent-a-Car in Truro closes at noon on Saturday and the train gets in at 4:30 to 5:30. Be aware of the new baggage policy on Via Rail!

The cabin was a challenge measuring 79 inches by 53 inches. It consists of two coach seats, a small washroom and two bunk beds which fold down from the wall above the seats. We had smaller bags that we placed in the shower/washroom. Cathy took the upper bunk via the six-step ladder. I didn’t argue. Before bed, I used the washroom. Not wearing my glasses, I thought the sign read “Flush and turn.” I was instantly hit with cold water from the shower.

The trip takes 22 hours, makes multiple stops and approaches many crossings and you hear the two-long-one-short-one-long horn blast echo through the night.

We met some interesting travellers on the train as you share different table settings for dinner, breakfast and lunch. A couple was celebrating their 50th; two Americans were heading for P.E.I. and had not read “Anne of Green Gables”; two retired pastors from the Salvation Army, who were living in Gander on 9/11, and were instrumental in helping the thousands of passengers find food and shelter.

The food on the train was very good and the staff was charming.

Pack your hiking boots While in Truro, we walked to the beautiful Victoria Park and hiked along the creek trail up to Waddell Falls. Marvellous bridges and stairs are maintained in the 1,000-acre park. At Enterprise Rent-a-Car, we rented a Nissan Pathfinder 4WD, which was perfect for the Cabot Trail with its curves and steep hills.

There is an excellent four-lane Trans Canada highway to Cape Breton. Our next stop was Baddeck, which became one of our many highlights. We stayed three nights at The Inverary Resort overlooking the beautiful Bras d’Or Lake. We enjoyed a delicious lobster roll at The Lynwood Inn and attended a ceilidh (kay-lee, a Scottish or Irish gathering, usually with music). A lady played fiddle accompanied by a man on piano. It was 9/11 and the fiddler played a lament in honour of the occasion. Quite emotional.

The following afternoon, the Alexander Graham Bell Museum offered a personal, human side to this man and his wife, Mabel, who was a critical part of his story and his life in Baddeck. The museum features his work with the deaf, his notable inventions of the telephone, an early phonograph, audiometer, a metal detector and the aileron for stabilizing flight. The museum includes the remains of his hydrofoil boats and a replica of his Silver Dart, the first manned flight in Canada.

Evaluate your stamina carefully A local resident at the resort suggested, if we liked hiking, The Uisge Ban Trail (ish-ka-ban) was worthwhile. He looked at us and said it was rough. The walk in to the falls was definitely worthwhile.

Leaving Baddeck, we entered the Cape Breton Highlands National Park at Ingonish and walked the coastal trail of Middle Head. Here, along the rugged trail and coast we spotted our first bald eagle soaring above the spruce tree tops. We used The Markland Coastal Beach Cottages in Dingwall for the next four days as our base. It is truly a remarkable setting at the edge of Aspy Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

From here, we ventured each day to hike the seven-km Skyline Trail, truly remarkable. A local staff member encouraged us to walk to the end of the White Point trail to the east, a hidden gem. We toured the remains of a lighthouse moved from St. Paul Island to Dingwall. The Bog Trail offered an interesting view into the Boreal forest with its orchids, pitcher plant and one-hundred-year-old stunted larches.

Don’t spoil your appetite Each night, we returned and savoured one of the best dinners on the trip, the generous seafood pasta at The Markland Restaurant. Drinks included a Nova Scotia wine called Tidal Bay and a local craft ale by Big Spruce called “Kitchen Party.” Each morning we were treated to freshly baked goods including bagels, cheese scones, molasses cookies, oat cookies, muffins, yogurt and home made strawberry jam. Our two bedroom cottage and breakfast was $400/night.

On our way down the western side of The Cabot Trail, we visited historic Chéticamp and then spent a most enjoyable afternoon at the Highland Village Museum at Iona. It is a restored replica of the lodgings of the Gaelic people, dating from their arrival in Cape Breton in 1770.

We drove the morning of the Sept. 18 to Truro where we boarded the Via Rail to Montreal and Kingston. The Via Rail return trip was $2,900 for the two of us.

The adventure renewed our love of travel.

Paul and Cathy Arrowsmith, Kingston, Ont.

READERS’ TIPS

We’ve launched a new series that invites Star readers to reveal places they’ve visited recently and would recommend to fellow travellers. That could be a weekend getaway in Elora, a Banff canoe trip, a jaunt to Paris or Rome. If you’ve been, loved it and want to tell us all about it, we want to hear from you.

Get in touch, with “TRAVEL TIPS” in the subject line and send a note to [email protected].

Please include brief responses to the following questions. If your holiday experience is chosen, we’ll be in touch. 

1. Where did you go and when was that?

2. Where did you stay?

3. What was a highlight of your trip and why?

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