We had a wonderful drive from Prince Edward Island to Pictou, Nova Scotia stopping at attractions along the way and enjoying the beautiful scenery. I couldn't help myself but to pull over when I seen the sign for the Winegarden Esatate Winery. We couldn't tell if it was open or not because the store was pitch dark when we walked in. A minute later a woman walked out from the back and explained that the power was out. I thought to myself, 'Darn, I don't have any cash..' As if she read my mind she smiled and told me she could still take Visa. Wandering around the dark store filled with assorted fruit wines was very relaxing and actually a very unique way to shop. I sampled some blueberry wine and a Cabernet, later choosing the unique blueberry wine. Very sweet and fruity and hit the spot chilled on a summer day.
Nova Scotia was very beautiful to drive across with the wild flowers lining the roads and the houses perched on hills overlooking the ocean. There are different routes to take across Nova Scotia but I would highly recommend taking the scenic routes rather than the Trans Canada Highway. The routes may take you longer but are very scenic and truly show you Nova Scotia. The scenic route we took was called the Sunrise Trail and took us along the northern coast. Randomly on the side of the road we even spotted a couple Tallships docked for the day! We jumped out of the car and snapped some pictures. A couple nice men told us we could even get a bit closer by coming into their gated sailing club entrance where we would have an unobstructed view. They were amazing ships with weathered wood hulls and tall masts. I felt very lucky to of been able to see them with my own eyes after seeing them only in pictures. Unfortunately they informed us that the ship on the left was the Picton Castle ship where Bob Gainey's (former Montreal Canadiens General Manager) daughter was sadly swept overboard and killed.
My next stop on the Sunrise Trail was at the Seafoam Lavender Farm. I absolutely love lavender...I love the plants, soaps, the colour, the smell...anything really to do with lavender. I was like a child in a candy store when we pulled in with the rows of lavender in front of me. I'm sure my travel partners were a little less enthusiastic and were probably laughing at me. At no charge you can wander between the rows of lavender and smell the intoxicating smells from the different varieties. There was also a nice gift shop offering different products they made on-site. I purchased a small container of hand cream for a steal of $3.00!
We arrived in the town of Pictou by early afternoon via the Sunrise trail. This small town is known as the "Birthplace of New Scotland"because the first Scottish immigrants landed here in 1773. It's a pleasant town to drive through with tree-lined streets and period homes. A restaurant caught our eye as we were driving down the main street, so we did a u-turn and went back to check it out. It was called Murphey's Fish & Chips with a nice patio out in the sun. We were all very excited to order some East coast fish and chips especially since it had been voted 'Canada's #1 Fish & Chips' in 2000 by Chatelaine magazine! It was amazingly crispy, fresh and not greasy and even the fries had been breaded for extra crispiness. Definitely on my Top 3 fish & chips list.
Not having anywhere planned to camp yet we looked at our provincial campsite map and found one just up the street called Caribou Provincial Park. Very nice campground with quiet sites hidden throughout the trees. The fees for provincial parks across Canada all seemed to be around the same $24 fee plus the cost of firewood ($4-5). This is for a tent site with no electrical, fees for motor homes and electricity are higher. This campground had a fantastic beach to explore only a 5 minute walk down a wooded trail. The water was refreshing with lots of sea life to explore below the surface. We all bobbed in the water with our goggles finding crabs, sand dollars and even a giant sea snail!
It was so nice to spend lots of much time swimming and camping this summer. Doing the things you remember doing growing up but sadly don't make time to do later on in life. I made a promise to myself this trip...to make time when we return to Canada to put the chores aside some weekends and just go out and have fun...whether that's camping, hiking or just going for a swim. Life quickly becomes revolved around work and chores and it's important to have a reminder in life to stop and smell the roses (excuse the cheesy metaphor). That evening I enjoyed the blueberry wine and made some perfectly over-toasted marshmallows.
We continued to Cape Breton Island the next morning where the drive got even more beautiful. Cape Breton is an island located on the eastern side of mainland Nova Scotia with lots to see including the world famous Cabot Trail. As big of an attraction as it is, we did not drive the trail. My fiance had driven it before and said it was spectacular but very similar to driving to Tofino on Vancouver Island. Therefore, we wanted to spend the few days we had, exploring as much as we could of the other parts of Cape Breton. If we would of had a few extra days to play around with we would of driven the Cabot Trail for sure, but with only so many days, sadly we had to pick and choose.
We arrived in a town called St. Peter's and decided to stop at the Tourist center to find a campsite. The woman in the tourist center was so helpful and cheerful and sent us to a campground up the street called Battery Provincial Park. Before leaving town we stocked up at the Sobeys grocery store for dinner (a good supermarket you will come across lots in the East coast) but leaving lunch open for a possible lobster roll. We had been on the hunt for the past few days for a traditional lobster roll with no success so we decided to stop and ask some locals. The first few people we stopped to ask only could recommend a spot 20 minutes out of town but finally at our last stop we had success! The friendly man and woman in the liquor store were more than happy to help us find the Lobsta' roll, even going as far as phoning friends to find a spot. It turned out, the woman's friend knew a spot just down the street! We were so grateful for their help and couldn't believe how pleasant they had been to us, especially the man who had been particularly amusing with his cross Canada hitch hiking stories. We found the restaurant (although there was no sign) and walked in to find no one at the counter. We could see people in a different room eating and we wondered if we had came into the right entrance. Eventually a waitress came out and asked if she could help us...we replied, rather confused, we would like lobster roll. Fifteen minutes later we had a traditional lobster roll in front of us with the hot dog bun and all (very traditional) stuffed full of seasoned lobster meat. It was so tasty...exactly like what I hoped it would be like. ($10.95)
I did locate a small paper sign half glued onto a window later on with 'Louie's Cozy Corner' so I believe that is what it was called. However, look for a large green building with no signage almost right across the street from the liquor store if you are stopping through.
Full of amazing lobster we piled back in the van and headed out on the road to search for our campground. We actually ended up driving past the entrance as the sign is hidden behind some bushes. Sure enough when we came back it around was located right after the bridge like the tourist center had directed. This was probably my second favourite campground of the trip (first being Rainbow Falls) as the views were spectacular. From our campground we had a view of St. Peters Bay from high up on the hill with a refreshing salty breeze. There was also a canal to go and explore on the campground where we were able to spot starfish and jelly fish. Battery Provincial Park was an excellent spot to camp with plenty of views and a tranquil environment.
I loved driving through and camping on Cape Breton Island. It is a beautiful place to visit with wonderful people, amazing coastlines and an East coast feel. If I had to choose an area on the east coast to come back and visit it would definitely be driving along the Sunshine trail and back to Cape Breton Island. Nova Scotia will remain my fondest memory of the east coast portion of our trip forever.
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