Our main goal was to see the famous Cape Breton
Highland National Park. We took road 104 (from mainland road 2 switches to 104
on the island) to 105 on Cape Breton Island, where the park is. It takes about
6-7 hours from the mainland to the park.
The park is known for its highlands and ocean
scenery. One third of the Cabot Trail, scenic highway, runs through the
national park. Part of the Cabot Trail goes over highlands without any view of
the ocean. It’s a kind of drive, with trees on both sides of the road, that
seems similar in many other places. Part of the trail going by the Atlantic Ocean has
few viewpoints. Most interesting was the one with information regarding where marine animals find feeding grounds (pictures below). However, the most interesting scenery is on
the west side towards Prince Edward Island, with steep cliffs and deep river
canyons carved into the forested plateau.
On the way back, instead of crossing the island back
to the mainland, we took a ferry to Prince Edward Island (next post). The ferry
goes from Caribou to Wood Islands and is free. However, the long bridge going
from the island to the mainland is pretty steep, $45.50.
The distances that need to be driven in proportion
to what’s there to see are very inconvenient for a tourist. The highlight of
this whole trip were the Hopewell Rocks (on the mainland), where the tides are
the highest in the world (following post).
East side
West side
The two places to see in Nova Scotia are the
Louisbourg Historic Site in the north and Lunenburg in the south. It’s about
7-8 hours drive between those two places. Personally, I prefer land, but in
this case I have to say a cruise is a much better choice for visiting Nova Scotia.
The Fortress of Louisbourg in Cape Breton is the
largest historical reconstruction in North America offering a glimpse of time,
when the French and English crowns fought for control of the New World. More
info at http://www.novascotia.com/explore/top-25/louisbourg?gclid=CjwKEAiA9qCnBRCb7ZDhvaHSyicSJABGFFHtg3uk2aq2VRJxPcyXByXNjB39uWPXKY4PqGVLKU4NEhoCAH_w_wcB
Old Town Lunenburg is the UNESCO World Heritage Site
for its narrow streets and unique architecture. More info at http://www.novascotia.com/explore/top-25/lunenburg?gclid=CjwKEAiA9qCnBRCb7ZDhvaHSyicSJABGFFHtDQwOSQbW_aWqswR5PtTuq-YkpCEOsPiS5cu2polZbBoCfYrw_wcB
