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Longing for the feel of wheels beneath you? Dreaming of lush paint-by-number landscapes, white foam rollers crashing into rugged rock faces, ancient lighthouses and lobster suppers, high steppin’ fiddlers and smiling faces? You need a road trip - the Canadian Maritime Provinces is where you will find it all. Thinking two weeks isn’t enough to see it all? There is never enough time and this classic Canadian road trip will make you envious of the retirees just mooching along at their own pace. But if two weeks is all you have, pack the cooler and hit the road. Campers will find plenty of places to pitch their tents, but the east coast is Bed & Breakfast country and an easy way to meet locals. Sometimes it seemed like we were sleeping in Martha-Stewart-land with the bedspread matching the chairs matching the dried flower wall hanging. In another bedroom I was certain the furnishings, from the red velvet chaise lounge to the heart-shaped bed had been swiped off the set of the Dating Game. But in every case we were welcomed by open-hearted hosts with warmth and interest and an eagerness to share what they knew of the area. In comparison, the one night we spent in a chain hotel felt cold and inhospitable. Contact each of
the provincial
tourism offices
(websites
below) for a tour and
accommodation guide.
These guides are
superb, listing
both commercial
and B&B establishments
by location, along
with amenities.
The other thing
you must do in
advance is make
reservations for
the Newfoundland
ferry (see
contact info below). There is nothing gussied up for the tourists here, no Disneyland. But the locals are much given to painting their homes in bright hues of turquoise, emerald green, robin’s egg blue, sunshine yellow, even bright red. One truly memorable home celebrated the owner’s Scottish heritage in a meticulously painted tartan. That is one photo I regret not turning back to snap. If you like living museums, check out Sherbrooke, a restored 1800’s era village. Costumed interpretive guides bring this museum to life, functioning in the shops, pharmacy, hotel, doctors office, blacksmith and so on. At Canso you can take a boat trip over to the Grassy Island National Historic Site to view old British fortifications. Finish off the day propped up against a log on the beach, watching the working lighthouses come to life across the water on Cape Breton Island. Day
Two – Sydney,
Nova Scotia Connecting to Cape Breton via the Canso Causeway, follow the southerly route that meanders along the Bras d’Or Lakes to Sydney. The "Lakes" are actually a deeply-indented arm of the Atlantic Ocean offering peaceful anchorages, picturesque islands, hiking, biking, boating and a rich ecosystem. Fortress
Louisbourg, the
largest historic
reconstruction
in North America,
is worth a stop.
It was erected
by the French in
1720-45 to defend
their interests
but passed back
and forth during
the British/French
hostilities until
it was finally
demolished by the
British. Today,
about 25% of it
has been reconstructed
which might not
seem like much
but it is big.
It bustles with
costumed characters
who march through
the square, bake
bread, dust furniture,
guard the gates
and generally communicate
a good sense of
what life in the
fort was like. Day Three Stephensville,
Newfoundland We began with the ferry to Port aux Basque, a pleasant 5-6 hour voyage with outdoor entertainment courtesy of the whales and porpoises, regulars on the route. Indoors, staff go out of their way to make this a genuine Maritime experience. There are singers and musicians and comedians, making merry on washboards and squeezeboxes and ugly sticks, an eclectic collection of clanging, banging noisemakers. There are board games and movies and recliners to sleep in. When all else fails, food and more food; hearty stick-to-your-ribs pork roast and mashed potatoes with real gravy kind of food. Rolling off the ferry, our little rental car hugs the narrow, winding route taking us up, through and over the imposing grey granite entrance to "The Rock." Some time later, we pulled over to the side of the road in Stephensville to consult our accommodation guide. Within moments a friendly policeman had pulled parallel. “Lost are ya?” “No, not lost, just looking for a place to settle for the night.” “Follow me,” he tossed out the window as his patrol car swooped in front of ours and took off. George, the friendly B&B host in whose driveway we were deposited, took a serious interest in marking up an itinerary for us. As a former health inspector, there was no corner of the province he hadn't travelled into, so he eagerly plotted the highlights …and since it did prove to be an extraordinary six days I'd have to say he knew what he was talking about. One of his must-sees was a drive that evening around Port aux Port. This picturesque peninsula is attached to mainland Newfoundland by only the narrowest strip of land, it’s an “almost-island” in every sense, being the centre of the French culture and population in Newfoundland.
But there is a great deal more than old rocks to be seen here. The fjords are spectacular, many say they out-fjord Norway itself and there are plenty of boat tours to ensure enjoyable exploration. There is hiking and kayaking and fishing and wildlife. With 150,000 of them on the island, moose topping 500 kg are a common sight and I never tired of watching these awkward, ungainly creatures. Unfortunately they are given to lurching unpredictably in front of cars, a traumatic event for the moose, the car and the driver alike, so expect them to do the unexpected and drive defensively. Day Five Twillingate,
Newfoundland In fact, Twillingate's
main claim to fame
is that it sits
in the middle of "Iceberg
Alley", the
route humongous
Greenland bergs
take as they scrape
and scour t Day
Six, Seven, and
Eight St. John’s,
Newfoundland
Signal Hill, sitting high atop St John’s harbour is always worth a visit, for the spectacular view if nothing else. But the history is interesting too. The use of the site for military purposes dates back to the 1700s and the fortifications are brought to life each summer by students re-enacting military scenarios, shooting off cannons and marching around in uniform. Signal Hill is also where Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless transmission in 1901. Hello - information age. Take a spin up-island to Cape Spear, the most easterly point on the continent. This is where "the new world begins" as they say, and from here it's actually much closer to Ireland than it is to Thunder Bay, never mind Vancouver! Another trip worth taking is to Bay Bulls for a tour of the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve and to see the gargantuan humpback whales. We'd noticed the boat leaving the dock as we arrived, so on buying our tickets we figured on a long wait. They'd have none of it. The captain's
wife got on the
horn and called
the boat back.
We tore down to
the dock, strong
arms swung us onboard
and with everyone
laughing and congratulating
us on "making
the boat",
we were off. This
was a rollicking
little cruise,
with the captain
singing, telling
jokes and sharing
his rich understanding
of the wildlife.
And Good thing we didn’t have to wait for the boat to return because the scheduled 1.5 hour cruise turned into a 3-hour party. That’s Newfoundlanders for you. Knowing we needed to catch the ferry back to Cape Breton in the morning, we headed down to the Argentia area for our final night in Newfoundland. Argentia is where the US forces patrolling the North Atlantic were headquartered during World War II. It's also where Roosevelt and Churchill met to design the Atlantic charter. Day Nine Sydney,
Nova Scotia Day
Ten Cabot Trail,
Cape Breton,
Nova Scotia Day Eleven, Twelve,
and Thirteen Prince
Edward Island PEI is not a big
island, only 224
km long with no
part of it more
than 16 km from
the ocean. Pull
out a map and plot
a course around
the island, every
kilometre will
bring more of the
same: sparkling
blue ocean, gracious
heritage homes
decked out in wedding
cake gingerbread,
vibrant red sandstone
cliffs, picturesque
steepled churches,
quiet country lanes
smothered in wildflowers,
historic landmarks
and miles of sandy
beaches. We particularly enjoyed the working harbours where we stretched our legs, chatted to the fishermen and watched the lobster boats coming and going. We thought a lobster trap would make a great souvenir …until we tried to lift it. They dump a cement slab in the bottom of the trap to sink it. Tossing those traps is no doubt the reason PEI men don’t need gym memberships. Of course everyone
has to at least
pass through Cavendish,
or “Anne
Land” as
many know it. This
is the home of
Lucy Maud Montgomery,
author of the Anne
of Green Gables
books beloved by
generations of
young girls around
the world. Cavendish
has become an extremely
commercialized
destination: souvenir
shops and chain
restaurants, miniature
golf, water parks,
bumper cars, petting
zoos, magic shows,
a wax mu If all that gives you a headache, rent a bike and get yourself onto Confederation Trail. The trail is a 274 km cross-island pathway built on the bed of an abandoned railway. There is a maximum 2% grade, making it beloved by flatland cyclists. It’s easy-to-negotiate by foot, cycle and wheelchair. There are benches and shelters every 2 km and most communities have an entrance along the trail. With a promise in our hearts to return, we departed via the stunningly elegant Confederation Bridge.
Day Fourteen Halifax,
Nova Scotia Back to Halifax and the late flight home. In all, an extraordinary experience, the Maritimes. Would longer be better? Of course. But if two weeks is all one has, it’s long enough to savour the salty flavour of Atlantic Canada. Best time to go? During the Canadian summer and fall – June to September. Ferries Nova Scotia to
Prince Edward Island Provincial Tourism Contacts New Brunswick Newfoundland Nova Scotia Prince Edward
Island "THE"
Bridge Ferries
to Newfoundland (full details on
website listed
above) Sydney to Argentia & reverse
(one way) Bridge
or Ferry to Prince
Edward
Island (full details
on website listed
above) Bed & Breakfast
Inns Carolyn Usher
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