Blogs from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, North America

Geo: 46.2149, -60.2445Our hotel is about 45 minutes from the Fortress so we were there soon after opening. We had planned 2 activities for the day but soon discovered that a visit to this site was an all day activity. We took the optional walking tour and it was well worth it. The guide gave us a great amount of detail regarding the history.Founded by the French in 1713, it was one of North Americas busiest 18 century seaports. It was taken over twice by the British before being demolished in the 1760's. Reconstruction began in the 1960's and continues today. To date about 1/4 of the original French town and fortifications have been completed. It is the largest historical reconstruction in North America.The original lighthouse built in 1734 was the first in Canada. It is ... read more

Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, 30 August 2016 Our hotel the Louisbourg Fortress Inn also had a nice restaurant so after a tipple of malbec in our hotel room we had dinner over more great conversation. The next morning after packing up, we headed for the highlight of this historic town of Louisbourg. The Fortress of Louisbourg located about a half hour's drive away, is a reconstruction of the 18th century fortified French town whose presence plagued the British colonies of New England. From 2005 they have rebuilt the Fortress City from scratch. Many archaeological digs have occurred over the decades and 1000s of pieces of information uncovered, facilitating the reconstruction of some of the life of the people of the 18th century fortified city. We were bussed to the fortress from the large Visitor’s Centre. After walking ... read more

We slept in our berth on the Port Au Basque ferry on the way to Nova Scotia last night. The night was a calm one so the ride was smooth as silk and we slept like babies. In August, when we dropped into the bank in Charlottetown, PEI, we told the teller that we would be in Nova Scotia in September. She told us that we would regret it forever if we didn't drive the Cabot Trail around Cape Breton Island, so we decided to change our plans to include it. Cape Breton Island is part of Nova Scotia. During the first half of the 19th century, Cape Breton experienced an influx of 50,000 Highland Scotts. Today, their descendants dominate Cape Breton Island's culture, particularly in rural communities. Gaelic is still the first language of a ... read more

My first of 3 days exploring the Cabot Trail. Left Cheticamp early morning and visited the information Centre of Cape Breton Highlands National Park. I purchased my pass, picked up a map and off I went. First stop Corny Brook Trail. An easy trail and after an hour you reach a lovely waterfall. Total time about 2 hrs 20 min including pictures. Next stop Fishing Cove trail It is described as a "steady descent to rugged coastline." Steady indeed! An elevation change of 1165 feet. Quite a demanding hike up as the first 45 minutes is this steady ascent! Needless to say I took my time, rested often, and had my share of water breaks. A sunny day, a bit cool, around 13 C but pleasant for a hike. The cove is small but worth the ... read more

Day 13: Another day trip day. We started out at about 9:20 headed for Baddeck, NS. After a quick stop at the visitor information centre, we went to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum. REALLY interesting. Never knew that he was into aviation (Silver Dart made first powered flight in Canada in 1903), Hydrofoil equipped boats (HD4 managed over 74 mph in 1919), and a bunch of other stuff. After the museum, we saw a pram regatta in full swing out near a light house at the entrance to the Baddeck harbor. Onto CA 105 headed to Glace Bay to see the miner's museum and the Marconi museum. I had no idea that Cape Breton Island was a center of coal mining for Canada and as a result also a steel manufacturing area. Both the coal and ... read more