Moseying Along the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia

From our base in North Sydney, our travels in Nova Scotia began with the Cabot Trail—named  after explorer John Cabot—which  makes a loop around the northern end of Nova Scotia. All the guide books raved about the beauty of the trail. There are definitely gorgeous spots on the trail but we’ve been so spoiled by our vacations to the Oregon coast and by living in the Seattle area with the Puget Sound as a backdrop that we may not have been as awed as people from more inland areas.

Much of the time the view was blocked by shrubs on the side of the road. But boy, when we drove out of the brushy areas and could get close to the coast with its beaches that go from sand to dramatic rock formations we could see why the Cabot Trail has a reputation for being so impressive. The water really was superl clear, like something you think must be Photoshopped when you see it in photos.

Boats in the cove at White Point

Tiny villages dotted every bay and cove. In fact, one of the most scenic things we saw was at the end of a side road we took away from the Trail. The road ended at  White Point, the northernmost point in Nova Scotia. At White Point we found a cluster of houses and a cove that looked like a picture postcard with boys swimming off brightly colored boats moored in the water. We sat on the rocks by the water and watched the boys swim while we ate a picnic lunch. As we drove away from the town we saw the boys take off in one of the boats, headed to the next cove. 

Boys swimming off the boats at White Point

One of the stops by the road on the Cabot Trail

As we neared the end of the Cabot Trail loop we stopped at Saint Pierre Catholic Church in Cheticamp. The church, which was built in 1893 has a beautifully ornate interior. Russ was amazed to see that the organ, installed in 1904 and still in use, is hand-pumped. 

The interior of Saint Pierre Church

Hand-pumped Organ at Saint Pierre Church

Hand pump for organ bellows

More photos from our trip on the Cabot Trail:

The water in this photo is 3'-4' deep. I still can't believe how clear it was.

Yep--towns in the coves really are this small.

We saw lots of fish traps piled up like this by houses and along the roads

 

We had to laugh at this weather forecasting tool. I think this is what they use in Seattle.