Cape Breton: Duck Pluckers and Silver Darts

 

Cape Breton August 3-20

We’ve been looking forward to our trip to Cape Breton for quite a long time. Michelle because Cape Breton is known for the famous Cabot Trail: stunning landscapes and several hundred kilometers of driving and hiking. Al because of all of those things, aaaand because it’s also home to some of the top golf courses in Canada.

Cape Breton is an island of Nova Scotia and it is chock full of bays, peninsulas, large lakes and rivers, in addition to being surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Basically there’s water wherever you look. So not surprisingly you need to cross said waterways fairly regularly. The only way in or out of the island by car is via the Canso Causeway. Islanders being as they are, we figure they’ve got that causeway rigged to blow if things get too crazy in the rest of Canada. (Though if they didn’t do it in the last two years, then when?)

Cape Breton is an island on the eastern end of Nova Scotia, to the right and larger than Prince Edward Island. We visited PEI last year, so decided to skip it this trip.

So after buzzing through New Brunswick (which is what everyone does, apparently. It’s colloquially known as the drive-through province… which is pretty much what we did… sorry NB!) we headed across the causeway, and followed the Trans Canada Highway north for awhile before stopping in Baddeck for lunch.

Baddeck

Quick quiz: who designed the first plane to achieve manned flight in Canada?

Answer: Alexander Graham Bell. Wait, isn’t he the guy who invented the phone? Yep. Isn’t he American? Well, it’s complicated. While he was born and raised in Scotland, and did live in the US, he spent a lot of time in Cape Breton – specifically, Baddeck – which reminded him of Scotland. And this was back in the 1800s so it wasn’t like he was popping up for the weekend, he was spending entire summers here. So, when Canadians claim the phone as one of the great inventions of Canada they’re kind of right.

Anyway, once Alec had invented the phone, he was pretty much set up for life financially. So he proceeded to spend the next 40 or 50 years mucking around with all sorts of things being an ‘inventor’ – but his first passion was flight. He formed a small group called the Aerial Experimental Association (AEA) which ultimately designed and created the Silver Dart. Picture a bike with a really long ladder attached and some sheets wrapped around it (we’re sure there’s a more technical design in there somewhere). Anyway, the ol’ Dart ended up making its successful flight in Baddeck in 1909, about six years after the Wright Brothers’ Kitty Hawk.

We learned all of this – and more – at the Alexander Graham Bell museum in Baddeck. We also had a fantastic lunch including an amazing lobster bisque at the wharf in Baddeck (along with most of the town as it was the only place open for miles on a Monday).

To get to the northern half of the Inverness Peninsula requires going over a comically short ferry crossing at Englishtown. Apparently they’ve been talking about building a bridge across this narrow channel for decades, but it’s proved to be too expensive. We have a suggestion – just buy another two ferries and put them end to end, and you’ve got yourself a bridge. Seriously – it’s about that wide.

There's the ferry, and...that's the other side right there.

Once making the ‘mighty ferry crossing’, our first couple of nights in Cape Breton were spent in the town of Ingonish on the east coast of the Inverness Peninsula. This marks the start of the Cabot Trail, a 300km scenic highway around the northern tip of the island.

We had hoped to hike up to the top of one of the local mountains, but it was raining so we opted for the Middle Head walk which is quite spectacular in itself. Plenty of pink granite, crashing waves and a trail that leads you out to the point where you’re rewarded with 360 degree views of the harbour.

Everything we’d heard about Cape Bretoners and East Coasters in general has been on show for us the last 10 days. Laid back, friendly, offering advice. In Ingonish we went into the outdoor store looking for a mattress repair kit, and came out knowing how to shoot, pluck and prepare a duck; including the best technique for plucking (1 to 2 feathers at a time) and when and how to use the blowtorch(!!). Rob, the owner, is a Newfoundlander and when he discovered we were headed there next he spent the next half hour telling us all the places we should go.

Fishing Cove

Fishing Cove trail was our first hike-in overnight camping in more than two years. It was going to be good training for the upcoming multi day hikes in South America we have planned.

The hike in was reasonably easy (all downhill!) along a forested trail next to a burbling river. As we emerged from the trees we discovered a beautiful and remarkably calm bay. Unlike the other side of the island where the waves were smashing into the rocks, this side was protected and so inviting that – gasp – we both actually decided to go for a swim. Surprisingly the water wasn’t that cold. I mean, it wasn’t like a bath or anything. And we didn’t exactly linger in there. But it was… pleasant.

In the evening we sat in our camp chairs and watched the seals wander into the bay to fish, popping their heads up to look around and seemingly looking straight at us to consider what we were, then slipping back down under the water. A stunning sunset completed the evening.

Cue the million-mile-an-hour winds and driving rain overnight, just to remind us that the weather on the island can be pretty changeable! Luckily (and magically) it had all cleared up by morning. We packed up and started the trek back up and out. With a heavy emphasis on UP. It ended up feeling a lot further than 6km… clearly we have more training to do before Patagonia!

Cabot Trail

The next day we hit a few of the highlights of the Cabot Trail Drive, with its rocky coast line, crashing waves and threatening rain – and the occasional crazy Canadian swimming in the freezing cold water.  We took a short walk out to the spectacular White Point before heading over to Hideaway campgrounds and their amazingly tasty Aspy Bay oysters taken fresh out of the harbour only hours earlier.

Photos don’t do justice to the spectacular drive of the covered trails turning along the coastline of cliffs and spectacular views out over the Atlantic ocean. 

This second picture was taken about 30 seconds after the first one!

Golf

On to Cheticamp, our base for playing two of the top golf courses in Canada – Cabot Cliffs and Cabot Links. We have a little story about how we came to be playing there. When Al had phoned 6 months earlier to try to book a tee time and possibly a cabin at the resort, the staff asked if he meant August 2025 and then had to stifle a laugh before telling him that he was dreaming. The best we would be able to do was wait until 30 days before we hoped to play, and then get on to their website to try to secure a tee time (and pray).

Then the miracle occurred. We happened to mention to our (former) landlord that we were planning on going to Cabot, who told us that his wife had just accepted a senior exec job with them. 24 hours later we had the Head of Golf emailing us asking us what date(s) we wanted to play. Al has barely been able to think about anything else since that time. Meanwhile Michelle has been mildly terrified by the idea of playing the top course in the country – with a caddy no less…

Once we settled in at Cheticamp we drove down to the first course we were playing (Cabot Cliffs) to check things out, and immediately we both relaxed. The course was a perfect example of east coast charm; no pomp and ceremony, really laid back, and super friendly. It was going to be a great day.

Except… we’d been watching the forecast nervously, hoping that the ever-changing island weather would bring a day of gorgeous sunshine. Alas, no. The 70% chance of rain apparently included a 100% chance of sideways rain, at least for part of the day. Our lone caddie Hayley (who we already felt bad about because she was schlepping both of our bags on her shoulders all day) earned her money on this round. By the end of the day both bags weighed twice what they did in the morning from all of the water. (Al did what he could to lighten his by losing as many balls as possible). BUT all that pouring rain couldn’t dampen our enthusiasm as each hole just became more spectacular. The last four holes hugged the edge of the coastline and included some Come-to-Jesus moments with the driver. By the end of the round we were just about hugging our fellow golfers as if we’d just survived the sinking of the Titanic.

Our second round (Cabot Links) couldn’t have been more different weather-wise. Blue, blue sky and not a puff of wind. A spring in our step rather than a squelch, and a caddie each this time (which felt like cheating!) and plenty of relaxed banter within our foursome. Perhaps it was the lack of drama weather-wise, but while this round had just as many jaw-droppingly beautiful holes, we didn’t come away with the same feeling of accomplishment this time. But nevertheless it was a great round, and a great couple of days of golf.

We had a day off between the two rounds to a) dry all of our clothes and b) take a short hike up the Skyline trail, which offered spectacular views down the coastline of Cape Breton.

So after what felt like a far-too-short time here, we leave Cape Breton, with our next stop Newfoundland – yet another stop on our trip which we’ve been looking forward to for a long time. 

A final closing thought to see who’s reading to the end… Al is new to the Birkenstock sandals game, but has quickly grown to appreciate not only the comfort of the shoe but its ability to produce farts at will. Is anyone else experiencing this? You’re walking along and suddenly your foot decides to fart. Never quite sure if you should say ‘excuse me’ or not…Birkenfarts!?

This guy clearly has his priorities straight.

See you on the Rock!

(For those of you joining us halfway through, start here!