Cabot Trail

The Cabot Trail is a 185 mi circle tour of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.      Altho it was named after the explorer, it is believed that he actually landed in Newfoundland in the 1400's.   This road was completed in 1932 and surprisingly, is open all year round.    

We are camped a bit west of the village of Baddeck at the southern end.  We started our trip counter-clockwise as we had heard that most do it the other way and also, we would be on the ocean (scenic)  side of the road.   But, being a Monday, we practically had the road to ourselves.  

One of the first sights is a view of Cape Smokey, a prominent outcropping that is visible along most of the eastern coast.   The road climbs to the top for wide ranging vistas.

One of our plans was to try a hike along the coast.    The weather was perfect except for the winds which made wearing a hat impossible.

We could see our destination off in the distance.....

This signage below was very confusing to me as the land is in the aqua and the sea is white......

At 2.4 mi long and a recommended time of 1-2 hours, this seemed to be a very comfortable jaunt for us.

The sights around every corner were majestic....Cape Smokey in the distance.

At the end, it was a sheer cliff with no fencing ..... the water was crystal clear and we looked for whales but none appeared......

but many gulls diving for food......

The trail was not all smooth sailing......not sure what Paul is pointing at but it was the only good picture of the climb upwards .    We finished in a bit under two hours, including pondering life on some benches along the way.    Surprisingly, the strong winds on the trail were not as bad  at the point.....

We ended our stroll at the beautiful Keltic Lodge.   It is government owned and very appealing.   Reminded us a bit of the lodges at the national parks altho not as rustic.

Located on this peninsula is the historic  Highlands Links Golf Club

It has a significant slope rating and the staff said it was difficult but he also said that it was a course that   every golfer should play.   It is considered the #1 public golf course in Canada and has a significant history....check out the link for gorgeous views and info.    We are thinking about playing but the weather might not cooperate and then the weekend crowds fill it up.   But it's on my list of things to do .... someday.

This church is fairly typical of the anglican style.   The golf course winds around it.

Located within  the Cabot Trail is the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.    The Scottish influence is evident everywhere....from the gaelic signage to the tartan souvenirs.    Over 80% of Cape Breton Island is descended from the British Isles, and about 18% are French and reside on the western side.     We had only planned on doing half of the Trail but instead of retracing our steps, we just kept going around.....and then the skies darkened and the rain moved in.    This area is very dry and they welcome the rain.    It has rained heavily all night and is forecasted to be wet all of Tuesday.    I think there is a yarn shop waiting for me in Baddeck and then a good book.