Brookfield to Baddeck, Nova Scotia – 18 September 2023
A fairly long drive up to Baddeck and Bras D’or Lakes campground and the start of our Cabot trail adventure which I had been planning for about a month. Our campsite was great with stunning views of Bras D’or lake.
The following day we set out early for the Cabot Trail. Unfortunately bad weather was threatening, and not wanting to miss the opportunity to do a cable car ride on the Eastern Coast we elected to drive the trail anti-clockwise instead – starting on the west coast. This turned out to be the right decision. The weather fluctuated throughout the day – extreme fog, heavy rain and then much later – sunshine. We stopped at various lookouts and tourist spots along the way but most of the views were obscured by the fog and the weather was not pleasant enough to do a hike. We did however, every so often get some spectacular views of the coastline which was very similar to Newfoundland. Finally we arrived at the air bnb that I had booked which was called the Flip Flop villa. It was very cutely decorated with tons of flip flop momentos. Very nice spot with a fire pit in the garden and steps leading down to a platform with chairs overlooking the ocean. That evening we walked up to the Rusty Anchor for supper followed by some yummy Irish Coffees.
The following day after taking Jax for a morning walk we headed to another restaurant for breakfast. No dog’s allowed so we bought take outs and ate in the car. Like the previous day the weather seemed to change continuously but as it wasn’t raining heavily we decided to backtrack to the Visitor’s centre in the Cape Breton Highlands national park so we could do the Arcadian trail. The trail was very sheltered and we had a decent hour’s walk through the forest before driving back again to Pleasant Bay where we continued north and then east on the trail.
Our next stop was Neil’s harbour which was a very pretty little town like many along the Cabot trail with the brightly coloured houses. There was also a lighthouse which was under repairs. We also stopped at Black Brook Beach, then Ingonish beach before arriving at Cape Smokey. This was one of the best parts of the trail as it had a cable car up to the summit of Smokey mountain with fantastic views of Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Ingonish Beach, Keltic lodge and the Atlantic Ocean. As it was quite pricey, Derek decided to wait instead at the bottom while Frans and I went to the top. It was only about 8 minutes but a lot of fun. At the top we took some photos against a board that had wings on it, so we looked like Angels. Then we bought a waffle and drink and sat and admired the view, before returning down again and completing the drive to our campsite in Baddeck.
The following day we were all quite tired and decided instead of a hike we would head to the Alexander Bell Historic Site. I had no idea that he had lived in Baddeck or the sheer volume of inventions that he did besides the telephone. It was very interesting learning about his life. His house is opposite the Museum and is still lived in by his descendants.
