After entering Nova Scotia on Monday, we headed for the
Northumberland Strait and settled for the night near the village of Pugwash.
Our campground, on a high cliff overlooking the strait, had lots of wind and
beautiful views. We used it as a base to explore the coast road as far as
Pictou, stopping to walk the beaches and look for sea glass. In 2008 we caught
the ferry from Prince Edward Island to Pictou on our way to Newfoundland so we
had already been along that coast to Cape Breton Island. We especially enjoyed
the Chatterbox Cafe in Pugwash. It is a combination deli, used bookstore, and
hangout for the locals. When they made fun of us being from Sopchoppy, we told
them they had no room to laugh.
On Wednesday we towed west to Truro and southwest to Annapolis Royal
using the limited access highways. They are not always four-laned but they do
allow a faster speed and are usually in better repair than the secondary roads.
We chose to stay at Fundy Trails Campground in Delaps Cove because we wanted to
have good access to the coves and villages along the Shore Road on North
Mountain.
North Mountain is the 100 mile long ridge that forms the
north wall between the Bay of Fundy and the Annapolis Valley. It is a huge
basalt ridge with palisades, coves, beaches, sea caves, and little villages
grouped around small harbors. The Shore Road sort of runs along the crest but
is narrow, often unpaved, and sometimes ends abruptly, forcing you to drive
around looking for another road to continue. The coves may have a little harbor
for four to six lobster boats and access to the Fundy shore. Not only is this area stunning beautiful and
surprisingly remote, but the rock hunting is wonderful.
Butch and I started here at Delaps Cove and worked our way
north to Keatings Beach today. We met a young fisherman at Port Lorne who gave
us directions to a beach we would never have dreamed of finding on our own. It
had everything; a long cove with acres of deeply pebbled beach, a palisade of
basalt columns, and sea caves with waterfalls. It was absolutely magical! We
collected some great rocks, a little bit of sea glass, and took dozens of
photos.
Delaps Cove, where we are staying is lovely too. It's little
harbor has six lobster boats and we have enjoyed watching them come and go and
visiting with the lobstermen. Last night we bought fresh lobsters and cooked
them at our campsite. ($6 a pound). We plan to continue our exploration of the coves on the shore road tomorrow.
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