We arrived at Little Bras d'Or Nova Scotia on 12 June 2024. We stayed at Arm Of Gold Campground, which is about a 10 minute drive from the ferry going to Newfoundland. We noticed campers leaving at odd times, like between 8 and 10pm, then we found out why when we went to the ferry terminal for information. One of the ferries is out of service, so they're running the one working ferry around the clock and passengers are going on the 6 hour trip to Newfoundland at all hours. We wanted to find out about the cost for taking our fifth wheel on the ferry. They suggested calling, but since we don't want travel on it now, we looked online and it's about $240US. We've really enjoyed our time in Canada so far and know we want to come back. There is so much to see and we're leaving each stop with a couple of things we didn't get to. We leave tomorrow (19 June) for Indian Harbour which is 106 km from Halifax. As we're about to leave, I realize that I feel like a little kid on Christmas morning with anticipation about what the next place will be like! So far each stop has been different and beautiful.
When we arrived on the 12th, the laundry room here was much nicer and clean, so we got that done. The first full day here, we just walked the trail around the campground and went into Sydney to check things out. We learned that our campground is closest to North Sydney.
Walking Trail around Arm of Gold Campground 13 June 2024
Long stemmed phlox flowers
Walking Trail around Arm of Gold Campground 13 June 2024
Walking Trail around Arm of Gold Campground 13 June 2024
Walking Trail around Arm of Gold Campground 13 June 2024
Walking Trail around Arm of Gold Campground 13 June 2024
Bobolink male bird left side top of bushes
Walking Trail around Arm of Gold Campground 13 June 2024
Bobolink male top of bushes (very shy with people; singing continuously)
Walking Trail around Arm of Gold Campground 13 June 2024
Little Bras d'Or Lake behind our camper and Canadian Inland sea in background
Sydney Nova Scotia 13 June 2024
Sydney Nova Scotia 13 June 2024
Sydney Nova Scotia 13 June 2024
Cruise ships stop here for the day.
Polish Catholic Church in Sydney Nova Scotia
Burned down in 2014 and is now (2024) being demolished and cleared
On Friday the 14th we had a long day. We had reservations for the Bird Island boat tour at 10am. The tour was from 10am - 1pm. We left our camper around 8:30am for the Bird Island boat tour out of Big Bras d'Or. This tour company is family owned and run. The father and son drive the boat and explain about the area and the birds. The wife/mother runs the gift shop and ticket sales. They've been at it for 50 years and they do a great job explaining about the birds and making sure we see lots of them. The big one everyone wants to see is the Puffin and we saw hundreds of them!
We met a couple from Pennsylvania on the boat who recommended Lobster Galley on the Cabot Trail for lunch. They had a great meal there the night before. They had been on the boat tour a couple of days earlier, but it was foggy and rainy, so they were invited to come back.
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Ticket Office and Gift Shop
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Coal fired power plant now closed by Canada. Used to employ 700 people.
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Razorbill, Black Guillemot, Herring Gull
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Herring Gull
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Grey Seals
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Great Cormorant top left
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
3 Puffins upper right side, others are Razorbills
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Great and Double-crested Cormorants, Black-backed and Herring Gull
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
2 Flying Puffin bottom of cliff (they fly directly into their nesting holes so difficult to photo)
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
20 pair of Black-legged Kittiwakes nesting (Pelagic birds)
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Boat ride out looking at Cabot Trail
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Grey Seal saw lots of them
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Razorbills on water catching capelin
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Razorbill flying
Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Great Cormorant (white neck patch) and Double crested Cormorants
After Bird Island Tour Big Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Lobster Galley Restaurant
After our Bird Island tour and lunch, we started the drive on the Cabot Trail heading to a hike we'd heard is a must-do, the Skyline trail. The Skyline Trail is in Cape Breton Highland National Park. The world famous Cabot Trail is a beautiful drive in Cape Breton which goes in and out of the national park. We got to the hiking trail around 5:40pm and began the hike just before 6pm. It's a 5.7mile round trip hike. Normally, we would not do this so late in the day, but here we've found that the sun doesn't set till around 9:30pm. We were fine and were done with the hike well before sunset. We met a few hikers going in when we were coming out. The worst part of the hike was the bugs. They were flying all around us the whole time. We had purchased some special gnat spray at an outdoor show a few months ago and we sprayed that on our exposed skin and shoes. It was fine as long as we were walking, but if we stopped, they'd immediately swarms us.
We started the drive back to the camper around 8:10pm and got home around 11:30pm, so it was a crazy long day!
Lots of hiking trails to choose from!
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Very windy!
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Skyline Hike 14 June 2024
Skyline Hike 14 June 2024
Skyline Hike 14 June 2024
Skyline Hike 14 June 2024
Snowshoe Hare
16 June 2024
People on top are on Skyline Trail
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 14 June 2024
Nearly sunset looking over Bay St. Lawrence
After our long day on Friday, we opted to sleep in on Saturday (15th). We went to the Farmers Market at the Exhibition in North Sydney. It was open 10am to 2pm and we got there around 1pm. After the farmers market, we ran a few errands then went to 4pm mass at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in North Sydney and after that we grocery shopped at Walmart. The Walmart here isn't a super center like we've grown accustomed to, so we only were able to find about a quarter of the items on our list.
Race Track behind Cape Breton Exhibition in North Sydney Nova Scotia 15 June 2024
Farmers Market was inside
St. Joseph Catholic Church North Sydney Nova Scotia 15 June 2024
St. Joseph Catholic Church North Sydney Nova Scotia 15 June 2024
St. Joseph Catholic Church North Sydney Nova Scotia 15 June 2024
A lady at church after mass told us about a historical church in Cheticamp to see. St. Pierre Catholic Church is one of only a few stone churches on Cape Breton Island and is one of the finest examples of a style of church architecture developed in Quebec, which is rarely seen outside that province. Father Pierre Fiset, parish priest in Cheticamp from 1875 to his death in 1909 is buried under the church. It's on the Cabot Trail, so we stopped to see it.
That day we hiked the Corney Brook Trail in Cape Breton Highland National Park. This trail was rated as Easy and 4 miles round trip. There is also a waterfall at the end of the trail. We'd gotten an earlier start on our day and got to the trail around lunch time. We decided to eat our packed lunch before going. The trail was different from the last one with more tree roots across the trail and rocks, but overall easier than the Skyline trail.
St. Pierre's Catholic Church on Cabot Trail in Cheticamp Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
St. Pierre's Catholic Church on Cabot Trail in Cheticamp Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
St. Pierre's Catholic Church on Cabot Trail in Cheticamp Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
St. Pierre's Catholic Church on Cabot Trail in Cheticamp Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
We were there on Fathers Day
St. Pierre's Catholic Church on Cabot Trail in Cheticamp Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
St. Pierre's Catholic Church on Cabot Trail in Cheticamp Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
St. Pierre's Catholic Church on Cabot Trail in Cheticamp Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
St. Pierre's Catholic Church on Cabot Trail in Cheticamp Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
Margaree Centre
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
Margaree Salmon Museum closed
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
Margaree Harbour
Driving Cabot Trail of Cape Breton Nova Scotia 16 June 2024
Corney Brook Hike 16 June 2024
Corney Brook Hike 16 June 2024
Corney Brook Hike 16 June 2024
On Monday 17 June, we drove to Glace Bay in hopes of touring the underground coal mines at the Miners Museum. It wasn't open on Monday (opens Wednesday), so we looked at the exhibits outside. We continued driving to Louisbourg to see the Fortress of Louisbourg. The Fortress of Louisbourg is a reconstruction of the French Colonial town that was a bustling community for 50 years in the 1700's. There are guides in period costumes throughout the fortress answering questions. Not all of the buildings are open yet for the season, but there was a parking lot full of visitors there. Once the season kicks off, visitors will park off site and be shuttled to the fortress. So while we couldn't see all the buildings, we could drive to it. It's really too big to see in the couple of hours we were there.
We decided this would be our last day of site seeing for this stop. Before heading home, we drove by the ferry terminal to see where vehicles line up. We can see why campers stay at Arm of Gold Campground. You just take a right onto Trans Canada 105 right outside the campground and it's about 5 miles to the terminal.
Coal Miners Museum Glace Bay Nova Scotia 17 June 2024
Coal Miners Museum Glace Bay Nova Scotia 17 June 2024
Coal Miners Museum Glace Bay Nova Scotia 17 June 2024
Coal Miners Museum Glace Bay Nova Scotia 17 June 2024
Coal Miners Museum Glace Bay Nova Scotia 17 June 2024
Coal Miners Museum Glace Bay Nova Scotia 17 June 2024
Coal Miners Museum Glace Bay Nova Scotia 17 June 2024
Coal Miners Museum Glace Bay Nova Scotia 17 June 2024
Coal Miners Museum Glace Bay Nova Scotia 17 June 2024
Coal Miners Museum Glace Bay Nova Scotia 17 June 2024
Visitor Center Louisbourg Nova Scotia 17 June 2024
Visitor Center Louisbourg Nova Scotia 17 June 2024
Visitor Center Louisbourg Nova Scotia 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Those circled in blue are open today
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Original Lighthouse stone plaque and right cornerstone from fortress
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Gate to enter from the ocean
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Military Chapel
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Catholic Shrine (King Louie IX patron saint of mariners)
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
The one recognized church of France-Catholic
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Soldiers barracks (bed sleeps 3) wooden shoes from Holland
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Wooden Horse used as punishment for soldiers. For a minor infraction like falling asleep on guard or smoking, a soldier sat on the wooden horse, and a cannon ball was chained to each of his feet. If that wasn't enough, some of the wooden horses had wheels and they would roll the soldier down the main street on the cobblestone in front of the community. For offenses like murder, they were made to row out to sea till they died. They didn't have repeat offenders for the wooden horse!
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
These guys spent 7 years assembling this display in their spare time
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
500,000 "Lego" bricks used to build this replica of the fortress
The Canadian equivalent to American Legos is Mega Bloks.
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site 17 June 2024
City of Louisbourg in background
Sunset from our back window 17 June 2024
St. Joseph's Catholic Parish Church Little Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 18 June 2024
St. Joseph's Catholic Parish Church is about a quarter mile from our campground. We had seen it since we arrived, and walked to it on our last day before leaving.
St. Joseph's Catholic Parish Church Little Bras d'Or Nova Scotia 18 June 2024
St. Joseph's Catholic Parish Church Little Bras d'Or Nova Scotia18 June 2024
St. Joseph's Catholic Parish Church Little Bras d'Or Nova Scotia18 June 2024
As we're preparing to leave Little Bras d'Or, I'm thinking how nice the weather has been. It's gotten very cool at night (50's) and during the day it's been about 75. Fog can settle in rather quickly and it has, but fortunately not when we were out. The one night driving after dark on the windy and hilly Cabot Trail was enough excitement for us. We're looking forward to exploring the Indian Harbour in the Peggy's Cove area. We hope to meet our new friends Shannon and Brent for lunch one day while we're there. They're at a campground about 40 miles from where we'll be staying.
Having Internet is iffy, so I'll post when I can. Suffice it to say we're having a blast!
Pretty cool!