We drove the Cabot Trail today. We started in Baddeck (which I learned is called Ba-deck, not Bad-deck) and drove counter-clockwise. We drove up the east side of Cape Breton Island in the fog. At times it was so thick we couldn’t really see anything, especially if we were at higher altitudes. Here are some photos from that side.
As we crossed over the top of the trail and started heading west instead of north, the fog lifted and soon we were in bright sunlight. The spring colours were in full display; it is amazing how many variations of green there are. It was easy to imagine how beautiful the dense woodland canopy would be in autumn. We passed by a little stone cottage and slowed down to see where the exit was to get in to see it. It was a just a short walk on a dappled trail, a nice break after being in the car for a while. It is an authentic representation of a hut built in the highlands for shepherds. Many highlanders ended up on Cape Breton island when their farms were reclaimed by the landowners.
According to the Google there are over 5000 moose on Cape Breton Island. There are signs all over the place reminding you to be on the lookout, however, we did not see one moose. We saw a goose and some moss, but no moose, just the signs.
The west side of the island is prettier and more interesting than the east side, in our opinion. There are more little settlements and the vista seems to be more open, however that may not be true because we only saw the east side in the fog. As anywhere in Canada in the spring, there was construction on the trail and we were stopped several times. But we finally got the bright blue sky and sea against the green land, incredibly beautiful.
We stopped in Cheticamp for lunch at the Happy Clam Diner.. It was great. We could see a large boat in the bay. We asked our server about it and she said it was a small cruise ship. We did a little research, again on the Google, and it could have been a ship from Adventure Canada, perhaps the Ocean Endeavour, which carries 200 passengers. The picture on the website looks like the ship we saw. As we had our lunch we listened to the locals in the diner. They were all speaking French, although there were a few words of English thrown in here and there.
After lunch we continued back to Baddeck, and as we left the west coast and started heading east again the fog returned. We had spent about seven hours on the trail, losing only about half an hour to construction stops. Later in the season the little settlements along the trail might be busier, with more shops and cafes open. The foliage in the autumn would be spectacular. But the east side of the Cabot Trail on a misty morning was evocative of a Scottish highland island and the west side in the sunshine was the icing on the cake. I wouldn’t trade it for any other experience.
Drive the Cabot Trail – checked off the bucket list. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt – actually we bought a onesie for our grandson.