Wild thing

Dotted with islands, almost endless seashores, storytellers, and cultural and culinary gems — when are you coming to Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore?

By Shelley Cameron-McCarron

The coast is still wild on the Eastern Shore, where travellers can get a deep experience in nature, kayaking amongst and camping on uninhabited islands, hiking pristine coastal trails, seeking out seabirds and songbirds, surfing legendary swells, and strolling sand beaches where they may not necessarily meet another soul. And if you do meet someone, they’re just apt to strike up a chat.

It’s a place where hospitality, the personal touch, is still evident — a place of splendid foodie finds, and storytellers willing to sit and tell their stories of life along this coast, where good advice is to base yourself at an inn or motel, take a boat tour, go on a nature or coastal experience, and come back with memories you won’t soon forget.

Wild Islands, seaside solitude

Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore boasts beautiful, largely uninhabited coast, known as the 100 Wild Islands, rich in wildlife and largely undisturbed. These outposts, stretching from Clam Harbour to Mushaboom, are little-seen, ecologically diverse, and accessible.

Murphy’s Camping On The Ocean (some islands visible from campsites) rents kayaks and has several tours: a group sail, a private boat that includes opportunities to visit an island, and wilderness overnight camping. Coastal Adventures and Norse Cove Kayak Centre both offer a variety of sea kayaking tours and rentals. Sober Island Boat Tours lets you see the islands from aboard a lobster fishing boat.

New and noteworthy

NovaNature Adventures, based in Goldboro, helps channel your inner naturalist. A biologist, conservation manager, and former national parks superintendent leads the company. NovaNature offers mostly nature-based excursions that range from discovering the hidden life of tidal pools and beaches in Tor Bay

Provincial Park to a guided tour of the night sky and coastal landscape, paired with gourmet meals and oceanfront accommodations at Seawind Landing Country Inn

Marmalade Motel boasts a stunning sea view and chill vibe.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Acorn Art & Photography

Rebuilt with a modern boho vibe, the Marmalade Motel is a small, oceanside, roadside motel in Port Dufferin with sea-view balconies and extras designed to help guests unwind and have fun — it even hosted a Bates Motel takeover!

Murphy’s Camping On The Ocean.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Ian Selig

Tried and true

The legacy of the eponymous Canadian folk icon will once again be writ large over the Stan Rogers Folk Festival (July 20 to 23). Heading into its 26th year, “Canada’s songwriter festival” draws upwards of 10,000 fans to the tiny seaside community of Canso for three days of blues, folk, country, rock, and bluegrass. Traditionally, the lineup mixes big names (Alan Doyle opens this year) and up-and-comers.

Stan Rogers Folk Festival.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia

Sober Island Boat Tours.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / @daveyandsky

Kayaking at Norse Cove.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Alexa Cude

History fills the air too. At Memory Lane Heritage Village in Lake Charlotte, enjoy a meal at the cookhouse, go clam digging, and immerse in rural 1940s life. Go even further back in time, dressing in an 1860s period costume and stepping into the old jail cells and around town at Sherbrooke Village, Nova Scotia’s largest provincial museum, with 25 buildings open to the public and 21 hectares snug along the St. Mary’s River in the village of Sherbrooke.

Visit Nova Scotia’s past at Memory Lane Heritage Village.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / @daveyandsky

Port Bickerton Lighthouse Interpretive Centre is a beacon for this area’s rich marine heritage. Learn about the life of a lighthouse keeper on these oft fog-shrouded shores. It also has an artist-in-residence program too and a network of coastal trails.

Port Bickerton Lighthouse Interpretive Centre.

Photo: Dennis Jarvis

Picnic, parks, and play Inspiration abounds on the coast. Pack a picnic and a sense of adventure and explore provincial parks, home to white sand beaches, waves rolling in from the Atlantic Ocean, boardwalks, and hiking trails. Black Duck Cove Provincial Park in Little Dover, near Canso, has a gorgeous, sheltered cove. Tor Bay Provincial Park, with its hiking, beach and rocky outcrops makes contemplation easy. Popular Taylor’s Head Provincial Park, close to Sheet Harbour, has appealing white sands, coastal trails, and scenic lookouts.

Liscomb River Trail system.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Adam Hill

Lawrencetown Beach.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Dean Casavechia

Beach lovers can continue exploring at Rainbow Haven Beach Provincial Park, Clam Harbour Beach Provincial Park, Lawrencetown Beach Provincial Park, and Martinique Beach Provincial Park. The latter two are prime surfing destinations where you can book lessons and rentals.

Find serenity on a network of nature trails around Liscombe Lodge Resort They range from a leisurely 15-minute walk to a three-hour hike. The resort also runs a pontoon boat tour on the Liscomb River, and seafood is always a staple in its riverside restaurant.

In the village of Guysbourgh, the waterfront has ongoing activities including free local music on Waterfront Wednesdays. It’s also home to a summer gallery in the marina building showcasing and selling the talents of members of the artist guild, ArtsWork East.

Liscombe Lodge.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Acorn Art & Photography

Clam Harbour Beach.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Ryan Williams