Marvel and delight on Cape Breton

North America’s favourite island boasts fishing villages, the sprawling splendour of Cape Breton Highlands National Park, rich Indigenous history, the incomparable Cabot Trail — your heart will never leave

By Shelley Cameron-McCarron

Off-the-beaten path

For excellent kayaking in sheltered waters, the Isle Madame archipelago and Acadian communities on Cape Breton’s southeastern coast offer pad- dlers peaceful coves and beaches. Rent kayaks at the Groundswell, an oceanfront pub and boutique inn where rooms are named after Beatles’ songs (Penny Lake, Yellow Submarine, Strawberry Fields) or Vollmer’s Island Paradise where nature, and six log cottages, star. In Arichat, the Blacksmithing Experience at LeNoir Forge is sure to intrigue (think mini workshop and small souvenir) and don’t skip coffee and lunch at La Goélette à Pépé

Beautiful views in Cape Breton

Photo: Adam Hill / Destination Cape Breton Association

The Groundswell.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Adam Hill

If there was ever a case to take the road less travelled, Meat Cove is it. Many people travelling the Cabot Trail (that 298-kilometre masterpiece carved into mountains and skirting sea) drive by the road north to Bay St. Lawrence and Meat Cove, at Cape Breton’s northern tip. That’s a mistake. The curvy dirt road opens access to beautiful, wild landscape. Rugged, remote Meat Cove is home to splendid hiking, a cliffside campground, and the Meat Cove Chowder Hut. In Bay St. Lawrence, hop aboard with family-run Oshan Whale Watch, and nearby, trek showstopping scenery on the four-kilometre return Kauzmann Trail.

Indigenous experiences

Unama’ki (the Mi’kmaw word for Cape Breton), has been home to the native Mi’kmaq for millennia. Opportunities abound to explore this rich culture. Eskasoni Cultural Journeys shares that heritage with the art of basketry, traditional dance, and smudging ceremonies.

Eskasoni Cultural Journeys.

Photo: Destination Cape Breton Association

The drum-making workshop is a particular highlight at Membertou Heritage Park, which offers numerous hands-on experiences. Also in Membertou, the Medicine Walk is a fascinating exploration of the healing properties of many plants in the natural environment.

Parks Canada also offers experiences, including the Mi’kmaw Interpretive Centre at Fortress of Louisbourg, and Sharing Stories in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Photographer: Ryan Williams

Mi’kmaw Interpretive Centre at Louisbourg.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Corey Katz

New and noteworthy

In Baddeck, the Cabot Trail’s western terminus, longtime operator Amoeba Tours, has a new vessel, the WinStar, plying briny Bras d’or Lake, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve where guests often spot bald eagles, and Beinn Breagh, the location of inventor Alexander Graham Bell’s former summer home.

Nearby, in Big Baddeck, Little Church Concerts provides an intimate setting in a former United church, with its Vicar’s View Venue bringing some of the region’s best to play.

Glamping has come to the Bras d’Or Lake’s southern shore, with Lakeside Luxury Domes offering new accommodations with private hot tubs, grills, and floor-to-ceiling windows.

In Margaree, the adventurers behind Live Life in Tents have a new “packcraft” rental — a portable lightweight inflatable boat that opens a new way to explore the Margaree River.

For more outdoor fun, TNT Outdoor Adventures promises “the Cape Breton you’ve never seen before” with all-terrain vehicle tours in the Cape Breton Highlands departing from its new base in Hunter’s Mountain on the Cabot Trail. And the nine-day cycling event Ride Cape Breton launches in July and will take cyclists over much of the island.

Tried and true

The Cabot Trail is a must-visit but it’s more than just a drive. To feel the heartbeat of these communities, to immerse yourself in hiking, whale watching, dining and exploring, plan to spend several days in the area.

Celtic roots at Highland Village.

Photo: Destination Cape Breton Association

Travel in time to New France at Louisbourg.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Corey Katz

The 17th hole at Cabot Links offers an impressive coastal vista.

Photo: Destination Cape Bretoon Association / Adam Hill

The Cabot Trail also runs through majestic Cape Breton Highlands National Park, home to some of the region’s finest hiking trails. Favourites include Franey, Middle Head, and the Skyline Trail (the park’s signature trail, an accessible amble known for moose, bald eagle and pilot whale spotting, ending on a dramatic headland). But they’re just the start. The park is home to 26 trails, each worth a wander, including the Acadian Trail, Broad Cove Mountain, and Mica Hill.

The Cabot Trail hugs Cape Breton’s rugged coast.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Lora Pope

Around Ingonish, one can go up the gondola at Cape Smokey for mighty views, hiking and other mountaintop opportunities.

Golfers can hit the links at the worldranked courses at Cabot Cape Breton and Cape Breton Highlands Links Hands-on history forever wows at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site (where it’s always 1744 New France), Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site (showcasing inspiration and innovation), Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village (home to living Gaelic culture and breathtaking views over the Bras d’Or Lake), and Cape Breton Miners Museum (going underground with a retired miner.)

Festivals, food, and fun

Everyone loves a ceilidh (kitchen party) and one of the best for fans of traditional Celtic music is KitchenFest. Running June 30 to July 8, it kicks off summer with live shows at venues around Cape Breton.

There’s always great tunes too at Granville Green, a free, weekly outdoor concert series in Port Hawkesbury, and at the Makin’ Waves concert series in Sydney’s Wentworth Park.

In Glace Bay, the music, life, and legacy of Cape Breton’s own Rita MacNeil comes alive at the Savoy Theatre with Dear Rita running weekly from late August through September.

Dining delights abound. Look for amazing culinary experiences at Woodroad, Bitehouse, Periwinkle Café, and Gra. Continue the foodie fun at Fête du Chocolat at Fortress Louisbourg and the crowd-pleasing Sydney Rotary Ribfest, bringing in top North American barbecue competitors in July.

Periwinkle Café.

Photo: Shannon MacIntyre (@eatwithshannon)

Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site.

Photo: Tourism Nova Scotia / Wally Hayes