Cadillacs, cannons and sea caves

Find new delights on the undiscovered South Shore

STORY AND PHOTOS BY DARCY RHYNO

Iawake to the sound of the cannon and the sun piercing my tent as it rises over the campground. Here at the Ovens Natural Park on the shores of Lunenburg County, the cannon fires several times a minute. The source of the boom, caused by the waves breaking inside the sea caves, is just a short walk from here. For an early morning stretch, I follow the cliff edge trail to the stairs that leads down to the viewing platform at the mouth of Cannon Cave. Standing at the railing, I peer into the cave that’s well lit now by the rising sun and watch as a gentle swell makes its way past me to break at the back of the cave, the sound echoing off the stone walls to create a resounding “boom.”

Cannon Cave at the Ovens is well known among local campers and even further afield in Nova Scotia, as is its history as the site of a 19th century gold rush. But like so many other unique attractions along Nova Scotia’s South Shore, it’s overshadowed by some of the country’s best-known attractions like the UNESCO World Heritage Site of old town Lunenburg, the Bluenose, Peggy’s Cove, and the streetscape in Mahone Bay of the three churches.

There is no scene more evocative of the East Coast than tiny Peggy’s Cove, a stone’s throw from the open North Atlantic. Its wharves, boats, and shacks seem to recall a simpler time of hard work, safe haven, and close-knit communities. And yet, it’s just one of many similar scenes up and down this rugged coastline. At Port Medway, the wharf and fishing boats at the mouth

Fort Point Lighthouse in Liverpool.

Above: Hank Snow sculpture in front of his museum, Liverpool; Crosscut sawing at Wild Axe Park, Barrington.

Art studio in LaHave.

of the Medway River next to a small park with a stout lighthouse and a new gazebo are all lovingly maintained by the folks of the village.

Port Medway sits on the northeastern edge of Queens County not far from the town of Liverpool, one of the best kept secrets in Nova Scotia. Just as in Port Medway, at the mouth of the harbour stands a little-known lighthouse in an immaculately kept grassy park with tidy walkways, interpretive panels and a couple of 19th-century cannons. The Fort Point light looks like no other along this coast. It resembles a stack of shiny white boxes trimmed in red and doubles as a museum. Inside, I learn the history of this storied 1855 light and get to work the hand-cranked foghorn.

My favourite museum of the many in town is located at the old train station. Inside, a Cadillac, gold records, wardrobes, and a whole lot of other memorabilia tell the life story of the local crooner who became a legendary country singer—none other than Hank Snow. While it doubles as the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame, the man known as the Yodeling Ranger is the star of the show. He was born in 1914 just five kilometres from here in Brooklyn. Most people recognize the most famous of his 85 chart-topping singles, “I’m Movin’ On” and of course “I’ve Been Everywhere” in which he rattles off the names of dozens of towns and cities across North America. The song is a true reflection of Snow’s life on the road.

Heading further south into Shelburne County, nicknamed the lobster capital of the world, at busy wharves in ports like Lockeport, Clarks Harbour, and Daniels Head, fishing boats are docked several abreast, they’re so abundant. Visitors are welcome to walk onto these wharves to talk with fishermen and check out the boats.

Around the county, lots of surprises are hidden in plain sight. On Cape Sable Island, there’s the strange phenomenon of the sunken forest. At low tide on the beach called The Hawk, the remnants of a wooded area emerges from the waves. On the mainland in Barrington, Wild Axe Park is home to a thrilling lumberjack experience— log rolling, pole climbing, sawing, and axe throwing—that makes for a fun afternoon. In Shelburne, the axe throwing fun continues at the Boxing Rock craft beer taproom where there are scheduled axe throwing events and even a beer named for the experience—Wild Axe Ale.

At the mouth of Shelburne harbour in Sandy Point, the sun sets behind what must be Nova Scotia’s second most photographed lighthouse. Like the famous Peggy’s Cove lighthouse, which almost defines the province’s seaside scenery, this one stands tall and alone against the sky.

However, in contrast, the Sandy Point Lighthouse does not stand on bold, bald rock formations as in Peggy’s Cove. Instead, it sits on a sandbar and seems to shift with the tides. At low tide, visitors walk across the sandbar that links it to solid ground. At high tide, the ocean covers the sandbar so it becomes surrounded by water. Its ever-changing profile is one of the things that makes it so photogenic. The other is its orientation. Through the lens of my camera, I capture yet another South Shore sight that deserves to be better known, the sun setting behind the Sandy Point Lighthouse and reflecting orange off the sandbar.

CRAWLER, YET. INTO A LOBSTER WE’LL TURN YOU

LOBSTERCRAWL.CA

you to lift a few pounds with us, real soon. but we train religiously year-round, and invite February is the offical month to lobster crawl , (We won’t get into the celery debate.) bread softer than the pillows at a local B&B. lobster and mayo tucked between two pieces of Lobster pizza. Lobster chowder. and a melee of with lobster love! the south shore is crawlin’