ADVENTURE TRAVEL
SURFING AND SERENITY ON NOVA SCOTIA’S EASTERN SHORE Less-travelled region is fun to explore Story and images by Katharine Fletcher
“Do you know what these mounds are?” the outfitter-guide asked our group of five kayakers. No one did, so Dr. Scott Cunningham explained. “These are middens – garbage piles – left from old First Nations summer settlements. These outlying barrier islands we’re exploring provided protection from the ocean, so Mi’kmaq harvested shellfish, fish and marine animals here.” This knowledge was a perfect fit with Cunningham’s company, Coastal Adventures. He was correct about protection from the ocean along Nova Scotia’s lesser-known Eastern Shore. After leaving base camp in Tangier (about an hour east of Halifax), we paddled through astonishingly calm waters alongside rocky harbours, beaches, and islands. Thick kelp beds, ruggedly pretty islands with sand beaches, bald eagles and seals greeted us. Ashore, Cunningham showed us the difference between the islands’ gentler, leeward
side and the severely stunted trees of the windward reaches. These were clues to the stiff winds and sometimes brutal onslaught of weather which doesn’t quite make it to the mainland. Although I only paddled here for half a day on their Eastern Shore Islands tour, I’m longing to return, to spend a five-day combo of sea-kayaking and camping. And no worries: Coastal Adventures provides the kayaks and a comprehensive checklist of what to bring. From paddling to surfing, Nova Scotia offers lots to keen outdoorsy types. I was astonished to hear there’s a surf school here – and my inner “water baby” couldn’t wait to go to surf school. About a half hour from Halifax, East Coast Surf School’s Nico Manos accepts beginners like me through to pros, turning them on to surfing at Lawrencetown Beach. With us all lined up on the beach, boards in hand, looking like seals in our black neoprene
Over 40 Years Experience Cruising the Trent Waterway Visit Historic Towns, Islands & Bays
“Best outdoor vacation in Ontario” - CTV
1-800-720-EGAN (3426) www.houseboat.on.ca Near Peterborough. No boating license required. 34 I ottawaoutdoors
www.ottawaoutdoors.ca
