Nova Scotia: A Quaint and Beautiful Province

By Jeff Roby

WHEN WE MADE the impulsive decision to sell our Vancouver Island hobby farm and begin full-time RV life, we knew there were aspects we would miss. We knew we’d miss the neighbors and friends in our amazing little community of Shirley, British Columbia. We knew we’d miss our view of the Salish Sea and the stunning Pacific beaches and challenging hiking trails nearby. And we knew we’d miss hobby farming, complete with alpacas, chickens, geese, and a popular Airbnb.

What we didn’t know was what life as full-time RVers would look like for us. Prior to deciding on the nomadic lifestyle, we had never even been in an RV before! We always loved long road trips with no particular destination in mind—especially with our two sons. But with the kids grown up and out on their own, we figured we’d have a few years before we would start wanting to settle down close to our boys and their future families. We were years away from retirement, but we had the ability to work remotely while traveling.

We decided we didn’t need to wait until retirement to realize our longtime dream of extensive travel.

When we pulled out of our driveway in Shirley for the final time last April, we had a long list of places we wanted to see, but no particular plan on how we’d go about it. We couldn’t wait to see old road-trip favorites, such as Zion and Bryce Canyon, and friends the pandemic had kept from us in places like Kaleden and Saskatoon. We were also excited to spend time with family in places such as Ohio and North Carolina. But the place we were most looking forward to visiting was Nova Scotia.

Veronica was born in Nova Scotia—in North Sydney on Cape Breton Island, specifically—but she hadn’t been back home in almost 25 years. Aside from a couple of quick business trips to Halifax, I had never been to that historic part of Canada, nor had I met most of Veronica’s east coast family. When we made it to Canada’s “New Scotland” after five months on the road, we enjoyed it more than we expected.

Canada has beauty from coast to coast, but there are a handful of destinations in Nova Scotia that we would consider must-sees.

CABOT TRAIL

You simply must drive the Cabot Trail as part of a visit to Nova Scotia. We did the drive in one long day, but there’s no shortage of places to spend the night and soak in even more of the scenery and local culture. One such place is the famous Keltic Lodge in Ingonish, which is a great place to stop for lunch and photos even if you aren’t able to spend the night. There are countless amazing views along the trail, and more than a few quaint towns. Be sure to take advantage of as many of the scenic viewpoints and pull-outs as you can. I recommend driving the trail in a counterclockwise direction so not even passing cars separate you from the amazing ocean views.

LUNENBURG

Lunenburg

Without a doubt, Lunenburg was one of our absolute favorite places during our first year of full-time travel. We loved it so much, in fact, that we extended our stay in this picturesque town twice! The narrow, hilly streets provide fantastic views of the colorful working harbor from every intersection, with no shortage of options for fresh seafood or a cold beer. One of the best things about visiting Lunenburg by RV is the easily-accessible municipal RV park in the heart of the city. It’s reasonably priced and allows you to stroll through the historic town without needing a vehicle. Don’t forget to tour the world-famous Bluenose II if she happens to be in port during your stay.

HALIFAX

Nova Scotia’s capital is a thriving modern city that maintains the friendly feel of a quaint harbor town. You can easily spend a day walking among the shops, pubs, and restaurants to explore the welcoming waterfront—the same waterfront that has welcomed countless immigrants to Canada over hundreds of years. For us, the star of the city was the hilltop citadel. This impressive site watches over the city as a present-day reminder of the province’s rich military history. We stayed at a KOA outside of Halifax for a few days to allow for easy day trips into the city.

PEGGY’S COVE

Peggy's Cove

You may never find a more picturesque place than tiny Peggy’s Cove. This small fishing village is filled with maritime history, but has significantly expanded its infrastructure to support visiting tourists since our first visit there almost 10 years ago. The lighthouse at Peggy’s Point is iconic, as are the wharfs and cottages dotting the small natural harbor. What we hadn’t known prior to our visit was that there’s a network of beautiful hiking and walking trails outside of town, providing wonderful views of both the village and Cabot Trail the sparkling waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Also outside of town is a somber memorial to the passengers and crew of Swissair Flight 111, a trans-Atlantic flight that crashed into the ocean miles offshore in September 1998.

Hirtles Beach

SUNRISE TRAIL

Veronica’s cousin suggested we check out Nova Scotia’s Sunrise Trail, and we were certainly glad we did. On a clear day, you can see Prince Edward Island from the lovely Cape George Point Lighthouse. There are many other fantastic views and points of interest on this drive along Nova Scotia’s northeast coast. You’ll definitely want to check out Antigonish. Don’t forget to have a little cash with you when you explore this part of the province—some of the best food you’ll find is in the tiny shops in small fishing villages where they don’t take credit cards.

Cape George Point Lighthouse

There were so many other places we loved during our time in Nova Scotia. We were able to drive our 4x4 on the sand at Crescent Beach, and we loved Hirtle’s Beach so much that we almost bought an oceanfront lot. We also enjoyed the Bay of Fundy, which we visited during a fittingly gray and stormy day.

Crescent Beach

This is not even close to a definitive list of the must-visit destinations in this incredible province. We made it to some of them, but we couldn’t see everything we wanted in one trip. We’ll be back for more on our next lap of North America, and can’t wait to get there again.

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