The Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia – Where the ocean meets the land
The Cabot Trail runs 186 miles round trip. I highly recommend taking a tour bus to see the trail. Otherwise, the driver will not see anything of the landscape. Bannockburn Tours will take you for $65.00 (cost could be higher today) per person in a van on the trail with an escorted guide.
The Cabot Trail runs through Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The beautiful road is dotted with seascapes and 1,500-foot tree-covered mountains rising from the sea. Many Scots migrated to the area as it reminded them of their beloved Highlands back home. Many coves dot the area and hiking trails take you to more remote places. The longest of the trails is seven miles round trip. Some are fairly easy, while others climb 1,500 feet in two to three miles.
Along the way, he stops at the docks, where lobstermen unloaded their catch. One of them weighed over nine pounds: a big guy indeed. Lobstermen have to check their 250 traps daily during the ten weeks designated for lobster fishing. There is an honor system between them, each with their own colored buoy. However, there are poachers, especially at night and on Sundays when the lobstermen are not allowed to fish.
Along the way there are interesting little towns. One of them is Cheticamp, pronounced shit camp. Legend has it that the Micmacs were there originally and called it that, hoping no one else would come. So says the tour guide. The Acadians, who fled the south coast of Nova Scotia, made it their home. Even today their heritage can be found throughout the town, houses flying the red, white and blue tricolor flag with a yellow star.
A word to the wise. The Cabot Trail is very beautiful. But do you know that we have an equally picturesque one in America? It’s Highway 61 out of Duluth, Minnesota, on the north shore of Lake Superior. The only difference is that Nova Scotia’s water is salty, while Lake Superior’s water is fresh. They have lobstermen. We have lake trout and lake herring anglers. Why travel 2.00 miles, when you can have the same experience in your backyard?