CindyW

Hi all! The time for our trip is drawing near, and I still have some questions. We'll be spending three days in the western/southern (?) part of Nova Scotia (after 3 days in Cape Breton). I have two free nights at a hotel in Halifax, and was wondering about trying to use it as a home base for those two days, and then spend one day somewhere else. But as I'm looking at the map and mapquest, it looks like it wouldn't work well as a homebase for what we want to see. I'm wondering if we could travel down the south coast and see Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg, etc. on one day, then back to Halifax, and then over to Digby, etc. on the second day, and back to Halifax again. It's looking like that's a lot of driving and backtracking just for the sake of a free hotel room, but we're trying to cut costs. What do you guys think?

And if you suggest that we only spend one night in Halifax (assuming that we go there after Cape Breton), then where would you spend the other two nights? For your information, we'll have already passed through Pictou (on the way from PEI to Cape Breton), and then will be driving to Grand Manan along the shore of the New Brunswick coast. So if we go to Spencer Island, Advocate Bay, etc., we'd want to do that the last day--right?

Oh, and we're not really that interested in spending time in Halifax itself, except to toot around a little.s

Thanks for your help!

Scotia

Yes, you could do Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg, Mahone Bay in a day trip from Halifax. The next day you could drive through the Annapolis Valley to Digby and back but that is about 2 1/2 hours each way. What I would do if you are willing to forfeit one night's hotel in Halifax, is drive to Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg, Mahone Bay--all the way to Liverpool, then drive across to Annapolis Royal and go to Digby from there. I would spend one night in Liverpool area. The next day you could drive back to Halifax from Digby. Between Liverpool and Annaolis Royal you could stop and visit Kejimkujik National Park as that drive is a little boring.

Tanya

You could simply do two day trips out of Halifax - and forego Digby. Take one day and travel the back roads into Peggy's Cove, Chester, Mahone Bay, Lunenburg, Bridgewater, Rose Bay, The Ovens, etc. Day two, take a trip up through Windsor, Hantsport, Wolfville, Canning, Halls Harbour, etc. Stick to the backroads for a more scenic drive.

ltt

unless you want to stay down there, i'd cut the digby area out of your plans. it's too far for a day trip.

CindyW

Thanks for the help. My in-laws said to go to Digby. That's why I was thinking of heading there. Is it particularly charming or beautiful? I might be able to split the hotel stay up, Scotia, and take your advice. Then it looks like it would be about five hours from Halifax to Grand Manan.

No one has mentioned the ADvocate Bay/Spencer/Parrsboro area. Is that something we should try to see?

NorthwestMale

Hi, given what you've indicated, I am not sure that anything will satisfy all elements and instincts you report.

Were it MEEEEEEEEEEE, I think I'd book the Halifax hotel for a 3rd night, make it your home 'base' as mentioned, and do a pair of day trips.

One such trip would be down the Atlantic coast - Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg, etc.

The other day trip would be inland toward the Bay of Fundy.

Don't know how many or who you are, but if you're hikers (moderate) you could hike out to "Cape Split" in the middle of the Bay (see Wolfville and then Scots Bay on a map). Otherwise time your trip inland to see the very lowest tide and go walking well out in the ocean bed at low tide.

If wishing to just drive and see what you can... the freeway trip from Halifax to Digby is just under 3 hours, and then you might do well to go to the bay shore to backtrack along the water for as much time as you can afford before getting back to Halifax at a decent hour.

The time in between these day trips, will let you have enough exposure to Halifax to make it worth staying there.

Hope this makes sense.