We thought we would spend one night in Mabou at the Duncreigan Country Inn. Has anyone ever stayed here and is there anything to do in this area. <BR> Then we would go to the Normaway Inn for two nights. Next we would stay at Cape North at the Oakwood Manor. Is anyone familiar with this Inn. <BR>Then we would go to Ingonish for two nights. Not sure where to stay here. Any suggestions? Is this too many nights in Cape Breton. <BR>We want to also do the Fort in Louisbourg. Is this to far to travel if we are staying in Ingonish? Thanks for any help at all.

I really don't think you can spend enought nights in Cape Breton. There is so much to see. We did Louisbourg on our first day. Stayed in Baddeck that night. We did the trail the next day and stayed back in Baddeck. It is the most central point for Cape Breton. Ingonish is a beautiful spot. As a matter of fact just today a friend recommend staying at Castle Rock Inn at Ingonish ferry - she says it is a great place. Your trip to Louisbourg from Ingonish will probably take about 2.5 hours. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to explore the fortress.

Baddeck sounds like a good point to stop. I will check out the Castle Rock Inn in Ingonish. Thanks for letting me know about the distance to the fort, I was wondering about that. Thank you so much.

We didn't get to Mabou but we did stay in Baddeck at The Silver Dart Lodge. It was a fine place but not one we'd put at the top for a return visit. Louisburg in only about 90 minutes from Baddeck and we did a leisurly drive around the Cabot Trail in 1 day. Chetticamp was not our favorite area but the Margaree Valley was beautiful.<BR>Have fun!!

Thanks for the info on Chetticamp. We were going to stay there but decided not to. We are going to stay in Baddeck several nights and also the Margaree Valley. Glad to hear it is a beautiful area. Thanks!

Jim,<BR>I really liked the Oakwood Manor; very comfortable and quiet country environment, with cozy, attractive rooms and pleasant hosts. <BR>Have fun - you'll love Cape Breton!

P.S. Travel alert!<BR>Driving across the causeway to Cape Breton a few days ago {returning from Newefoundland},my husband and I encountered several construction delays which added a good hour or two of travel time. Be sure and allow extra travel time!

Molly,<BR>Thanks for the information on the Oakwood Manor and the construction delays.

My husband and I very much enjoyed our stay at the Duncreigan in 1997. Our room was very spacious and comfortable. We also had an excellent dinner in their dining room. I do not recall there being alot to do in the area. Our stay was a one night stop over on our way to the Park. We arrived at the Duncreigan mid-afternoon and spent some time walking at the nearby beach. In the evening, we attended a local "ceilidh" (authentic local music and dance) - not to be missed. The inn's staff was very helpful in providing us with local info, including the ceilidh.<BR><BR>I agree with csr's diplomatic comment regarding Cheticamp. In future, I would not make a stop there.<BR><BR>In Ingonish Beach, we very much enjoyed our stay at the Keltic Lodge. We stayed in a comfortable and simple room in the main lodge. The meals were excellent. (I understand from other postings on this board that opinions are mixed re: the Keltic - our's was a very positive experience.) There is great whale watching in the area - a highlight of the trip - we used "Seavisions".<BR><BR>In Baddeck, we stayed at the Castle Moffatt (not an actual castle). This is a lovely place and the innkeepers are very welcoming. If you have a chance check out Baddeck's excellent Alexander Graham Bell Museum. <BR><BR>The Fortress of Louisbourg is quite remarkable. We spent an entire day at the fortress and thoroughly enjoyed it - highly recommended.<BR><BR>One tip: I recall that at the Duncreigan it was possible to arrange for packed lunches. In Cape Breton, we found that it was sometimes challenging to find places to stop for lunch. In retrospect, we would have done well to request a Duncreigan lunch "for the road".<BR><BR>Travelling Cape Breton makes for a truly wonderful vacation. Have a great trip!

We also are staying one night at the Duncreigan Country Inn on our way to the park. <BR>Thanks for the tip on arranging for a packaged lunch. I imagine it would be hard finding restaurants. The Ceilidh sounds wonderful. I will definately look into that. <BR><BR>We will also try the whale watching cruise you suggested. Everyone has been wonderful with the best suggestions, thanks to all!

Topping for Gil ...

What does this mean?

Jim, someone by the name of Gil recently posted a question regarding Cape Breton. In my response to his post, I mentioned to him that he might want to have a look at your posting for add'l info. By "topping" your post, I brought it to the top of the board in the hope of making it easier for Gil to find.

just a note about the construction delays on August 5th and 6th ... there was no construction but a very bad accident between 2 tractor trailers - took two days to clean up. We wee on our way to Cape Breton at that time. We just returned to Toronto this morning. As of two dayas ago, no construction that would add more than 15 minutes to your trip.