Sheila

two couples and the two children of one couple are thinking of 2 weeks on the east coast in late July/August. Only looking at a map (duh, how dumb can you get) drew to my attention that there's a pretty big chunk of water between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and even more between Newfoundland and Labrador. This leads to some pretty basic questions:- <BR> <BR>1. Is it rational to do a week in NS and a week in Newfoundland using the ferry to get there and back; or is that too much ground to cover? <BR> <BR>2.We're fairly outdoorsy. Would you consider doing it in an RV? <BR> <BR>3. If not to either, how easy is it to get unbooked accommodation at that time of year in, say, Nova Scotia? <BR>And would a people carrier and B&Bs and/or self catering be better <BR> <BR>4. What else do we need to know? <BR> <BR>We're well travelled (but not here); like the outdoors (and shopping); not on the breadline but haven't won the lottery either. <BR> <BR>Thank you in anticipation

elizabeth

Hi Sheila - I topped a couple of postings for you - Neal Sanders delightful "opinion" piece on PEI and Nova Scotia and another regarding travel times in and around the Atlantic provinces. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps - Regards, Elizabeth

Island Girl

Hi Sheila, <BR> <BR>It is not unreasonable to do one week in NS and one week in NF. You are coming from the UK - I'm assuming from your email address - so you would land in Halifax I think. From there you can tour mainland NS, and leave about 2-3 days for Cape Breton Island. You will finish your tour of Cape Breton in Sidney, where you'll get the ferry to NF. That ferry is about 12 hours long if memory serves me, and I believe you can get overnight berths. You'll land on the Avalon Peninsula in NF, and I assume you'll head to St. John's (the capital) and tour from there. Nfld is a huge province, and one that I haven't visited. I would recommend you check out www.gov.nf.ca and www.gov.ns.ca for tourism info on both provinces. <BR> <BR>I'm from Prince Edward Island, and if you decide that NF is too far to go, PEI should be your next choice. For info on there go to www.gov.pe.ca. <BR> <BR>It's very reasonable to do this trip with an RV, and a good idea in terms of lodging as well. The Maritimes and NF are very busy during July and August, and I would recommend booking any accommodations asap. <BR> <BR>Please feel free to email me with any other questions you've got. Oh, and that part of Canada is referred to as the East Coast, or the Maritimes. The eastern seaboard is mostly an American term. <BR> <BR>Have fun!

thor

Sheila: Whether you can do the two provinces in two weeks depends on how much you want to see, in what detail, and how much you like driving. I lived in Nova Scotia for 10 years, and Newfoundland for 5, and my recommendation is that you do not do both provinces in this time period, unless you want to see only small portions of each. The crossing time from NFld to NS eats up a significant poriton of your holiday, not to mention the driving you have to do to get to and from the departure points; drives that would not be on the " A" list of places I would rather see. Newfoundland, and Labrador, for that matter, are holiday destinations in themselves, and could easily take 2 weeks on their own. On a Newfoundland trip, you could even add in the Islands of St Pierre and Miquelon, two islands still owned by France, and very different from Newfoundland which is only 13 miles away. For two weeks, if you want to combine two provinces I would suggest Nova Scotia, and PEI, which are considerably closer together, cutting down considerably on driving, although if you are from the U.K., you will still find the driving longer than what you are used to. Canadians, like myself, have been known to drive 100 miles to go out to a particular restaurant for dinner!!! As far as booking accomodations ahead, I travelled extensively last summer in N.S. and PEI, and except for the first night when I arrived late by plane, I did not book. Even in the height of the tourism season, there are plenty of options, and choice, and like in your country, I would formostly recommend the B and B's. In some parts of Canada, they have become pricey, but in the Martitimes, they are still very reasonably priced, and are a good way to meet fellow travellers, and the locals, who are usually a wealth of information on the local sights. The provinical tourist offices, which are in most towns, are very helpful in finding accomodation. In PEI, for example, when you go into one of their offices, on the wall they list the hotels, motels, and B and B's that have acccomodation that night, and you can call the landlords free from there. Both provinces also publish very good accomodation and "to do" guides which are available for order on the Net. A final recommendation: If you are fly into Halifax, especially, at night, and you plan to rent a car, I would instead take a shuttle bus to a hotel which you probably would have booked, and save the car rental for when you leave Halifax. The reasons: The Halifax airport is quite far out of town to avoid coastal fog that happens quite often. Therefore, finding where you want to go in Halifax, especially at night, and if you are driving can be tricky, especially if you don't know the layout. Secondly, Halifax is a very compact city, and you can see most of what is interesting by walking around. You can rent a car downtown, when you are ready to leave, and they will let you drop it at the airport, at the end of your journey. For more details, on this trip, you may want to check the other posting on the Canadian list which talks about a 10 day driving tour of PEI and Nova Scotia. Have fun

Sheila

Thanks guys. This is terrific. Incidentally I read a book called, "The Oatmeal Ark" this summer. About Scots and descendants in Canada. Highly recommend it

Lee

The above ideas are all excellent! I do think it is possible to see enough of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in one week each, althoug perhaps it would be better to narrow it down to jsut Newfoundland or Nova Scotia and PEI. One important thing I'd like to add is that I dont' think it's too important to book accommodations ahead, I understand the ferry to Newfoundland must be reserved well in advance....like months ahead. <BR>I think B&B's might be a better way to go than RV's. <BR>Have fun.

Shane

Hi Sheila; <BR>You were so helpful helping me plan my trip to Scotland last yearso I'll try to return the favour. I would recommend staying in Nova Scotia and PEI for 2 weeks. Newfoundland is doable in that time frame however it is a 4 hour car ride from Halifax to North Sydney plus another 7 hours by ferry to Port-aux-Basques, Nfld. If you wanted to go to St. John's instead it would be approx. 14 hours by ferry instead of 7 hours. <BR> <BR>PEI is quite nice and a lot closer too - from Halifax to the Confederation Bridge it is approx. 2.5 hours to drive. Go to http://gonovascotia.com/ for more information on Nova Scotia. <BR> <BR>2. I would highly recommend an RV or camping with your kids. PEI has nice cottage rentals too which is a nice change. PEI is small enough to cover from a central location over a few days with day trips. B&B's are great too - especially in PEI. <BR> <BR>My sample recommendation for your trip would be spending a few days in Halifax, take a day trip to the Annaopolis Valley and take a few days to do the Cabot Trail (you'll find pleasant similarities to your Highlands). After that, I would drive to Wood Island Ferry to PEI (trip = 1 hour unless the wait is really long then take Confederation Bridge). I would then get a cabin or cottage in PEI for up to a week and plan day trips from there. I hope this helps. Let me know if you need more information.

Sheila

Shane, and everyone, thank you all very much indeed.