Is Cape Breton doable?
 

A friend has offered her home on St Margaret's Bay for a week in July. Having never been to Nova Scotia and the surrounding areas we'd love to do a little exploring. One of the areas that has been discussed is Cape Breton, driving the Cabot Trail and spending a night in the Keltic Inn. Is that something we could do spending one night from our location on St Margaret's Bay?

Well, you could do it, but it might seem very rushed. St Margaret's Bay area is a wonderful viewing base for the charms of the Lighthouse Route (the South Shore), but it would be a very long drive to Cape Breton leaving you with very little time to see the area.

If you haven't yet got a copy of the Doers and Dreamers Guide to Nova Scotia, get it as soon as you arrive and you will see that Hlaifax, Mahone Bay,Peggy's Cove, Chester,Lunenburg and Bridgewater and even a day trip to the Annapolis Valley make MUCH more sense from your starting point in charming St. M's Bay.

There is plenty to explore just doing the Lighthouse & Evangaline Trails. If you were going to drive the Cabot Trail from your base, you wouldn't have time to get out of the car! If you make it to Annapolis Royal, a beautiful town, check out the Crooked Floor, I bought lots of fun, great gifts there. Also check out http://www.explorenovascotia.com/events/ for a list of festivals that might be happening during your visit.

the cabot trail is fabulous and deserves a minimum of 3 days. just stay in st margaret's area and hopefully you can get back one day to do the northern part of nova scotia and cape breton.
annapolis royal really is a nice little town. need to go to digby for scallops. soooo good. if it's a clear day, take a drive out the digby neck.
fabulous province. have fun.

Pawleys,
I would not recommend going to Cape Breton for one night. It is not worth it & you would spend most of trip in your car. We just returned from Nova Scotia...we spent 3 nights & 2 whole days on Cape Breton & it was not enough time. With a stop for lunch & bathroom stops, it took us 5 hours to drive from Baddeck to Halifax. We also hit road construction in many places which slowed us down. If I were you, I would stick to Lighthouse route & Halifax.
I just posted my trip report if that helps.