Cranachin

I'm taking my 78-year-old mom to see the Bay of Fundy in mid- to late August and need some advice about driving between Truro and Digby (or between Digby and Truro - not sure which way we will do that route yet). I'm wondering, basically, over which stretches is it worth taking the scenic route rather than the highway? More specifically, it looks like taking 101 and 102 is roughly an hour faster than taking 1 and 215/236, but undoubtedly it is less scenic.

Following 236/215 between Truro and Windsor (if indeed 215 has coastal views) seems like it would be preferable to driving 102.

Highway 1 looks like it hugs the Annapolis River, which again might be a prettier drive. But over which stretches is 1 really preferable to 101? Does it make sense to hop on and off highway 1 for the best parts?

We will need to make several stops along the way (for Mom to stretch her legs), so am wondering which places would make for the most interesting breaks. She likes quaint towns and shops, gardens, and historic sites.

Annapolis Royal seems like it will be worthwhile regardless of the route we take.

There is no way Mom can do the Cape Split hike, so that is out.

Any recommendations beyond those two?

Also - depending on the order and direction we do things, we can either take the ferry between Digby and St. John (if we do Digby after Parrsboro/Truro) or take the highway through NS (if we do Truro/Parrsboro after Digby). Either way, we are not doing the ferry St. John to Digby (we are either going Halifax-Digby-Truro or Halifax-Truro-Digby for this part of the trip). Is there any scenic advantage to the ferry? It does mean 3 hours I would not be behind the wheel, but it also looks like it costs $150 or so.

Taking the ferry to save driving is not the issue - it's whether crossing the Bay of Fundy is worth the cost of the ferry, We do plan to take a whale watch cruise out of Digby Neck.

Thanks!

Cranachin

When I mentioned Mom's likes above ("She likes quaint towns and shops, gardens, and historic sites") I suppose I should have included that any especially scenic spots for viewing the Bay of Fundy would make good stops.

irecommend

Some spots we enjoyed along the way

http://www.tangledgarden.ns.ca/location.htm

http://www.foxhillcheesehouse.com/hours.html

http://luckettvineyards.com/ Spectular view

http://www.theportpub.com/ Great food and atmosphere

And here are some more ideas-

http://www.annapolis-valley-vacation...-to-visit.html

Cranachin

Thanks, irecommend!

Scotia

Some suggestions to add to the above are, take Highway 215 through Noel and Walton along the Bay of Fundy which is a very pretty drive. One of the popular spots is Avondale where there is a new winery just before you reach Brooklyn. From Brooklyn you can connect to Route 14 to Windsor. Avoid the 101 where possible as it is boring and stay on #1. Sometimes you may have to connect to 101 to get to Grand Pre, for instance, which will take you into Wolfville. One of my favourite drives is through the Gaspereau Valley behind Wolfville. From Wolfville you can go to Cape Blomidon for a spectacular view of 5 counties. To get to Cape Blomidon, you will pass through the above spots irecommend mentions. The Pub in the Port, or Port Williams, is a good spot to have lunch along the Cornwallis River which used to be a major port for shipping of apples all over the world.