You - who are reminded of Nova Scotia by news of the recent tragedy - VISIT NS!
 

In these Covid times perhaps there is nothing better to do but contemplate where you're going to go just as soon as you get a chance. You were reminded of Nova Scotia by horrible news of the tragedy there which unfolded in mid-April of 2020, and now you have time to really ponder and even plan your future visit. Obviously nobody knows at present just exactly when you could begin firming-up any thoughts about traveling, but you can certainly explore images that might sway your thoughts on just where you want to go.

The April, 2020 chain of tragic endings commenced right near my favorite highway in Nova Scotia, which I have long enjoyed just for the peaceful backdrop that was interrupted so purposefully by the attacker, for only a brief time. Highway #2 from Truro to Parrsboro will continue to offer its idyllic setting for it heading in a direction toward which relatively few people travel, along the shore of one of the more unique bodies of water on earth.

Highway 2 begins at a place where lots of the nearby rivers turn around and flow UPstream each time the powerful tide comes in:

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Truro, NS

Tides, being what they are, can be forecast for decades or centuries in advance, so you can so easily plan a course that will optimize your travel time, and allow you to see tidal bores such as the one pictured above, as well as high and low tide views from the same exact spot, without having to wait 6 hours in between extremes.

Highway 2 continues westward from Truro where a pleasant spot to pause is the Five Islands Provincial Park

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Someone in every crowd asks how "Five Islands Provincial Park" got its name



Highway 2 in Nova Scotia is filled with relaxed, water-themed scenery on a laid-back path before finally leaving the shoreline at Parrsboro.

It doesn't take long near the Bay of Fundy to understand that the water does what it wants, and humans just stand around and view the ongoing effects:

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Town of Parrsboro, NS... on a main street, looking south toward the Fundy shore and seemingly 'ready' for the impact of the powerful tides



Most often I would leave Parrsboro to the north and hurry my way toward Moncton, but last time I was intrigued by a new idea:

Imagine spending a night or two HERE:

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Just imagine driving your (rented) vehicle along a dusty gravel road for 5 or 6 miles, and then parking, before walking a few feet to first lay eyes on THIS spot where you'll spend a night or two. It's just you, a lighthouse, and the always mystical Bay of Fundy. If that's not enough to pique your interest, it's the only spot in the world where THREE distinct tidal flows crash into one another (a couple of times each day).


This could be the view from your bedroom window:

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Cape D'or Lighthouse B & B, Nova Scotia



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Here is the full punch of the Dory Rips (compare to earlier photo) and don't try these waters in a rowboat (at least at certain times).



Nearby Advocate Harbour is always good for that mind-boggling image of ocean-going boats tied to a dock while sitting on the ocean floor awaiting the next tide to come in.

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Boats at low tide, Advocate Harbour, Nova Scotia

Seeing is believing (but only 6 hours later can you "prove it to your disbelieving mind").



Now typically at this point and on Fodors I'd send you over to New Brunswick to Hopewell Cape... but since this is about Nova Scotia, I'm going to head elsewhere now... (but if you're traveling to the area, do NOT miss Hopewell Cape, NB)



At the risk of seeming disjointed I am now going to head toward Cape Breton, NS for more area highlights.

Most any path in rural Nova Scotia is awash with tiny little hamlets that are each very peaceful and especially enjoyable to those who have decided to escape the rat race to visit. But those paths don't tend to go near as fast as do superhighways in the U.S. (mostly because there simply isn't 'demand' by enough people wanting or needing to get anywhere especially quickly). The path toward Cape Breton is no exception and there are plenty of little towns to take-in along the journey.

The visual highlight of Cape Breton, NS is always the Skyline Trail within Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The hike to get there is lengthy, but not particularly demanding beyond that.

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View from Skyline Trail, Cape Breton, NS



A strategic place to stay on Cape Breton is Baddeck (say Buh-deck )... and this is most useful for when the unforgiving local FOG threatens to ruin your drive of the Cabot Trail. From Baddeck you can strategize and have a few alternatives today while saving the Cabot Trail for tomorrow.

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View of Bras D'or Lake from Baddeck lodging option



If your planned day's drive around the Cabot Trail is fogged-out, you can go from Baddeck to Sydney in about an hour, and from there you'd have a number of options which wouldn't be as greatly affected by fog constraints.

Sydney, Nova Scotia is home to the world's largest fiddle:

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"There's *some *fiddle for ya!" - Emily Tuck




Some more serious scenic wonders around Nova Scotia include the home of the highest tide ever recorded on earth:

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Burntcoat Head, NS


Where you can walk for hundreds of yards/meters out on the ocean floor:

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Most of the footing is more stone-like than sand-like. Sand wouldn't stay long in one place given the force of the tides there.


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Note the lighthouse waaaaaaaay up there, and a pair of humans in the picture for scale.




Halifax is a bustling city that is host to several universities and boasts enough population to support plenty of amenities.


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Citadel Hill is a prominent fixture in the middle of Halifax.



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The local farmer's market has been going strong since... well... the year 1750 (but who's counting?)



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Central Halifax: as viewed from across the harbor in Dartmouth



OK, you've probably heard of this one:

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What you heard was somewhat fictional, but this marker is as much as any teenage girl needs to believe...





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The Halifax skyline largely obscured by what is Citadel Hill, with Dartmouth across the water.



TIDE tables are perhaps more important in Nova Scotia than most anywhere else, and those can be known well before your trip, and found at this link:

http://bayoffundytourism.com/worlds-...t-tides/times/



There is natural beauty to be had all across Nova Scotia and it is far too voluminous for me to have expected to do it justice here. That's why you need to see for yourself.

(hey, the Total Eclipse of the Sun will happen in 2024, on April 8th... and while it is NOT worth being in Nova Scotia FOR the eclipse (your Carly Simon moment will have to wait), you could time a trip so that you can be in neighboring New Brunswick in a central spot for eclipse viewing, and visit Nova Scotia either before or after)


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Egypt Falls, Cape Breton, NS




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View out the front door of overnight lodging, Cheticamp, NS




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Northumberland Straight, with Prince Edward Island in the distance


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Sunrise from Cape D'or (with Cape Split barely discernible across the bay)


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Cape Split makes for a fun, 5-hour round-trip hike, where halfway into it you're out on a bluff, overlooking the water, with the roaring Fundy tides all around down below. During the average day, as much water flows between Cape Split on the south side, and Parrsboro on the north side, as flows through ALL of the rivers ON EARTH COMBINED in that same, average day.


There are many reasons to discover Nova Scotia. My personal favorite is the amazing tides in the Bay of Fundy, and they have surely carved lots of photogenic nature over many decades, but seeing is believing where it concerns some of the unique aspects of such powerful tides.


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Moon over Fundy (IF ONLY I were an all-knowing photographer who could have captured the moon as it really appeared) from Cape D'or Lighthouse.

Hi
Great pictures of Nova Scotia.
Thank you for posting them.
The beauty of Nova Scotia and the warmth of Nova Scotians will triumph over the the horrific tragedy endured.

Happy travels

Maybe it's time to set attainable goals (with regard to Covid).

Target April, 2024 for a trip to the Maritimes, centered around April 8, when you'll want to be in central New Brunswick for the total eclipse of the sun.



Because you're nearby then, you'll settle for what you can get of a relatively chilly Nova Scotia, with limited tourist attractions open.

(technically you can still chart the flight path of your Lear Jet to take you to Nova Scotia, even though you'll hire a car and drive next door to New Brunswick for the actual Eclipse)



(it snowed on June 1 in the Cape Breton Highlands when I was last there)


The Fundy tides will be very much what they always are, in April (in fact the most prominent tides tend to be in the early spring, nearest the full moon)

(March 25, 2024 is likely to bring the greatest spread between high and low tides, in the 50+ foot range at Burntcoat Head, NS)


Much of Nova Scotia scenery can be viewed from the car... and some of the appeal are those stormy days perhaps more plentiful in winter and spring than in the summer tourist months.


It is possible that to see the Maritimes in the wintery wet gloom will inspire you to endeavor to return when the weather is warmer and more clear. I think you can see enough nature when driving around to make a go of the area in March or April, surrounding the solar eclipse of 2024 which you'd see from New Brunswick on April 8.

(* The eclipse path is large enough so that people from the U.S. won't overwhelm the area, and potentially far enough away from some of the eastern Canada population centers that Canadians might not overwhelm New Brunswick on eclipse day either. Buffalo and Watertown, NY are almost dead-center of the eclipse path, so hopefully Torontonians will opt for those in large numbers.

Montrealers may opt for a path toward Burlington, VT, which is 95 miles away, for the center line of the eclipse... where Fredericton, New Brunswick is 500 miles from Montreal)

Sending this to the top for anyone who will spend another Covid winter perhaps planning what they might do when they feel more comfortable vacationing in the Maritimes.

Oh, I am moving to the Maritimes from Ontario soon and this post just made me so happy.

Awwwwwwww... (uttered out loud in a room/house where only a cat is {also} present) (in a sincere tone and not mockery at all)


Of course The Maritimes doesn't narrow it down completely... but hopefully you can then slowly chip-away at all of the water-related scenery as the months and years pass.

The Bay of Fundy is quite the phenomenon, and the various small-ish hamlets nearby, which are somewhat remote, will slow you down with purpose when it's time to relax.

I hope it goes well for you!

Back to the top for a recent NS poster.