From Quebec we drove 1,200 km south-east to Nova Scotia on Canada's Atlantic coast, making an overnight stop on the way at Fredericton in New Brunswick province. Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Labrador are collectively known as the Maritimes. It was a long and interesting drive, first following the vast Saint Lawrence River estuary, then veering south east and passing by some very cold and snowy towns and countryside. Our first destination in Nova Scotia was Cape Breton where we arrived just on dark. At this time of year the sun sets at 4.30pm and it is dark by 4.45. We stayed overnight in the small town of Baddeck, setting out next morning for the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. This park has many hiking trails and features panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, home to whales and many species of fish and sea birds. We hiked the Skyline Trail that loops around a rugged headland and back through heather grassland and a forest of fir and juniper. It was very cold and snowing for most of the hike, but we were dressed warmly and kept moving, so it was a comfortable and interesting walk.
Nova Scotia, as the name suggests, has a strong Scottish heritage, and many of the place names here were given by the Scottish settlers. The highlands national park has a replica Scottish crofter's hut, commemorating the time in the early 1800s when this area was settled by Scottish tenant farmers (crofters) who had been expelled from their homes on the Isle of Sky. They came across the Atlantic Ocean to Cape Breton where they built houses and fished, farmed and hunted in the area. Sugar maple grows very well here, so the settlers also collected maple sap to make maple syrup.
Cape Breton has an active music scene, heavily influenced by its Celtic roots. Cape Breton fiddlers in particular are well known on the world music scene. Here are a couple of hot Cape Breton fiddlers:
The Cape Breton Highlands is also bear and moose country. We saw no bears during our hike but we were excited to stumble into the midst of a family of moose. I saw the big bull first, about 20 metres away. I didn't want to take any chances so I shot it immediately. I would have liked to get closer to get a better photo but I was concerned it might run off, which is exactly what it did. But a few metres further on there were several moose cows who stood still long enough for me to get a better shot. The signboards in the park provide warnings about charging moose, so although these looked placid enough, we considered briefly how we would protect ourselves if one or more of the moose did decide to launch an attack. All we had with us was a small Beijing umbrella, and I doubted that that would provide much protection. But then I noticed that the brolly sported a Scottish tartan pattern, and I wondered for a moment whether the moose in these parts might accord that some respect. But there was no need to wonder further; the moose trotted gently away from the trail and into the woods, allowing us to move forward. Perhaps it was the tartan - we'll never know.
It was still snowing when we returned to the trail head and we knew that once we were in the warm car we wouldn't want to get out again. So we had a quick picnic lunch on the bonnet of the car (the picnic must go on!) before heading south along the wind-swept coast and out of the park, arriving a couple of hours later in Sydney, Cape Breton's largest town.
