St. Peters Canal

After visiting the Lighthouse Museum I drove on to the Canso Causeway to Cape Breton Island.  Just on the island is a Tourist Information Centre, the first large one I had been into. It brought home to me how much material is produced in Nova Scotia, how well staffed the centres are, and the absolute wealth of knowledge of those working there.

My B&B for the night Sunday night 23rd June was Grandma's House at River Bourgeois   A splendid property standing in extensive grounds.  After strawberries & ice cream in a corn bowl to great me, breakfast next morning was a chanterelle mushroom omelette with local eggs and mushrooms from the grounds.

I headed around to the other side of the lake where I saw my first sight of wild lupins, which appear a lot within Cape Breton Island. 

This is looking back across to the B&B ...

and this the nearby pull in off the road

First place to visit was St. Peter's village only a few miles drive away. 

The St. Peters Canal is a small shipping canal crosses an isthmus in the village which connects St. Peters Inlet of Bras d'Or Lake to the north with St. Peters Bay of the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The area had long been travelled by the Mi'kmaq people who portaged their canoes across the isthmus on a "haulover road".  In effect it connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, as the lake is open to the ocean at the north end, so it creates a short cut as well as calmer weather.

For that reason there is only one loch, that's because the tides are different on either side of the gates, which also means it has unusual gates, they face both ways.  That's because the tide can be higher on one side or the other, unlike a normal canal where there a static levels on either side.

I parked up some distance from the lock keepers office, then I had been reading the information panels at the lock gate side for a few minutes.  Then the lock gate keeper drove up to his office, minutes later he walked down to me, introduced himself, gave me an information booklet, and offered to explain the operations there.   It's operated free of charge by Perks Canada as a National Historic Site and used mainly by leisure craft but also some commercial shipping.  This was something I found throughout the trip that local people went out of their way to speak to you, and had great enthusiasm for the area.

After an interesting hour it was now a couple of hours drive on remote twisting roads by the lakeside to my next location.

Closest point to Scotland

Next morning my intention had been to visit Canso island, a National Historic site of Canada, but this year due to cutbacks it's only open July & August, at least you can follow the link and check it out. 

This view on the way near remote Port Felix, the road frequently crosses the head of the bays, so this is the inland side.

Canso is closest point to Scotland on mainland Canada, these pictures are taken at the harbour...

Just outside the small town is the Fishermans Memorial

Heading away from Canso on this remote undulating road 

is this road sign which I have never seen before

As I hadn't been able to go to Canso island, my last B&B suggested that I might like to visit the Out of the Fog Lighthouse Museum at Half Island Cove, Guysborough County.  What a spendid collection of items they have on display, with an excellent guide Paul to explain everything.  I actually did s short video with him which will be edited on my return home, posted on here and also made available for the museum too.  With his mother and grandmother both lighthouse keepers at the nearby Queensport Lighthouse he has many tales to tell !

 ... and finally Queensport Lighthouse on a small island offshore

Country Harbour Ferry

It's hard to believe I'm still on Saturday, 22nd June 2013, having started at Sheet Harbour, then drive to Glenelg, onwards to Sherbrooke and finally it's the drive to a remote B&B for the night.  First I have a brisk drive to catch the Country Harbour Ferry, which is really in the middle of nowhere!  You can find location here on Google Maps  or about the ferry on Nova Scotia Provincial Ferries

The ferry runs hourly at the half hour, I was the only car waiting, then the only car on board for the crossing.  It's a cable ferry with two crew who told me cable the cable ferry was easier to maintain and cheaper to run than a normal ferry.  However, the crew seemed more interested in my (well Mr. Hertz) Jeep Compass (Northern Edition).  They said this model it was only launched recently and that was first they had seen. Just checked on internet and it's best in class 4x4 at a price in Canada of around £12,000 !!! 

There's no population on the land either side of the ferry although just a few scattered houses as I head for my B&B.  I'm certainly glad I'm in this vehicle, the road is in poor condition, unpaved roads are far better.  Later I'm told this section hasn't been touched for 50 years and who am I to dispute that fact? It's about 30 miles to Charlos Cove, which is a very small remote community with my B&B about half a mile down a track by the sea.

The view from my window and similar from the dining room

Seawind Landing, Charlos Cove is without doubt the best B&B I have been to in my travels. Dave & Ann Marie welcomed me as though a long lost member of their family, nothing was too much trouble.  Their small restaurant provides not just for residents but also those just looking for a meal, including locals, the nearest place to eat otherwise is over an hour away!

 Whilst I was the only person there that night, they had been full the previous night, I was still offered a wide range of exquisite meals for dinner, and again at breakfast too.  Dave has created a signature dish as one of the great breakfast offerings, so how could I resist? 

It's Blueberry stuffed French toast broulee and it's absolutely superb !

The day that ended at Seawind Landing Country Inn was a very long one.  I had started at Sheet Harbour, been to Glenelg, then Sherbrooke Village. Then the final leg by way of Country Harbour Ferry to get to Charlos Cove.  You can check the route and locations on shown on Google maps  It's 215km / 135 miles, but with the places I visited, the remote and winding roads, it seemed a lot more!  If I was to do that again I feel sure I would have split it over a couple of days.  It was a long and tiring day, but it's breakfast now on the next day, so back out on the road again ...

Sherbrooke Village

Saturday 20th June 2013 started at Sheet Harbour, then a drive to Glenelg, next stop was Sherbrooke Village  (Click on link to go to their website)

Photo: A group of Girl Guides iduring an educational visit to the village

Sherbrooke Village depicts a typical Nova Scotian village from 1860 to pre-WW1. With approximately 80 buildings, over 25 of those open to the public, most with costumed interpreters, it is the largest Nova Scotia Museum site. 

Visit the working woodturner shop, blacksmith, pottery shop, weaver, and even a photographic studio, as well as the old jailhouse with its resident cook !   Built on an economy of ship building, lumbering and gold mining, Sherbrooke Village reflects Nova Scotia as it was during its industrial boom in the late 1800s and early 1900s. A place where time has stood still, so much to see !

At the Jailhouse the cook uses the old oven to prepare cookies "I'm told you are from Scotland" she says, "Sorry it's not shortbread, but come back in half and hour and I will have made some shortbread for you". Of course I returned and the shortbread was round and quite thin pieces, more like a biscuit, absolutely wonderful and made with butter produced in the village too.

Outside a young man rides past on a penny farthing

The blacksmith, who happens to be the cook's husband, makes small items for sale in the village.

Look carefully and you may spot some unusual shoes

Nearby a pair of rare breed Canadian black horses















Heather works at an old loom, and does spinning too.

Heather asked if I could help with the origin of this item which is in their collection, I'm hoping someone will see this supply the information so I can forward it to her

They are made of reeds, did they have them in Scotland?  

Were the reeds grown locally?

What variety were they?

How were they prepared? 

Please let me know if you can help.

I do have an audio clip of Heather explaining it and what she wants to know.

The wood turner

The photographer who uses a 1905 Agfa camera daily doing portraits.  She prepares the chemicals, coats the glass plates, then processes them.  There's more information here on the Photographic Studio  (click to go to the page)

My thanks to Angie Jack who took me on a guided tour of the village introducing me to all the folks as well as an audio interview about the Sherbrooke Village  which I will get online later.

The route so far on Saturday is on Google maps   from the Motel at A, then Glenelg B, Glenelg Chrches C, then Sherbrooke D.  As you will see I had to go through Sherbrooke to get to Glenelg, but the day is not yet done, more on the next posting.

Glenelg, Nova Scotia

My first night on the road was spent at Fairwinds Motel, Sheet Harbour
... Note: You can click on Fairwinds Motel or Sheet Harbour for their individual websites

This was the view late evening from by my window of the church at the end of the bay

Saturday 22nd June 2013

Next morning there was every changing mist on the water

but by the time I came to leave the sun was out

Around 20 years ago Rev Donald Beaton at Inverinate asked me to film a re-enactment of the Highland Clearances at Glenelg at the request of Glenelg, Nova Scotia.

This is the film made at that time:
Glenelg - Highland Clearances

I headed off on a quiet road rarely seeing any traffic for Glenelg around 65 miles away, knowing I would turn left at Sherbrooke Village about two thirds of the way there.  My satnav was showing a left turn way ahead, but when I got to it in the middle of nowhere it was a dirt road.  Whilst many roads are unpaved off the main routes, I wasn't taking this short cut, it may prove not to be so!  The satnav soon updated as I carried along the main road still showing roughly the same distance and I did eventually do a left turn at Sherbrooke.

Glenelg itself is a rural cross roads, one being an unpaved road to Waternish, there's no sign to say you are in Glenelg except that one road with a few scattered houses in signed Glenelg Church Road.

The nearest building to the junction is the small volunteer Fire Station

Glenelg Church Road is 5km long, most of it wooded to both sides, then as it joins the main road near Aspen are two churches, nearest to the junction and largest is the United Church, close by a road sign saying Glenelg 5km !  A few hundred yards away is the smaller Glenelg Presbyterian Church.  Bother churches are build of wood and painted white, which seems the norm for the area.

The Presbyterian Church

I was to meet the minister who covers several rural parishes but he had been called away at the last moment.  He had arranged church member and local historian Olive to meet me instead.  We did an audio interview which I will put online at a later date about the history of the place, which raises doubt over whether Glenelg was named directly after its Scottish counterpart, or a British Goverment Minister Lord Glenelg.

It was surprising to see tartan banners hanging high up on the rear wall of the church along with a panel 'Hail to the Tartans', with local clan names and a square of their tartan.

Half of the tartan banners

This is the route on Google maps from the A is the Motel, B is Glenelg 'village' and C the Glenelg Churches at the other end of Glenelg Church Road.

Once I left the Glenelg Churches I headed for Sherbrooke Village, which will be the next post.