Nova Scotia - Cape Breton Island

Map of Nova Scotia. For this portion of our trip, we stayed near Cheticamp on Cape Breton Island (which is the entire region circled).

7/25/25 – We drove through Cape Breton Highlands National Park (the darker green area north and east of Cheticamp on the map) on the way to play golf on the other side of the peninsula. 

The scenery in Cape Breton Highlands N.P. reminded us of Scotland.  How did the immigrants from Scotland land in a place so similar to their home?

We played 18 holes at Keltic Lodge at the Highlands (which is actually inside and part of the National Park).

The scenery on the course was gorgeous with the mountains, ponds, and the Atlantic Ocean in the background.

When we caught up to the two guys in front of us, they invited us to join them.  Randy and Stanley were very friendly and fun.

If people aren't speaking French, you can definitely hear the Canadian accent!!!

After golf Pat and I had dinner at the Lodge’s restaurant.  We had a nice view of North Bay of Ingonish.  We were glad to be home when the 2-hour drive home included dense fog and a downpour!

7/26/25 – In the morning, I did some research about things to do in the area, including where to do a run. 

The view from Cheticamp Island. We ran on a dirt road where we could see Cheticamp, the highlands behind, and several herons. 

The road crossed into free-range cattle land where we ended up dodging cattle, including a massive bull!  We've never had to do that on a run before!!

After dinner, we walked to the beach.

We saw a pretty sunset

I was amazed at how many different colored pebbles I found on the beach

The power was out from mid-morning until 8pm.  The RV host said that all of Cape Breton Island was without power!  We actually felt fortunate to be in an RV because we had lights and we could cook via propane! 

7/27/25 – We drove about one hour south to the Inverness area, where we visited the Glenora Inn and Distillery. 

The grounds were beautiful!

We shared a flight of their single malt whiskey (can’t call it Scotch outside of Scotland!) and a tasty, but slow, lunch.  Without asking, our server gave us the food for free. 

At 2pm we went on a tour of the distillery. 

It was a crap tour, especially for $7pp, since it included an outdated video and a lackluster tour guide. 

The disappointment continued.  My guidebook called the area “the bastion of Celtic music” so we were hoping to stop into some pubs and hear some good musicians.  The first place was closed because the town still didn’t have power.  The second place, a microbrewery, had no music OR BEER!  The third place didn’t have music until the evening but at least we enjoyed a beverage.  I had read about the 69^th annual Broad Cove Scottish Concert but we didn’t want to pay the $25 entrance or spend the afternoon so we drove through the parking lot and briefly heard some Celtic music!

We drove back to the RV and at dinnertime went to the Seafood Stop

We stood in a line for about 20 minutes but it was worth it.  We both had great lobster fresh from the lobster tank.  Based on people knowing each other, it seemed like this was the place where Cheticamp locals come for their seafood. 

We've noticed every house has a unique, handmade box near the road. We are assuming they use these instead of plastic garbage bins.

7/28/25 – Puffinpalooza!!  When we were in Ireland, we had tried a couple of times to see Puffins.  One time the boat trip was cancelled due to weather.  Our 2nd try, at the Cliffs of Moher, the boat ride was too rough to see anything.  My only sighting was a tiny speck through binoculars from atop the Cliffs of Moher.  So when I found out about Donelda’s Puffin Boat Tours, 1.5 hours from where we were staying, I was very excited. 

The day didn’t disappoint!  We motored about 45 minutes from Englishtown to the two Bird Islands.  We saw THOUSANDS of Puffins floating on the water, flying around, and sitting near/in their cliff-side burrows.

We were surprised how small Puffins are (10-12" tall). They only come to land when having their young. The other 9 months they are on the water.

We also saw lots of seals, cormorants, Bald Eagles, Blue Herons, razorbills, and other birds. 

Puffins are Bald Eagle prey so they take flight when the eagles do!

We saw lots of seals in the water, and a few resting on the rocks.

On the way back to shore, Donelda threw a fish out for “her” Bald Eagle so we could watch it circle, swoop, and carry away the fish. 

What an unforgettable experience!!  Pat, who is usually ho-hum about birds, even loved it.  We celebrated with another “lobster supper” in Baddeck (although I opted for the snow crab options). 

On the way to Englishtown, we had time for a 1.5 hour stop at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site in Baddeck.  He was from Scotland and retired here after his career in the US (teaching the deaf and inventing the telephone).

The massive Bras d'Or Lake behind the Alexander Graham Bell NHS

7/29/25 – We drove back into the Cape Breton Highlands National Park to do some hiking.  Luckily, we were able to do the 5.1-mile Skyline trail...it is often closed when the parking lot gets full. 

We had great views of the shoreline

I enjoyed eating wild raspberries and blueberries next to the trail.  Pat had read about a short trail that had insect-eating plants and a chance to see moose so we stopped there next.

Insects slide down the sides of the Pitcher Plant where downward pointing hairs and rainwater prevent escape.  Plant enzymes dissolve the insect’s soft parts and undigested skeletons collect at the bottom of the pitchers. 

After dinner at the RV we went to The Doryman Pub and Grill in Cheticamp.   

We finally heard some Celtic music!!  These guys were awesome!!

7/30/25 – Another beautiful day but I had to get some laundry done and update the blog.  Pat continued with his on-line coding course.  We returned to Cheticamp Island for a run.  On the way home, we went to the Seafood Stop to pick up some fresh salmon.  Since they only had it frozen, we "settled" for the lobster ($38US for 2)! 

It was precooked so all Pat had to do was heat it up on the grill

We leave in the morning for 8 days in the Halifax area.