A dense mist hung in the air when we left the Four-Mile Beach Inn Thursday morning (9-1-16) and headed south down the Cabot Trail along the northeast coast of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. At breakfast a couple from Halifax told us about a great hike nearby to White Point.
White Point was not even on our radar. Our new friends were so excited about it we had to check it out.
The trail was wet and covered with loose gravel that kept the mud at bay. The views were stark and awesome.
The ground off the trails was covered with a thick mat of tiny ferns that created a lush carpet.
The craggy tip of White Point thrust into the open Atlantic posing a menace to boats headed into port. This hike turned out to be our favorite for the entire trip and it wasn’t even in the National Park.
The moose antlers tacked to the front of a boat shed at White Point Harbor gave us hope that we might see a moose on the trail, but it was not meant to be.
Our last hike in Cape Breton was to Chutes Mary Ann Falls. Rain made the wooden steps to the base of the falls hazardous.
Mary Ann Falls were not grand, but the tea colored water made them seem mysterious in the damp and dark hollow.
We exited the Cabot Trail and headed inland along the west shore of Bras d′Or Lake. All that hiking made us thirsty and we stopped for a tasting flight at Big Spruce Brewing in Nyanza. I promised Karen food here and all they served was beer. But, we were directed back to Baddeck for the pizza Karen was craving.
The Yellow Cello Cafe served up a delicious lobster pizza. Just what Karen was looking for. Eating all that pizza called for a stroll before we hit the road again.
Baddeck’s pier offered lovely views of the lake.
Abundant fish, surrounding mountains and dense forests make the perfect home for this eagle. He has a freshly swooped on fish in his talons and is headed for a suitable perch to eat it.
Another recommendation at breakfast was to be sure and stop at Wildfire Pottery before leaving Cape Breton Island. Sarah Beck created the beautiful artwork here and her husband played Celtic folk music for us while Karen shopped.
We bid farewell to Cape Breton Island and made a beeline for the Seascape Cottages in Tracadie. Cottage #3 was clean and comfortable.
We watched the night creep in over the estuary from the cottage’s deck and congratulated ourselves on another fun and exhausting day. Tomorrow we would head back to Halifax, completing our circumnavigation of Nova Scotia.