July 26 – August 1, 2018
Where the beaches never end, the lobster is always fresh, and the people wave as much as the sea. — Nova Scotia’s South Shore Visitor and Activity Guide 2018-19
This stop took us to the South Shore of Nova Scotia for an experience very unlike Cape Breton.
Wayside Campground
Our home for the week was Wayside Campground. This 150 site campground is tucked away just off of Peggy’s Cove Road in Glen Margaret. Frequented by seasonal campers who have been coming here for years, this campground was one of the friendliest of our trip thus far. Our campsite was a spacious grassy back-in site that we thoroughly enjoyed.
Peggy’s Cove
Our first outing took us to Peggy’s Cove with it’s iconic lighthouse. The area was supposedly named after the only survivor of a schooner that sank here in 1800. The lighthouse sits on massive granite boulders that were scattered long ago by retreating glaciers. This lighthouse, one of the most photographed in Canada, marks the entrance to a sheltered cove filled with fishing boats. As you can see from the photographs below, the weather for this visit was foggy. The photos at the beginning of this post are from a return visit on a sunny day.
Here are some photos of the harbor and town. What a photogenic place!
From Peggy’s Cove we continued following route 333 southeast along the coast with a side trip into Prospect. There were no shortage of photo ops along our route. Eventually the road joined the main highway so we headed back to the camper for the night.
Aspotogan Peninsula
For our second outing we drove northwest from the campground along part of the Lighthouse Loop and around the Aspotogan Peninsula. Again the day started out gray and foggy.
We stopped at the Swiss Air 111 Memorial near Bayswater Beach. The flight from JFK to Geneva, Switzerland crashed into the Atlantic on Sept. 2, 1998 five miles offshore – roughly equidistant from Peggy’s Cove and Bayswater. It had been diverted to Halifax International Airport after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit. The fire quickly spread and the doomed aircraft stuck the ocean approximately 25 minutes later with an estimated speed of 345 mph. The monument lists the names of the 229 men, women, and children who were onboard. The unidentified remains of the victims are buried at this site.
Chester
After completing the Aspotogan Peninsula loop we continued on to Chester where the sun finally emerged. For lunch, we stopped at the Fo’c’sle Tavern (Nova Scotia’s Oldest Rural Pub). Depending on where you sit, you’re in a former grocery store, stable, inn or tavern dating back to 1764.
From Chester we had originally planned to go on to Mahone Bay and Lunenburg but since it was already late in the day we decided to head back to the campground.
Lunenburg and Mahone Bay
A few days later it was time to continue our exploration of the Lighthouse Loop by driving to Lunenburg. The United Nations recognized Lunenberg as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 for its preservation of Old Town, for having the best surviving example of a British Colonial grid-pattern street layout, and for its authenticity as a working town.
This area was called Merligueche by the Mi’kmaq people who used the harbor for seasonal shelter and gathering clams. The French moved into the area to harvest the red oak and hemlock in the 1630’s. By 1749 when the British were looking to expand into the area, all that remained of the French settlement was the household of “Old Labrador”, a man of French and Mi’kmaq descent. To establish Lunenburg, the British recruited people from the Upper Rhine region. On June 8, 1753 a group of 1453 German, Swiss, and French farmers landed near the mouth of the harbor to start a new life. These founding fathers, know as the Foreign Protestants, survived due to a strong work ethic and the resilience of moving from farming to fishing and ship building (at which they excelled). In fact, the Bluenose was built here in 1921. It is also the home port for the Bluenose II.
For our introduction to this beautiful town, we chose to take a horse and buggy tour with Trot in Time. Our driver expertly navigated our buggy through the narrow streets from the waterfront to the highest point of the town while telling us about the history and significance of the town, its residents, and its architecture. One of the most interesting architectural features is the Lunenburg “bump” – an enlarged dormer that extends over the eaves. The bump symbolized wealth. The more bumps, the wealthier the owner.
At the conclusion of our tour, we spent some time checking out the various shops near the waterfront including the Bluenose II Company Store.
Following lunch we investigated Blue Rocks (a tiny community not far from Lunenburg known for its bluish slate rocks) and then drove to Mahone Bay in an attempt to photograph the well-known view of the three churches – Trinity United (1861), St. John’s Lutheran (1903), and St. James Anglican (1887). Unfortunately the sun angle and lack of parking opportunities prevented us from getting the best photo. You’ll just have to use your imagination.
Halifax
No trip to the south shore of Nova Scotia can be complete without visiting Halifax.
Used by the Mi’kmaq as a summer camping and fishing area, this large ice-free harbor drew the attention of the British. Captain General Edward Cornwallis and 2500 settlers established a colony and fort here in 1749 to counter the French fortress at Louisbourg in Cape Breton. They named the new colony Halifax, in honour of Lord Halifax, President of the British Board of Trade at that time.
The City of Halifax played a major role in the aftermath of the Titanic tragedy in 1912. Within hours of the sinking of the Titanic, the White Star Lines commissioned ships from Halifax to recover bodies of the victims. Of the 209 bodies recovered, 150 were laid to rest in three Halifax cemetaries.
In 1917, Halifax experienced the largest man-made explosion before the nuclear bomb. This disaster (known as the Halifax Explosion) occurred when a French munitions ship exploded after colliding with a Belgian relief ship in the harbor. Approximately 2,000 people were killed and another 9,000 injured. Thousands were left without shelter and a large portion of the city was devastated. Medical professionals traveled to Halifax from all over Nova Scotia and from as far away as Boston to assist in the aftermath.
Today the harbor area boasts a bustling boardwalk lined with shops and eateries.
Farewell to Canada
They say all good things must come to an end and thus it was with our Canadian adventure. The time had come to cross the border and continue our exploits in Maine and beyond.
