by Peter Payan
Angry Seas on Cape Breton Island
After leaving our bag in our bedroom, we chatted with our hosts, admiring their house and location. With time to explore before having supper, we drove back to the fork and turned right, heading for the North Cape itself.
As we drove along the twisting road I said to my wife, “Now we’re being real explorers, wandering down to the sea to see what’s there.”
After passing through a few small villages and climbing through a mountain pass, we came to the end of the road in Bay St Lawrence. Formerly a fishing port, its wharves were now deserted and its houses empty. With the Cod Fishery closed, there was little work to be had and many families had given up and moved away.
Rocky Shores at Bay St Catherine
After a quick look around, I remembered seeing a sign for Meat Cove. “Ok”, I said, “one more place to go. Keep watching for the road as we head back. I don’t want to miss it this time!”
Sure enough, as we drove through the next village, there it was on our right, almost hidden beneath the hillside. The signboard told us that Capstick was 3 km away and Meat Cove, 7km.
With houses clinging to the hillside, the scenery was rugged. Paved until we reached Capstick, the narrow road became dirt after the village. Intrigued by the unknown, we continued slowly along it, discovering its many twists and turns. Being a secondary road, it followed the contours of the land with its many hills and corners.
A Winding Mountain Road at Meat Cove
At last we reached Meat Cove and found the road’s end in a campground. After looking at the beautiful scenery, we dropped into a small café and asked the owner about the area. “The Cove got its name,” she replied, “in the 1800′s when sailing ships took refugefrom the storms and the sailors went ashore to look for wildlife to kill for its meat. Finding it abundant, it became a regular reprovisioning stop. We even have a School bus service because families with children live here year-round. The driver comes every day unless the school is closed because of the weather.”
Looking back the way we’d come, we noticed a house high above the road. “What wonderful views they must have,” I remarked, “but I imagine being so high on the hill, they must have windy days too.”
Meat Cove - Cabot Trail
Returning to our car, we drove back to Cape North and our B&B. Leaving the car in the driveway, we wandered along the road to see where it went. Past the last house it became a dirt track leading down a hill towards the beach. Deciding that we didn’t need the exercise of walking back up the hill if we followed it, we wisely decided to go back for supper.
Asking our hosts about places to eat within the village, they told us of a small place nearby with excellent food. Following their directions we quickly found it and enjoyed a great supper.
Later, back at our lodgings, we went straight to bed, tired but pleased with our day.
After a hearty breakfast the next morning, we thanked our hosts and left to continue our journey. Thinking that we needn’t check the map, we were looking for side roads heading towards the sea. This proved to be a mistake when we turned onto one and ended by the sea in someone’s yard.
“I did wonder,” I remarked, “why there so little traffic on it.” To which my wife replied, “Well, we have lots of time before our next stop so an error or two won’t matter.”
Later we stopped in Ingonish to buy gas. Noticing a craft shop nearby, my wife said, “Let’s check it out.” As we wandered around it, I found books about the island and my wife, a cosmetic case. After looking at the beautiful, but expensive, hand-made leather goods, we resisted buying any.
When I asked about the shortest way to our next stop in “Little Pond”, they said, “Take route 312 after Indian Brook. You will see a sign for Englishtown and save yourselves lots of time.”
Following their directions, we soon found ourselves driving along a sandbar towards a ferry. Connected to a steel cable, it used the tidal currents to take us across the strait for only five dollars.
St Anne's Ferry - Cape Breton
Next month the adventure continues as we drive off the ferry into the unknown!
© PeterPayan 2010
This entry was posted by ppayan on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 12:00 am and is filed under Travellers' Tales.
You can be notified of any comments on this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a comment in the box at the bottom of the post.
Print This Post
After you click the print button, a new page will appear.
Click the link at the bottom right of the page to print it.