Mestern.net

Home .. Email .. Articles .. Simply .. Links

TRAVEL
CANADA
Welcome to Canada

Alberta
Photo Essay

British Columbia
BC - Mainland Photo Essay
Vancouver Island Photo Essay

New Brunswick
Acadian Village
King's Landing

Nova Scotia
Amherst Shore to Pictou
Brier Island Whale Watching
Digby to Annapolis Royal
Granville to Windsor
Photo Essay
Parrsboro to Amherst
Truro to Parrsboro
Windsor to Truro
Yarmouth to Digby

Ontario - North
Autumn Splendor
Driving the TransCanada - The Sault to Wawa
Driving the TransCanada - Wawa to Thunder Bay
North of Superior - Armstrong
North of Superior - Nipigon to Armstrong
North of Superior - Sault Ste. Marie to Terrace Bay
  Sudbury Rocks!
A Woman's Work is Never Done

Ontario - South
A 'Grand' Canyon
A Wee Bit o’ Perth
Christmas in the Valley
Kate Aitken
Lucy Maud
Mennonite Country
Teepee Camping
Tractormania
Fergus - Rural Ontario's Scottish Town

Quebec
Corridor #132 Grosse Ile through Bay St Laurent to Gaspe
Highway #132, L’Islet to Matane
Highway #132, Matane to Gaspe
Highway #132, Perce to Matapedia
Photo Essay
Photo Essay 2
Montmorency Falls, Ile d'Orleans and the Cote de Beaupre
Quebec City's Historical Treasures
Quebec's Old City & Petit Champlain
The Eastern Townships
The Eastern Townships Photo Essay

Festivals
Apple Butter & Cheese
Bee-Town
Blyth
Brighton's AppleFest
Celtic Festival
Elvis Festival
Festival of the Maples
Headwaters Country
Herb Festival
Maple Madness
Northern Lights
Pow Wow
Pumpkin Festival
Scarecrow Festival
Split Rail Festival
Thanksgiving


USA
Connecticut
Introduction
Litchfield
Mystic
Quiet Corner
River Valley

Kentucky
Country Music Highway
Golden Triangle - Photo Essay
Golden Triangle
Kentucky
Kentucky East
Kentucky North
Kentucky South
Kentucky South-Central
River Corridor

Maine
Bar Harbor
Bounding Maine
Classic Maine

Massachusetts
Old Sturbridge Village
Pittsfield
Shelburne

New Hampshire
Mount Washington

New York State
Adirondack's Autumn Surprises
Autumn in the Adirondacks
Grandma Moses
More Than Baseball
Lake Placid

North Carolina
Cape Lookout to Cape Fear
Cruising the Coast
From Sea to Mountain
My Heart's in the Highlands
The Gardens of Eden
Western Reaches - Hidden Treasures Photo Essay
Western Reaches of North Carolina

Ohio
The Quiet Land

Pennsylvania
Beautiful York
Bridges; Markets
Architecture
Festivals, Frolics
The History Trail
The Johnstown Flood

Rhode Island
Newport

South Carolina
Beaufort, Bluffton
& Hilton Head
Charleston and Area
Myrtle Beach
Olde English District
Photo Essay
Thoroughbred Country
Upcountry

Tennessee
Cumberland Highlands
Eastern Tennessee
Knoxville, Norris, Oak Ridge & The Gap
North & East of Nashville
North & West of Nashville
Pickett County - Photo Essay
Photo Essay
South & East of Nashville
South & West of Nashville
The World of Dale Hollow

Vermont
Christmas Village
Bennington
Middlebury Inn

Virginia
Williamsburg

- - - - - - - - - - - -
Britain
Jewels of the North
Breezy Blackpool
Witches and Hot Pot
A Lightning Tour

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Egypt
Egypt

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Greece
The Island of Crete

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Italy
Ancient Rome
Renaissance Rome
Pompeii

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Some tips on
Living Simply
 
 

Yarmouth to Digby
Nova Scotia

Print this page
By Pat Mestern
 

Ferry Terminus in fogMany visitors arrive in Nova Scotia from Maine via the popular CAT that runs between Bar Harbour and Yarmouth. By doing so, they avoid the long drive through northern Maine and southern New Brunswick to reach Nova Scotia shores. The CAT is a fast and exciting way to cross the unpredictable Bay of Fundy, known for the highest tides in the world. The sleek ship makes several crossings every day, the most popular being the one that leaves earliest in the morning. One never knows what weather will be like on the Bay of Fundy. You can leave Bar Harbor in brilliant sunshine and drive off the CAT at the FerryTerminus at Yarmouth Harbour into a wall of fog. Yarmouth's weather is unpredictable. But that's part of the area's charm.

Leaving Bar Harbour on the CATWhichever way one arrives, Nova Scotia welcomes you with open arms. Throughout the province you'll find excellent Visitor Information Centres, chock-a-block full of publications and pamphlets. Nova Scotia Tourism has made travel easy by dividing the province into a number of special interest routes. The town of Yarmouth marks the beginning of both the Evangeline and Lighthouse Trails.

The Evangeline Trail beckons visitors north with pretty coastal scenery, unique architecture, secluded coves and harbours. It winds through French Acadia, the earliest land settled by Europeans in Eastern Canada. The Trail was named for Evangeline, the mythical heroine in Longfellow's popular Victorian-era poem.

Yarmouth town is known for its contrasts. The shore can change from gorgeous white sand beaches to rocky ledges that sweep dramatically into the Bay of Fundy. You can encounter brilliant sunshine or pea-soup fog. What never changes is the kindness and friendliness of Yarmouth folk. Their warmth and hospitality are legendary. The area is also known for its proliferation of flowers, seabirds and animals. Depending on the season, you'll be treated to displays of wild lupin, iris and brier roses.

Primative CraftsFounded in 1761, Yarmouth boasts excellent examples of early retail and residential architectural styles. The community takes pride in its history with museums such as the Pelton-Fuller House, W. Laurence Sweeny Museum, Yarmouth County Museum and Research Centre and Firefighters Museum of Nova Scotia. A self-guided tour, the "Yarmouth Walk", gives a broad perspective on the community's history and architecture. The town is noted for Fish & Chip wagons on the public wharf during high visitor seasons. Vendors have made serving battered deep-fried fish and crispy french fries into to a fine art. Being a seaport, seafood is abundant and well prepared in local restaurants.

Cape Forchu route #1No visit to Yarmouth County is complete without touring the Cape Forchu Scenic Drive which ends at Yarmouth Lighthouse. The light sits highon a spectacular rocky prominence that juts into the Bay at the western entrance to the harbour. Signs warn people not to get to close to the edge and not to climb on slippery rocks. The sea has claimed several lives in this area. There are some great beach-combing spots along Cape Forchu Scenic Drive. A monument is erected to all seafaring sons from Yarmouth County at John's Cove, the site of the first ship launch in the county which took place in 1764. Along the Cape Forchu route residents offer folk art and crafts, usually laid out on tables by the roadside. In typical Nova Scotian fashion you pay on the honour system by placing the money in a jar on the table.

Salmon River Fish Drying RacksYarmouth County boasts Scots, Irish and French Acadian history. A number of annual festivals are held to honour this heritage including Festival Acadien du Wedgeport, Highland Dance Competitions, the Festival de La Barge and Festival Acadian de Sainte Anne du Ruisseau.

To thoroughly enjoy the Evangeline Trail, be prepared to take a number of side trips down gravel roads that lead to secluded harbours and sheltered coves. These byways provide the most unique experiences the Fundy shore has to offer. Wharfs, breakwaters, harbours and coves await discovery. Places like Pembroke Shore, Chegoggin Point Wharf and Sandfort Breakwater with the smallest drawbridge in North America are a photographer's delight. Salmon River with its old fish drying racks, is an unpretentious "as-is" attraction. These enclaves are unsophisticated, tiny working habitations and as one local fellow said, "We don't gussy-up for anybody. You take us as we come."

Samllest Drawing BridgeNorth of Yarmouth, from Port Maitland to St. Bernard, the Evangeline Trail becomes the longest, most interesting "main street" in the world. Acadians had a penchant for building homes and business close to the Highway. The overall appearance is of a string of buildings that runs for at least fifty miles on both sides of the highway like a long residential main street. Land sweeps to the sea on one side and to shore-lands on the other. Not only is there great scenery along the route but a wonderful sense of community.

The Port Maitland to St. Bernard area is known as Clare's French Shore on the Evangeline Trail. The highway hugs the shore for twenty-five miles. Each mile gives another intimate glimpse into French Acadian culture. The Acadian language is often spoken along the route but you will find it hard to understand as it is a mix of 17th century French with an interesting twist of Mi'Kmaq and English. In this area, the long spine of land that is Digby Neck slices south and west into the Bay of Fundy, creating sheltered St. Mary's Bay.

Be sure to turn-off Highway #1 to see the fishing village of Cape St. Mary, and Mavillette Beach. Cape View Restaurant at Mavillette Beach serves an excellent Rappie Pie, an Acadian specialty. From this restaurant there are views of gorgeous sunsets over St. Mary's Bay toward Digby Neck. Another local delicacy is pickled green onions and salted fish snacks, advertised for sale from houses along the route.

Meteghan Tuna Fishing Fleet         Smuggler's Cove

Smuggler's Cove is next on your list of must-sees. Watch for signs on Highway #1. There's no need to climb down to the shore at Smuggler's Cove. From high bluffs there are excellent views of the Bay and cave. Another stop should be at the Port of Meteghan which is home to a number of fishing fleets. If trailering, be sure to purchase some fresh seafood around the dock area. The community of Meteghan also boasts La Vieille Maison Museum and St. Alphonse Church.

French heritage is most concentrated from Saulnierville to St. Bernard. Important Acadian historical attractions are located in this area and include the Genealogical Centre, lst Acadian Cemetery, The Acadian Centre, St. Mary's Church. The Universite Ste-Anne and Musee Ste. Marie with its great display of church vestments and furnishings, photographs and written material, are located in Church Point.

St. Bernard ChurchAcadian history is intertwined with the Catholic religion. Many churches are located along the Evangeline Trail, all of them architectural beauties and well worth a visit. If doors are open and a sign posted out-front, you're welcome to stop and tour. Eglise Ste. Marie is one of the largest wooden churches in North America. The majestic granite-stone edifice of St. Bernard Church, largest along the Acadian route, was built over a period of 32 years.

Lighthouses line the trail and are signed so that visitors can enjoy great vistas over the Bay. In particular, Gilbert Cove has a restored decommissioned lighthouse that is open to the general public June through mid-September.

Maude Lewis MemorialYour last stop before Digby, should be at the monument to Maude Lewis, Canada's own twentieth century, a primitive folk artist. Maude lived in the Digby and Marshalltown areas all her life. A steel structure, representing the exact size of diminutive Maude's small home sits on the Marshalltown site, along with a plaque that gives some personal details.

Light houseAlthough Digby is only 50 miles from Yarmouth, give yourself lots of time for exploration of tiny shore-side enclaves by spending one day driving between the two communities. If you're planning a trip in May, September or October, be prepared to find some restaurants and accommodations closed. All retail is closed on Sunday. In contrast, the months of July and August can be so busy you'll not find accommodation. It is highly recommended that you make accommodation reservations well in advance of any trip. For an all-day jaunt down the byways, pack a picnic lunch and stop every time you see a restroom facility. If you don't, you'll wish you had! Signage is unobtrusive so watch closely or you'll miss some great areas. Coffee and donut shops cannot be found on every corner. On the other hand, it is most refreshing not to be assaulted by fast food outlets at every turn in the road. Rural Nova Scotia is down-home Canada at it best. Enjoy!

Digby WharfIf you chose to spend a night in Digby, dubbed the most romantic place in Canada, you're in for a treat. The town is home to the largest scallop fleet on the east coast. From Memorial Look-off on Water Street there are great views over Fisherman's Wharf, the fleet and The Joggin. Digby offers all tourism amenities including good accommodation, restaurants to suit all tastes and a wide variety of retail outlets.

IF YOU GO:


Copyright © 2005 Mestern.Net All rights reserved.