If we have previously spoken, it is more than likely that you will know how much I adore Canada and that I have spent considerable time in many different areas across this wonderful country.
I love the main tourist destinations such as Toronto, Niagara Falls, the majestic Rockies and Vancouver, but there are many other beautiful parts that I feel are often overlooked.
Atlantic Canada is the region that comprises the three provinces of The Maritimes - New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island - along with the easternmost province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
With the exception of Labrador, I am lucky enough to have visited them all, and I am planning on exploring Newfoundland further as soon as I am able to.
I will guide you through some of the highlights of these areas but please contact me if you would like a more expansive report.
Nova Scotia
Halifax is the provincial capital and the main entry into Atlantic Canada and at only six and a half hours flying time from the UK, it is much closer than you may think.
I love to stroll along the thriving waterfront’s wooden boardwalk, browsing the shops and galleries housed in the historic buildings. I recommend a visit to the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.
For refreshment, visit the popular Alexander Keith’s Nova Scotia Brewery, which first opened its doors almost 200 years ago. Sample the locally inspired small batch and limited-edition beers whilst being treated to live music from some of the city’s talented young musicians.
History enthusiasts will be eager to check out the Halifax Citadel, a large early 19th-century stone fortification where the firing of the Noon Gun in tribute to the city’s history as a British military stronghold has been a daily tradition since 1857.
The sinking of the Titanic back in 1912 also had an enormous impact on the maritime city of Halifax. Although it lies 700 miles northwest of the site where the ship sank, Halifax became the epicentre of the recovery effort, reflected in the displays of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and the graveyard that is the resting place for many of the victims.
Away from Halifax, there are several beautiful towns and villages to visit, none more so than Lunenburg, one of Nova Scotia’s six UNESCO sites and considered to be the best of the surviving planned British colonial towns in North America.
Its harbour-side streets are lined with unique shops and restaurants that blend with the well-preserved and colourfully painted homes giving the feel of a living 18th century museum.
Speaking of which, the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic and its extraordinary aquarium is well worth a visit here.
One of my favourite places is Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse. Built in 1915, no beacon is as photographed as this one that keeps watch over the surging ocean waves and working lobster boats. If visiting in the autumn, a drive to this vibrant fishing village from Halifax is a great way to see the foliage.
A hidden gem of Nova Scotia is Cape Breton Island. Its Highlands National Park is an outdoor adventure hot-spot with hiking trails, magnificent beaches, stunning look-out points, campgrounds, waterfalls, and world class golf at Highlands Links.
I have driven the Cabot Trail, a 185-mile loop around the island, that passes through the National Park at its northernmost point and is known as one of the world's most scenic routes.
Prince Edward Island
Commonly known as PEI, the island is reached by ferry from Caribou or by driving over the Confederation Bridge, a world-famous feat of engineering that connects to the mainland over the Northumberland Strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
At 12.9 km long, it is the world’s longest bridge over ice-covered waters, taking ten minutes to cross and reaching 60 metres above sea level at its highest point.
Canada’s smallest province is famous for its red sand beaches, red soil, potatoes, and the irrepressible Anne of Green Gables.
PEI produces approximately 2.5 billion pounds of potatoes each year, accounting for 25% of Canada’s potato production.
No place on the island is more than 16 km from the sea. The 273 km Confederation Trail runs from one tip of the island to the other on old railway beds and is open to walkers, cyclists and runners during summer, and snowmobiles in winter.
With over 800 km of beaches, it’s hard to pick out just one, but Singing Sands Beach in Basin Head Provincial Park has been ranked as one of Canada’s best.
Anne of Green Gables was written by PEI native, Lucy Maud Montgomery and published in 1908. It is set near Cavendish Beach and you can visit the house that inspired the book.
The island boasts sensational seafood. I enjoyed an incredible lobster dinner in the capital Charlottetown, which is home to an International Shellfish Festival every September.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick was one of the first areas of Canada to be settled by Europeans in the early 17th century. It still holds onto its Acadian French culture, particularly in the north, and is the country’s only official bilingual province.
With its swathe of wild coastline, New Brunswick offers plenty of outdoor activities, including hiking, whale watching, bird watching, kayaking and mountain biking.
Saint John is its biggest city, a quaint, lively town sitting on the picturesque Bay of Fundy, site of the world’s highest tides, which can rise to over 16 metres.
Due to these incredible tides, the Saint John River flows backwards twice daily, causing a startling phenomenon. The water level in the bay rises above the level of the river and due to the force of the incoming tide overpowering the current of the outgoing river, its water begins to flow upstream, completely in reverse.
New rapids form and flow in the opposite direction and the effect of the tide is felt as far upriver as the city of Fredericton, almost 120 km northwest.
An excellent spot to experience the bay’s tides is Hopewell Rocks, where at high tide, visitors can kayak off the coast. Then, as the tide shifts and recedes, they can walk along the ocean floor and observe its oddly shaped rock formations.
Back in the early 20th century, St Andrews-by-the-Sea, along the southern coast, served as a haven for wealthy New Yorkers and Bostonians. The charm that attracted them is still evident today, illustrated by many of the town’s 19th century buildings. It’s a great place for a spot of lunch and shopping.
The stretch of water between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick provides a summer feeding ground and nursery for humpback, minke and finback whales. You can venture out on a boat trip to see them from either side of the bay.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador span a huge area on Canada’s rugged Atlantic Coast, reaching up into the remote north, making it the wildest and least populated of the provinces.
Coloured by Irish, English, French and indigenous influences, its culture and heritage run deep, the rich tales and traditions can be widely experienced across the region.
Newfoundland is known as the seabird capital of North America with a population of 35 million including half a million Atlantic puffins.
I have been to some parts of Newfoundland and there are tons of opportunities for wildlife watching along with hiking, biking and kayaking in the stunning countryside.
The locals are warm and friendly, the fishing villages are colourful and the sea views are ever changing. I have already planned to see more imminently.
The capital, St John's, has one of the most colour waterfronts in the world. The rows of houses were painted in different colours to help ships see them through the fog and George Street in the main town has Canada’s most pubs per square foot.
Heading northwest, Gros Morne National Park is another UNESCO World Heritage Site of incredible beauty. Tectonic plate collisions have thrust the red rocks of the earth’s mantle to the surface and the dramatic tablelands can be strolled over as well as the ancient seabed.
Best of all though are the deep, glacial fjords, like Western Brook Pond. A boat tour can take you close enough to feel the spray from some of the continent’s highest waterfalls.
Whale watching is a big draw too. The world’s largest population of humpbacks visit annually to feed in the rich waters, plus an additional 21 species of whales and dolphins can be seen, including minke, sperm, orca and blue whales.
However, they aren’t the only ocean giants on offer here. Iceberg Alley runs from the coast of Labrador to the southeast of Newfoundland and is a great place to watch 10,000 year old relics of the Ice Age float by. As huge icebergs detach from glaciers in Greenland, the current carries them past towns like Battle Harbour and Twillingate.
I do like a lighthouse, and the one at Cape Spear is the oldest surviving and the easternmost point of North America. It has been in operation since 1836 and is now a National Historic Site.
It seems fitting to conclude my introduction to Unexplored Eastern Canada with Fogo Island, one of the most amazing places I have ever visited. You may have seen it featured on the BBC TV series, Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby.
To reach it requires a five-hour drive north from St John's to Farewell to pick up the ferry to Fogo, a 45-minute voyage. As some may have experienced, I do get very excited about travelling. Arriving here and staying at the incredible Fogo Island Inn was a real pinch myself moment.
Although the largest of Newfoundland and Labrador's offshore islands, Fogo is only 25 km long and 14 km wide. Rugged and windswept, it offers a unique experience, and for those that believe the Earth is flat, one of the four corners of the world is found here.
Perched partially on metal stilts above wave-battered rocks, Fogo Island Inn’s modern, angular outline rises from the landscape like a mirage. Built of whitewashed wood and designed to encompass both local traditions and a contemporary style, the property directly faces the North Atlantic Ocean, which provides a constant backdrop.
The stunning hotel has been built to directly benefit the island and its people, placing great emphasis on social and environmental responsibilities.
It comprises 29 spectacular suites with wooden heated floors, custom-designed wallpaper, hand-crafted furniture and brightly coloured quilts by local artisans.
The dining room provides a window to the edge of the wild North Atlantic, where you can watch bobbing icebergs and observe the full force of storms rolling in whilst enjoying creative local dishes.
Another wonderful highlight here is the opportunity to spend some quality time with the Inn’s charming resident Newfoundland dogs Make and Break, named after the engines traditionally used by local fishermen.
However, it is far from just being about the spectacular architecture, luxurious accommodation and exceptional service.
The activities and adventures available at Fogo Island Inn provide an insight into life here and showcase the island’s diverse flora and fauna and unique wildlife experiences, from spotting Atlantic puffins and caribou to taking to the water in search of seals and whales.
Fogo has unique seasons and whenever you travel, there is an abundance of activities to embark on. There are paths and hiking trails over rugged terrain, where wildflowers and berries carpet the island in late summer through to autumn. Later in autumn is a perfect time to star gaze from the rooftop hot tubs, and the winter ‘ice season’ is a wonderland when you can ice skate and snowmobile.
I hope that my introduction to Unexplored Eastern Canada may inspire adding this wonderful part of the world to your travel bucket list.
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