The northern part of Nova Scotia is Cape Breton Island. On its territory, there are two world-famous tourist attractions. The first is the scenic Cabot Trail. It is 298 km long, forms a loop, runs along both coasts, and also passes through the territory of the second attraction, Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
The first overnight stay on the island was at Whycocomagh Provincial Park. Since the season didn’t open until May 16th, we were able to stay overnight for free.
And we skipped our planned hiking trip there because the weather was only supposed to improve for one or two days at most. So the next day, we continued along the famous and beautiful Cabot Trail.
The most famous and certainly the most beautiful hiking trail in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park is the Skyline Loop. It starts at a short turn from the Cabot Trail, where parking at its beginning is allowed from 05.00 to 23.30. The entire circuit is more than 8 km long. It leads through a forest path, ending above the cliffs, with a view of the Cabot Trail and Pleasant Bay. More photos from Skyline Loop.
We were more than happy to see that our neighbours are from the neighbouring home country and that their crew of three also includes a furry friend, a cute dog named Nea. Mozart’s country is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe, in our opinion.
On the other side of the island, on the Atlantic coast, we had a pleasant overnight stay at the Ingonish Beach campground. The campground was still officially closed, the services were not working, but the parking was. And that was enough for us. In addition to us, there was one more car parked there, whose crew also consisted of two cats. One of them was so curious about our furry crew members that she jumped onto the car’s hood. However, she did not meet with understanding from our Murko.
After a pleasant night at the Ingonish Beach Campground, we headed to Fortress Louisburg Historic Site. It played an important role in the overseas French empire in the 18th century. As a center of trade and a military base. Its heyday was stopped by the military conquest of the 7 English. Almost none of its buildings have survived. And so in 1961, the Canadian government decided to invest 25 million dollars in the reconstruction of this historic site. About a quarter of the fortress was reconstructed to its 1840s appearance. Today, it serves as a pleasant place for visitors to learn about the territory’s history.
More photos from Fortress of Louisburg.
Schooner Pond Cove provided us with a quiet, nice place for an overnight on the Atlantic Coast.
The Miners Museum in Glace Bay and Fort Petrie Military Museum were two places we visited during the wait after buying tickets for the ferry to Newfoundland Island.
Aconi Point Beach was the place where we spent our last night on Cape Breton Island. This place is both interesting and important to Nova Scotia. It is the point at which a 170 km-long submarine cable connects the province of Nova Scotia and the island of Newfoundland, providing electricity.
However, after visiting many attractive places on Cape Breton Island, we were looking forward to arriving in Newfoundland the next day by ferry.
May 2025
