Category: Cape Breton Island

The city of Sydney is often referred to as the unofficial capital of Cape Breton Island.  Much of the island’s population lives in and around the Cape Breton Regional Municipality which includes Sydney and much of the smaller towns and villages in Industrial Cape Breton.  It is also the place that most incoming visitors will experience first and it is worth the extra time to spend a day visiting the many attractions that are located in the city. There is a couple of museums in the downtown area of Sydney including St. Patrick’s Church and Cossit House in the North […]

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Wreck Cove is only a small village but it is a main stop along the route to the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.  It is also one of the gateways to the road system that lies atop the Highlands and takes visitors across this section of the island via gravel roads that literally are on top of the mountains.  This area of Cape Breton is among the best places for hunting, fishing and wilderness camping. Wreck Cove General Store is a popular resting area along this route.  One can fill up on fuel, grab some food and drinks for the […]

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Margaree is located in the center of Cape Breton Island and is part of the Cabot Trail.  The area consists of scenery that is vastly different from the coastal areas of the island. Visitors can access Margaree via several exits on the Trans Canada Highway.  Margaree is an area comprising of several small communities including Margaree Forks, Margaree Harbour and Southwest Margaree and you will often hear the area referred to simply as The Margarees. The interior Margarees are characterized by valleys and farmlands.  A main road runs through the area with side roads going off into smaller communities.  Along […]

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Very few Cape Bretoners are aware that the island is home to a monastery so it’s a given that many of the tourists are not aware of it either.  I just happened to be driving through Pleasant Bay along the Cabot Trail when I decided to take a drive down a road I’d never been down before.  That road, Red River Road, took me on a scenic drive along the coast.  When the pavement changed to gravel, my curiosity got the better of me and I kept going until I came upon a peculiar sight; a Buddhist shrine.  I parked […]

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About five minutes past the Englishtown Ferry along the Northern Shore highway is the very small community of Indian Brook.  Anyone heading around the Cabot Trail has to pass through Indian Brook but very few are aware of the fact that there are a couple of attractions that make a stop in the area worthwhile. Indian Brook Falls, although a little difficult to get to, are well-worth the trek through the woods.  One can park on the left-hand side of the road (if you are coming from Englishtown) near the bridge and start the hike to the falls on the […]

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One of the highlights of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park is the town of Ingonish.  Ingonish may be small but there are many things to do in every season. The most popular attraction in the village is the long, sandy beach of Ingonish Beach.  In the summer months, hundreds of people gather on the beach to swim and spend the day relaxing in the sun.  A freshwater lake suitable for swimming in located nearby and a walking trail surrounds that entire lake. Ingonish is home to a number of other beaches including Black Brook and North Bay Beach.  There […]

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Baddeck is one of the most widely visited villages in Cape Breton.  People from all over the world come for the sailing, fine dining, shopping and world-class resorts. The arena in the center of town is a popular gathering place in the town and many people have often wondered where the little motorized raft that scoots back and forth across the bay is going.  I used to be one of those people until I finally asked about it. I discovered that the little passenger ferry was run by the local Lion’s Club and was taking people to Kidston Island.  My […]

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Inverness is said to be the hub of Western Cape Breton.  Although it is a very small town, there is much to see and do in the area and it is a main stop along the Cabot Trail. Like so many other towns on the island, the town’s main attraction is its long, sandy beach.  Inverness Beach can be reached from a number of the side roads that branch off from the main one.  The beach has a small take-out, a boardwalk and waters suitable for swimming during the summer months. The main street in the town is home to […]

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Since I was a child, I heard the stories about the mysterious swimming hole located at Cape Dauphin near Kelly’s Mountain.  I finally got the chance to visit the Glooscap Caves, or Fairy Hole as it is locally known, for myself and highly recommend anyone visiting the area make a point to hike the hour-long trail to the caves. From Sydney, visitors seeking the easiest route to the caves need only get on the 125 Bypass, turn off onto the 105 (Trans-Canada), drive for about a minute past the Seal Island Bridge and turn right onto the dirt road leading […]

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Englishtown is mostly known for being the gateway to the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. For years, a small car ferry has shuttled passengers across the channel to the highway that winds along the Northern Shore towards to the national park. Despite the traffic that Englishtown sees, many visitors and locals alike are unaware of the many things to see and do in the village. One of the more well-known attractions in Englishtown is the museum dedicated to Cape Breton’s one and only Giant, Angus MacAskill, who stood almost 8 feet tall and weighed more than 500 pounds. Donelda’s Puffin […]

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