I thought I'd post a few tips based on our experiences out on the Cabot Trail and our Return drive through New Brunswick for anyone who might be interested in doing a similar drive sometime in the future. If you're anything like us, you'll like the same kinds of things we liked, and dislike some of the things we disliked.
#1) Pull out your map of Eastern Canada (Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces). Study these roads:
Highway #2 is a four lane easy driving, and definitely not very scenic drive. I'd recommend it for your drive home - when you're sick of touristy stuff, and just want to get home.
On the other hand - Highway 132 (in Quebec / Highway 11 and Highway 8 in New Brunswick) travels a little further East and adds at least an hour to your drive. I recommend it for your drive to Nova Scotia - when you'll still find Quebec cities interesting (the churches in each town are quite something to see) and the scenery between Mont Joli and Campbellton is really nice. Sometime, it might be nice to camp near AMQUI, or Routhierville. The rest of the drive through New Brunswick is short (2 hours) but is abundantly disappointing as it lacks scenery of the ocean. To see the ocean along Highway 11 and 8, you'll have to get off the highway and take street-roads through all the little towns, which will slow your drive down considerably. The bridges in Campbellton, and in Miramichi/Chatham are interesting to see.
#2) Getting to the Island. Getting there along Highway 104 (on Mainland Nova Scotia) is somewhat dull, but we enjoyed the cities of New Glasgow and especially Antigonish (a nice-looking university and a downtown that's small enough to walk). But these towns aren't anything terribly special, so don't get your hopes too far up. There is a Dairy Queen in Antigonish (visible from the highway), which is nice if your car lacks air conditioning like ours does.
#3) The Island Itself. We drove along highway 19 (the Western side of Cape Breton) up to Glenora Falls (the whiskey distillery and a Celtic Music Translator Museum on this highway). The Distillery was nice but overpriced unless you actually like taking shots of whiskey. Pay attention to the corner where Highway 19 meets Highway 219 - Steph and I missed that turn and added a bit of useless driving to our trip...
Cheticamp has a Tim Hortons and a Full Service National Camp Ground nearby.
The Skyline Trail - was disappointing. If you're thinking it's nice scenery the whole 10 kilometer hike - well, it's not. It's a long walk through a forest, and only 100 -200 meters of the 10 kilometers feature a wooden boardwalk. They SAY you can expect to see 2-3 moose along the trail - but we saw 0. And only the trail to the left is gravel. the trail that goes to the right is an old-fashioned trail complete with rocks and roots to step around or twist your ankle on. Oh, and definitely don't do the whole trail if you are feeling sick (like I was). The nicest part of the trail is on the left. So we recommend you just stick to the left trail which takes you out to the Headland jut-out, and then turn around and come back. Unless you're actuall hunting for Moose.
Sidenote - We DID see a Momma bear, and two cubs cross the road somewhere near the skyline trail.
Our first night, we stayed at MacIntosh Brook and really lucked out. It has flush toilets, but the water (from the taps) is not drinkable. What made it memorable was the fact that we shared the campground (it's small) with only two other families/groups - So we were able to have a lot of privacy, and yet, as we set up our sight, we enjoyed the violin and cello being played by a son and daughter of another family. (It was like having a private concert being played for you in the middle of the scenic highlands!)(it was nice). We also discovered that there is a 15 minute hike into the woods with a nice waterfall at the end of it. (which we also enjoyed).
MacIntosh Brook turned out to be much more enjoyable than the full service campground we stayed at later - simply for the fact that there were so few people to share it with.
Whale Watching is also really close by in Pleasant Bay.
The Second Night, we stayed at Broad Cove (a full-service National campground) which is close by Ingonish, Mary Ann Falls, and the #1 Rated Public Golf Course in Canada. The only thing I could say was that it was nice choosing a campsight near the ocean, AND be careful of the showers - they're really sensitive to any adjustments you make to the temperature. Steph really hated her shower. I learned from what she told me, and enjoyed a great shower - but only barely touched the controls when I needed to change any temperature. I laughed as I heard a boy screaming when he kept cranking the hot and then cranking the cold, going from Extremely Hot Water, to extremely Cold water.
There are some nice shops on the Ingonish side. We found a wood-workers shop, beside a glass-makers shop, beside a Chicks Cafe & Bakery somewhere between Ingonish and Tarbotvale.
And that's really all we can say or recommend.
Be careful of the "Ferry" to get to Englishtown. It costs something like $5.00, and only moves about 500 meters before it lets you off again. It's probably just as easy to go around the bay, and you can check out the Celtic College near MacLeods Point.
- Hope our advice is helpful!
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