When we left Kejimkujik we headed back to the coast and our first stop was another Good Cheer location called Still Fired Distillery. The server was very knowledgeable and a good salesman. I tried their Gins (and bought some), and Sharon tried Cream liqueur and some Ice Teas (and bought some), soon we’ll have to start filling our Komo bike carrier with Good Cheer purchases😉

We had wanted to go to Port Royal but unfortunately it was closed for some staff training so we decided we would back track after Digby to see it the next day. Since we had time we headed inland to Bear River Winery, which of course was also a Good Cheer location. What an absolutely gorgeous location for the winery. Sharon had the flight of wines this time and I had a glass. We really liked the Greater Yellowlegs white wine on their patio overlooking the vineyard. The winery was in a very old barn and when we wanted to buy some product the winemaker took us down to the cellar to get the bottles.

As we returned to the coast, we saw a sign for Smiths Cove so naturally we had to stop to see the lighthouse. The lighthouse had been decommissioned in 2001, but it took until 2021 until a local volunteer group finally got the ownership transferred to the township and started the restoration project. Next up as we approached Digby we decided to stop to see the Maud Lewis replica house. Private people had setup this replica house and had prints for sale. We had watched the film on Maud Lewis’s life, so we found it very interesting, worth a watch if you haven’t seen it. It was late afternoon, but we still had time in the day to tour so we decided to take a drive down the Digby neck. We went to Whale Cove which really wasn’t much to see and we saw Sandy Cove which was nicer. At the end of the first section was a ferry to go to two other islands but we didn’t time for that.

That evening we were staying at the Digby RV Campground and even though the sites were close together the owners had taken many steps to beautify the park. We loved sitting out looking over the pond and watching the beavers bring their food back to the young ones for dinner. Also, the campground had made a connection to a rail trail so you could easily go from the campground along the trail to downtown. We decided to go out for dinner and campers got a 10% discount at Fundy Restaurant. The outdoor patio was great with a view of the harbour so you could watch some of the boats returning. We started with the Seafood Platter which had Shrimp, Scallops, and Clams and then Sharon had the Digby Scallop dinner, and I had the Scallop and Shrimp Fettucine, and we finished off with a Turtle Cheesecake, an amazing meal with an amazing view. After dinner we enjoyed some music at the town square and wandered around the downtown area. We saw the Digby Pier Lighthouse and learned about how Scallops grow and how they are harvested.

The next day we drove back to Port Royal to visit the National Historic site. In 1605 the French erected a complex of buildings here, on the shores of Port-Royal. Several European attempts at living year-round in Atlantic Canada had previously failed. The venture of Port-Royal led by Pierre Dugua le Sieur de Mons, succeeded largely because the Mi’kmaq welcomed the French Settlers. The Mi’kmaq shared their knowledge and became military allies. They were invited to join in celebrations with the French colonists, and many adopted the Christian faith.

The reconstructed Port Royal Habitation opened in 1941. It was a milestone in the preservation movement in Canada. The rebuilding of a vanished structure, using in depth research, marked a new way to present the past. The precise location of the 1605-1613 habitation has not been found, but the reconstruction is thought to be close to the original site.

There was a self-guided walking tour of the grounds and the buildings inside the fort. The park ranger told us from 40 to 75 people would have lived in the settlement in the summer and in the winter, it would be from 6 to 30 (since provisions couldn’t sustain more in the winter).

Just down the road from Port Royal was another National Historic site called the Melanson Settlement. They had display boards talking about the history of the Acadian family who lived on the property, and they had done extensive excavations to see what buildings and artifacts were there but there weren’t reconstructed buildings to see. We did the small loop trail and read about the history.

As we carried on south, we could see the clouds hanging over the Digby neck. When we drove through the small town of Saulnierville we saw a sign for a processing plant called Comeau and it said they sold Seafood, so we decided to drop in. It was bizarre because the sign on the outside said Benjamin Moore Paints and Seafood. Inside the young staff member explained that they had set up the hardware store to supply the fishing fleet and processing plant with parts they needed.  The locals kept coming in looking for parts so they opened a full hardware store for the public. Next, they decided to add some of their local seafood products for sale as well. He convinced us to buy all sorts of seafood including, Shrimp spread, Seafood pieces, Scallops, and a frozen already made Seafood Chowder, our freezer was now full of seafood! Further along the coast we also saw a ship building facility where they had a large fishing boat in dry docks for repairs.

We had heard about a nice beach named Mavilette, so we pulled into to see Cape Saint Mary’s Lighthouse first and then went to the beach. The lighthouse had display boards about the Acadians who had settled on this Cape due to the Cod and Herring fish stocks. The lighthouse was on quite a prominent bluff with great views of the Bay of Fundy and was one of the furthest points west on the main section of Nova Scotia. They also had another memorial for fishermen lost at sea. We then stopped at Mavilette Beach, and we could see why it would be so popular in the summertime as it was a long stretch of nice sand. The tide was close to low so we did our usual hunt for sea glass but only found one piece.

Our stop that evening was a little bit inland at Ellenwood PP where we had selected one of the best sites that was right along the lake. We took our chairs down to the water and enjoyed happy hour there listening to the loons. On one of the trees at our site someone had painted a cute little door on a knot in the tree. In the middle of the night, we were woken up by two loons fighting and making a huge commotion. The next morning, we walked around the campground and saw the very pretty beach. Again, a location that is likely packed in the prime of summer but next to no one there when we were.

The next day we headed into Yarmouth and decided to go to the Cape Forchu lighthouse. As we headed across the Yarmouth Bar the fog kept getting thicker and thicker and by the time we reached the lighthouse you could barely see anything. We started off with the Leif Ericson trail in hopes that the fog would lift some, no luck. The trail was short but had sign boards to see. They had found a runic stone in 1812 on the rocks at the point, so they believed it was possible Leif Ericson had been here 500 years before Christopher Columbus landed in the New World. There was the skeleton of a Fin Whale (second only in size to the Blue Whale) that had been found on an island in 2006 by a local Stephen Goreham and he had brought all the pieces back to his home and displayed them until he donated them to the municipality.

Cape Forchu separates what they call False Harbour and Yarmouth Harbour and that’s why they put the lighthouse there because there were too many shipwrecks in False Harbour. There is a ferry that goes from Boston to Yarmouth. Along the trail was post that people can hang signs saying how far away their home is from Cape Forchu. Yarmouth is home to a large fishery including lobster boats and there is a special day which is the last Monday in November called Dumping Day when all the lobster boats go out at night to drop their lobster pots for the start of the 6-month lobster season for this area,  we later learned about the various lobster season areas and dates.

The fog was starting to lift so we decided to pay for the tour up to the top. The lighthouse is called the Apple Core Lighthouse due to its shape with the base only being 5’ wide, just big enough for the spiral staircase. The guide gave us some history as we climbed to the top. However, by the time we got to the top the fog had floated in again so unfortunately, we didn’t get much of a view. After the tour we visited the small museum to learn the history of the old and new lighthouses and walked around more of the grounds for photos.

As we headed back into Yarmouth, we could see “Bug” light a little better and stopped at Fish Point to learn about its history and take some fun shots. Since it was time for lunch we went into downtown Yarmouth to Rudder’s brew pub since it was another one of Good Cheer passport stops and I had a flight on beers and the Haddock lunch while Sharon had Scallops. Beside the pub we could see a large storage yard for the lobster pots.

We carried on along the coastal route and went to 2 more Good Cheer stops with Boatskeg Distilling (good rum and would have been an excellent Harvest Host location) and in Shelburne Boxing Rock Brewing with excellent beers, especially Patricius Irish Stout. The harbour area of Shelburne was really pretty with lots of colourful old buildings and a Barrel Factory and a Dory shop.

Our destination that evening was Thomas Raddall PP for 2 nights. This was a very forested park on the coast and there were lots of hungry black flies and mosquitoes out to welcome us. The following day we put on all of bug protective clothing and bug spray and did a 12 km loop through all the trails in the park. We first went out to Scotch Point and along the coast, but when the trail headed back into the forest we had to be very careful as there were tons of poison ivy plants everywhere. The trail then followed an old road and came out at Herring Rock where there used to be a fishing community. Further along we headed inland again and saw MacDonald Cemetery before coming out to Sandy Cove. This was another great beach location, and we were lucky enough to see some Harbour Seals popping their heads up. There was also a Piping Plover sanctuary, but we didn’t see any. As we returned inland we saw the MacDonald house. The family had settled here in 1786 and the house we saw had been built in 1910. On certain dates in the summer, they have the house open for tours, but we just looked inside the windows. One section of trail was closed off because they had a bear trap setup, so they didn’t want you to go to that area where the bear had been sighted. There was a long section of trail that went through the forest and then we took a connector to get back out onto the coast where we saw some dead jellyfish. At the very end of the hike, I spotted this leaf that looked like it had a happy face on it. That evening I BBQed with my bug shirt on.

The next day we were heading to Graves Island PP but we decided to take the coastal route as much as possible to avoid the major highway. The first stop was Carters Beach PP, and we have to say this was the prettiest beach we have seen in Nova Scotia so far. There were only a couple of people on it Sunday morning and since they have 2 parking lots, we again assume it must be packed in the prime of summer. There were 3 beaches you could visit but we didn’t want to wade through the river at high tide to get to beach 2 and 3.

Next up was Summerville Beach PP which was also long and sandy but not quite as pretty as Carters. There was a resort at the one end of the beach, and several people had told us about the Quarterdeck restaurant there, but it was too early for us to stop for lunch, next time.

We stopped in Port Medway to have our lunch by the lighthouse and then carried on to LaHave Islands so we could go to the marine museum. On the way across the causeway, we saw all sorts of people digging in the mud at low tide and we assumed they were going for clams or maybe crabs. The museum itself was on Jenkins Island but in order to get there we had to cross 2 very old wooden bridges which felt a little dicey as they did not have weight limits posted to cross the bridges! One was already in the process of being replaced which made us concerned further. Anyway, we did make it without falling through and the museum was quite pretty in an old church. The museum had two young eager tour guides, ours was on her second day of work at the museum. She pointed out some of the interesting items including bizarre lobster claws and how lobster traps have changed over the years.  Outside they had a Bush Island double ender boat the Vera Mae which were used in this region for lobster fishing close to shore. 

After the museum we returned across the dicey bridges and carried on along the coastal route until we reached Fort Saint Marie De Grace, currently called Fort Point. There is a lighthouse building that also contains a museum. The fort was built in 1632 and was the New France capital until 1636 when Port Royal became the capital. They had done extensive excavations of the area to try to determine exactly what was in the fort. It was interesting reading about the background of the wooden sculptured figure heads that were used on ships at that time period.

It was getting later in the day so we headed to the main highway after the Fort so we could reach Graves Island PP at a reasonable time. Sharon did a short walk around the park while I did some blog writing. It was a nice park but not much in the way of trails.

The next blog will cover the eastern coast to Boylston PP and on to Cape Breton.