From the Canso Causeway we were heading to Caribou-Munroes Island PP but as we were taking a coastal route, we found a cheese shop (Knoydart Dairy Farm) that was in our cheese trail passport, and we just needed one more stamp to submit for a prize. The lady opened some cheese curds that were just packaged that day for us to try and as we picked products out of the fridge, she would open packages for us to try before buying. Needless to say, we left with another large quantity of cheese. When we arrived at Caribou-Munroes Island we had a great spot overlooking the Northumberland Strait. There were lots of lobster boats out as they just had a few days left before the season closed in that zone.

Philomena and Paul had booked an Air BnB very close to the park and Phil’s sister Bernadette and her husband Brewster had come to visit so they dropped around to the campground to pick us up and take us into Pictou for dinner to the Marina Bar & Grill. We met up at the restaurant with Paul’s brother Rob and his wife Mel. We tried several appetizers but the most unique was fried Peperoni which is a Nova Scotia thing😉 It came with a sweet mustard sauce and was quite tasty when dipped in the mustard. After dinner we had Ice Cream and walked along the Trans Canada Trail along the water and saw a sculpture called “Wolverine and Little Thunder, an Eel Story”.

The next day was a very busy one. We started off with Phil, Bernadette, and Brewster joining us for an 8 km beach walk from the campground to the far end of Munroes Island. We saw what we believed were piping plovers, harbour seals, several eagles, jellyfish, and cliff swallows. We even got to watch the PEI ferry coming in and leaving which we would be doing the next day. It was a great wildlife walk.

After the walk we had a charcuterie style lunch at the Air BnB and then drove around to Merigomish to see the property Phil and Paul had purchased. We met the neighbour and then wandered through the grasses to see where the land drained out. Eventually Phil and Paul will build a cottage getaway type place here. We walked down to the shoreline and found some fishing floats and enjoyed the view. Next, we visited Melmerby Beach which is touted as one of the best beaches in Nova Scotia and it lived up to its reputation. Paul grew up close to this beach, so we went to see his childhood home, and he stopped in to see the neighbour who was very happy to see him.

After our touring we were thirsty, so we went to Pictou Lodge and Taphouse for a brew. The lodge was built in 1926 and was part of the Canadian National Hotel group. They didn’t have a restaurant, but a local pizza shop would deliver so we did that for dinner. When we left the sun was setting and we went to their Air BnB for a fire before returning to the campground. What a packed fun day.

We had booked late so the only ferry we could get to PEI was 1:30 pm so we walked down the beach to visit Phil & Paul before they checked out of the Air BnB. Then we had our lunch while waiting in line for the ferry. The ferry held a huge number of vehicles and even had a ramp where the cars could drive down to a lower level. When we started to drive on the worker put his hands over his eyes as if to say oh no you’re going to bottom out on the ramp. Our Komo bike carrier was very close to hitting but he had me drive very slowly and we didn’t get stuck. While we waited to leave, we could see all the Lobster fishermen bringing their lobster pots in and loading them on the dock as this was close to the closing day for their zone. As we left the harbour we went by Munroes Island where we had been hiking the day before.

That closes off our Nova Scotia adventures for this trip. Next blog will start the PEI travels.