Join us as we take you to some of our favourite places in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
One of the advantages of working for an RV company is that once in a while we “have” to travel in one of our motorhomes and “inspect” the fantastic destinations Canada has to offer. We call it a familiarization tour, finding new and interesting places for our Guests to visit and we are in constant search for new activity products and RV parks for our CanadaDream Club program.Our Guests are automatically members of the CanaDream Club and have access to most of everything Canada has to offer, from hotels and activities such as glacier flights, whale watching or city tours to great RV parks.
Ready to hit the open road!
On this trip we were joined by our very good friends Wolfgang and Barbara from Germany. We met up at the airport and took the CanaDream shuttle to the nearby Halifax Station. Here a detailed demonstration of our 28-foot motorhome followed before our party of 4 hit the open road!
Grocery shopping and a trip to the liquor store was next, followed by a short tour of historic Halifax which includes the CITADEL and of course the TITANIC GRAVE SITE. Make sure you try the LOBSTER ROLL at SALTY’S, and, if you can fit it in, participate in the HARBOUR HOPPER sightseeing tour where your tour bus changes into a boat to cruise the harbour waters!
A famous East Coast lobster boil.
Day 2 of our trip had us heading down the highway to Peggy's Cove, a small rural community on the Eastern Shore of St Margaret's Bay. Here we got the first glimpse of the unique and picturesque architecture of Canada's East Coast with the colourful houses, secluded bays, wooden fishing and lobster boats. You must try Lobster on the GO? Local fishermen sell lobsters roadside and offer to cook it for you on their portable “lobster boil” pots.
Planning our travel route... one of our must-sees was Peggy's Cove.
Later that afternoon we arrived in Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The little fishing village of Blue Rocks is just a few minute's drive from here - definitely worth the time to get out and take a stroll through the little fishing village.
Day 3 had us excited as we drove along the shoreline of the Bay of Fundy - a sensational trek through incredible landscape and scenery. The Bay of Fundy is one of the 7 Wonders of North America, with the highest tides on earth, semi-precious minerals and dinosaur fossils. We continued on to Burncoat Head Park. Our timing couldn't have been better - dead low tide - allowing us to walk over the red earth far off the beach towards the water's edge. Only hours before, this was the ocean floor - 15 metres below the water.
Day 4: After a great night camping, we decided to try something a little different and booked a fly fishing trip on the Margaree River with Jimmie Petersen from "A Great Day Fishing". Although still too early in the season for atlantic salmon, we caught five speckled trout.
Fishing for trout.
Later in the day, we were invited to join a lobster boil. The McCloud clan - 8 brothers and their families – host an annual lobster-boil-party and cook over 300 lobsters for their family and friends. We were blown away by the genuine hospitality of the Nova Scotians. “Come as a stranger - leave as a friend” …never truer than here.
Our fifth day on the road saw us exploring the famous Skyline Trail. Hiking over dramatic cliffs, high above Cheticamp and the Cabot Trail route, the trail offers sensational views of the ocean. In the afternoon we drove to Sidney to take the evening sailing across the Cabot Strait and the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Newfoundland. If you get sea-sick you need not worry, dead calm seas throughout the night make for a good night’s rest in a comfy cabin, and after the 7 hour sail we land in Port aux Basque, Newfoundland.
Day 6: A sunny morning sky invites us to a lengthy beach walk before we carry on towards the Gros Morne National Park. After 5 hours we get the first glance at the Tablelands and the impressive mountain scenery. The road through the park leads high into alpine plateaus which invite us for a hike over the barren grounds.
Day 7: After a late breakfast, we received a text message from CanaDream’s Station in Halifax:“40 cm of snow in the forecast for tomorrow, find a spot to wait this out and don’t take any chances on the road”. A massive snowstorm at the end of May?! Near the ocean - is that even possible? We decide to drive to our next destination, Twillingate, a more or less uneventful drive, except for the 4 moose we spotted beside the road.
It was still raining when we arrived at the cozy little campground late in the day - rain and wind, but not overly cold. Snow?! No, there must have been a mistake in the weather report.
Day 8: Okay, turns out the forecast was correct - nearly a half meter of snow on the ground and still snowing. It was 20°C in Halifax when we arrived, now it’s -4° this am! Only in Newfoundland!
Taking in the views ...
I think I know now why Twillingate is home to the icebergs! The very reason we are here - weather permitting - a boat cruise to see icebergs the following day. A hike through deep snow high above the town is on today’s agenda before we call it an early day, reading and playing cards in the comfort of our cozy motorhome.
Day 9: The weather has calmed and the owner of Twillingate Adventure Tours decides to do a special trip for us! There…a kilometer in front of us is the first iceberg. It looks small at first, but not for long. As we get closer, the 10,000-year-old glacier towers above our boat. It’s hard to believe that 90% of this huge creature is still under water.
Day 10: There is still a lot of snow around, but the roads are clear and we are tracking back towards the Ferry terminal of Port Aux Basque. Its an all-day drive, interrupted by a few scenic detours and a few stops to take pictures of moose, some with calf’s, that we can frequently see beside the road and nearby ponds.
Day 11: The sun is out and not a cloud in the sky. Dead calm waters make the sail a delight, zero movement on the ocean and the ladies are sun tanning on the upper deck. Searching the horizon for any signs of whales, and indeed we do spot a humpback not far away from the Ferry.
Seven hours later, around 7 pm we are setting foot back on Nova Scotia soil and pull into a campground to call it a night.
Bay of Fundy (left) with the world's highest tides.
Day 12: History is on the agenda this morning; a trip to the Fortress of Louisbourg. Nova Scotia’s history was largely shaped by a decision made thousands of miles away in Europe, mainly by the French and the English. With the treaty of Utrecht from 1713, Britain was given the mainland of Nova Scotia while the French kept control of Cape Breton. Named after King Louis XIV they build the fortress, defending this important trade outpost.
We drive on the Canso Causeway, the narrow connection between Cape Breton and the mainland of Nova Scotia, and further on to Cape Bickerton on the Eastern Shore of the Province. Over a short gravel road we explore the Lighthouse of the Cape and decide to spend the night there. The sunset is spectacular, and over a few glasses of Nova Scotia red we relive the adventures of the past few days.
Day 13: Anyone who has an extra day to spare should drive back to Halifax via the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. The road winds itself up and down the ocean’s shoreline rolling hills, leading to many picturesque small ports and oceanside villages. This is home to lobster fishermen, who come in with their catch just before noon and willingly sell us a few lobsters. Live of course, living on in our motorhome’s storage compartment until the evening.
They don't get much fresher than this!
We pass churches, ocean side graveyards and ancient monasteries before we arrive in Murphy’s Cove. Parking in an oceanside park, we supplement our dinner with mussels which are easily found in the sand and cook our lobsters outside the motorhome in the pot and burner borrowed from our friendly campground host. This is our last East Coast night - celebrated under clear skies with a meal so typical for this part of Canada.
The Canadian East Coast regions - definitely a “Must Visit” for anyone keen to explore one of the best kept secrets of this majestic land.
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