Beautiful Baddeck boats the beginning of the Cabot Trail, a breathtaking scenic drive that moves through
the Highlands National Park of Cape Breton, and many coastal towns and villages offering a wide array of Acadian heritage, folk art, and breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean. It moves through many vistas of Cape Breton, sometimes through the deep valleys of farmland, sometimes hugging the craggy cliffs of mountains which you climb at a heart-hammering incline. It is a gorgeous drive that we would highly recommend to anyone.
There is an excellent article about the trail at the National Geographic Traveller website:
Which also has an online map of the area, for planning. The trail COULD be driven in a day, but I've always found it is best when you take at least two, for there is always another reason to stop.
If you take the 11 Exit off the Trans Canada highway (only a few minutes outside of Baddeck), you'll first see the Gaelic College - seriously! It is a college which is committe
d to teaching the Gaelic language, dancing, musical instruments and art techniques. It's a beautiful campus that has a gift shop which sells every family tartan we could imagine.
d to teaching the Gaelic language, dancing, musical instruments and art techniques. It's a beautiful campus that has a gift shop which sells every family tartan we could imagine.In Antigonish there are gorgeous beaches, which are right on the Atlantic Ocean. When we were there over Labour Day weekend it was still warm enough to swim in - a good sign for next summer, we hope!
Antigonish is also the beginning of the Highlands National Park, w
hich boasts camping, hiking, swimming, and some absolutely gorgeous waterfalls. This trip, Kurt and I cut into the park in order to drive down to one of the National Park's waterfalls. We had to drive in about two minutes to reach it (a small price to pay!) and arrived with just the end of the afternoon light. It was spectacular. We then made it across the Highlands (and over some pretty high mountains, let me tell you!) to make it to Cheticamp.
hich boasts camping, hiking, swimming, and some absolutely gorgeous waterfalls. This trip, Kurt and I cut into the park in order to drive down to one of the National Park's waterfalls. We had to drive in about two minutes to reach it (a small price to pay!) and arrived with just the end of the afternoon light. It was spectacular. We then made it across the Highlands (and over some pretty high mountains, let me tell you!) to make it to Cheticamp. Cheticamp is an Acadian community, where there is a lively community, great food, and a lot of folk art - especially hooked rugs, which they are regionally famous for. We stayed there overnight and then spent the following morning in town. We even went to the local church for Mass. It was in French, and so beautiful.
If you are planning on making the trip, this is a must see. It has been praised by numerous magazines and vacation spots. National Geographic placed it in the top three National Parks of North America. That's a pretty big thumbs up! So pencil in a few days before or after the wedding to see the trail :)
Happy planning!
xoxo K&M
No comments:
Post a Comment