Maritimes

You will be continuing to drive the Lighthouse Route, which takes you past sandy beaches, rugged coastlines, beautiful island studded bays and authentic fishing villages, like Mahone Bay with its vibrantly painted Victorian homes and shops, colourful heritage gardens, and the famous three churches.

Old Town Lunenburg is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The town has a long, proud seafaring history that continues to be reflected in its picturesque waterfront. The harbour-side streets are lined with shops and restaurants that blend with the well-preserved and colourfully painted historic homes, much of it like a living museum from the 18th century.

Drive through the rolling hills, woodsy areas filled with pine trees and along LaHave River toward Kejimkujik National Park. The park protects a forest and network of lakes in the heart of Nova Scotia. Explore the wilderness trails, lakes, and rivers – by foot or by canoe or kayak. Discover historic, stone-carved petroglyphs left by the Mi’kmaq who traveled these same routes thousands of years ago.

It’s only a short drive to Annapolis Royal. On your way you can explore the Digby area and drive along the Digby Neck or take your time to visit the historic town of Annapolis Royal. This beautiful town boasts a compact heritage district filled with over 135 Victorian houses and museums. Be sure to visit Canada’s oldest National Historic Site, Fort Anne, where you can see the Royal Charter from which Nova Scotia gets its name and flag.

Our Travel Book will direct you via Hall’s Harbour, with one of the best natural harbours on the upper Bay of Fundy and some of the highest tides anywhere, to Grand Pré. Settled in 1680 by Acadians, Grand Pré has a history as rich as its dyke land soil. Today Grand Pré is a National Historic Site and an UNESCO World Heritage Site where you can learn about the Acadian people and the deportation.

Today you will drive around the Minas Basin of the Bay of Fundy to Five Island Provincial Park. This is one of Nova Scotia’s premiere outdoor destinations, named after five small islands located just off the coast. The park features 90 metre (300 ft.) sea cliffs overlooking the world’s highest tides, a spectacular setting for camping!

Via Parrsboro and Joggins Fossil Cliffs, another UNESCO World Heritage Site where you can meet some of the ancient creatures that lived here millions of years ago like the world’s first reptiles, early dinosaurs, giant dragonflies, etc., you drive in northern direction to Fundy National Park in New Brunswick.

Fundy National Park straddles the Bay of Fundy and has 28 hiking trails, including many along the coast and through the forests; several of them lead to beautiful, secluded waterfalls. The park is along the Atlantic migration route for birds, and over 260 species have been identified in the area.

Today you leave New Brunswick, but not before you visit the Hopewell Rocks’ majestic ‘flowerpot rocks’ and have your picture taken with the world’s largest lobster in Shediac. Cross the 12.9 km/8 mi long Confederation Bridge and enter Canada’s smallest and least populous province, Prince Edward Island.

The size of the island makes it easy to explore by RV. In our TravelBook we describe 3 driving routes. Pick one or drive parts of all. From coast to coast, rich, sienna-coloured soil nourishes green pastures and shores are lined with rose and golden sand. A scattering of small towns housing warm hearted locals stubbornly clinging to their easygoing lifestyle. Make sure to visit Charlottetown, the quaint provincial capital with its pretty tree-lined streets, colourful houses and waterside boardwalks. Visit Anne at Green Gables Heritage Place, the site for the inspiration for L. M Montgomery’s classic novel Anne of Green Cables.

You have the morning to explore Prince Edward Island a bit more. Take the ferry to Pictou, Nova Scotia in the afternoon. Take a stroll along the historic waterfront of Pictou. Experience the historic Scottish architecture, beaches, trails, museums, restaurants, shops and friendly people.

Our TravelBook will take you over the Ceilidh Trail, a scenic trail approximately 100 km/62 mi long, providing views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the west side of Cape Breton Island. This trail ends in Margaree Harbour and meets the Cabot Trail. Chéticamp, a traditional Acadian fishing village, is your first stop along the picturesque Cabot Trail. Visit St. Peter’s Church, make sure to stop at Les Trois Pignons, a cultural centre and hooked-rug museum or book a whale watching tour.

The 115 km section of the Cabot Trail that climbs and descends through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park is truly dramatic. Cliff-side roads, windswept plateaus, quaint villages and moose sightings form the main appeal of this well-travelled route. There are over 25 hiking trails to choose from, but a must for all travellers is the Sky Line Trail. A dramatic headland cliff overlooks the rugged coast from the end of this level trail.

One of the most developed spots along the Cabot Trail, Ingonish truly has something for everyone. Warm sand at refreshing ocean beaches, a world class 18-hole golf course, fantastic walking trails, great sea food and friendly people. Book a whale watching tour and check out the blue, fin, minke, humpback, pilot or the sei whale.

Your time in Cape Breton Highlands National Park is coming to an end, but the Cabot Trail
just keeps going! Take a side trip by ferry and take a day trip to Bird Islands where you can see puffins, other seabirds, seals and bald eagles. Baddeck is a vibrant, bustling town with a picturesque harbour on Bras d’Or Lake, as well as historical attractions, like Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site, where you can enjoy a glimpse into the life and work of the man who brought us the telephone. Explore the Bras d’Or Lake. This large inland sea is part fresh- and part saltwater, allowing it to sustain diverse ecosystems and wildlife, including many bald eagles.

Enjoy the views of the Bras d’Or Lake. On your way to Louisbourg, learn about the lives of early Scottish settlers at the Highland Village Museum in Iona, a 43-acre living history museum where you will be greeted in Gaelic. Louisbourg is a small town especially known for the Fortress of Louisbourg, a National Historic Site. This ‘living museum’ is the largest historical reconstruction in North America of a 1700s French garrison town. Approximately 60 buildings have been restored, making this one of the largest and most impressive National Historic Sites of Canada.

Drive along the south shore of Bras d’Or Lake. Visit St. Peter’s Canal Historic Site where you will learn how the canal has provided a link between the Atlantic Ocean and the Bras d’Or Lake for over 140 years. Visit Sherbrooke Village and take a trip back in time as Nova Scotia’s 19th century heritage is brought to life by costumed interpreters, including blacksmiths, potters, weavers and printers. This region of Nova Scotia is wonderfully wild, and a nature lover’s paradise with its miles of hiking trails and endless wildlife viewing opportunities.

The Eastern Shore is marked by the wildness of its coastline, authentic fishing communities, and beaches stretching as far as the eye can see. We will make sure you won’t miss anything. Hike the Liscomb River Trail or pick a trail in Taylor Head Provincial Park, enjoy a picnic at Marie Joseph Provincial Park, experience the warmth and welcome of Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore in a traditional fishing family’s home, take a break on the 5 km/3.1 mi long white sand beach of Martinique Beach Provincial Park and take a surfing lesson near Lawrencetown Beach Provincial Park.

Today your tour comes to and end when you return your motorhome to the rental station. After that, maybe you have time to explore the capital of Nova Scotia, Halifax, a wonderful destination for shopping, dining, theater, music, and galleries. Halifax has a dense downtown, making it easy to walk the historic streets on foot. Walk the waterfront boardwalk, try the fabled donair, the official food of Halifax, visit Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, which stands above the city’s downtown and make sure to check out Pier 21 where more than one million immigrants gained entry to Canada.