Nova Scotia, PEI...etc etc.. almost NF

[John]

Thought I would throw this out there as I know there are a few East Coaster's on this board.

 

Barbara and I are planning a trip to Nova Scotia end of August/early Sept. It's still in the planning stage as we haven't decided whether to drive or fly. We are planning a week or so in Nova Scotia and then driving to PEI for 3-4 days. If we fly we can fly into Halifax and home from Charlottetown so really no restrictions there. If we drive we will probably go one way through US and the other through Canada.

 

OK here's the 'ting.......neither of us have spent any time there so looking for recommendations as a base. Also any must see's or do's other than the typical tourist stuff? We like pretty much everything except laying on the beach (love to walk the beach at low tide though)... To make this a fishing thread, any thoughts suggestions for shore fishing (beach or pier) ...?

 

We can do Bed and Breakfast or rent a cottage/vacation property.

 

All suggestions/comments/thoughts gratefully received either in this thread or by PM..

 

Cheers, J...

[fishing n autograph]

What a coincidence! I'm headed there end of July beginning of August.

 

We are driving.

 

I've gotta lots of info from a friend who drives down there every other year. He said the best way is to drive 12 hrs or so to Edmunston NB and stay for the night. Then drive the rest of the way the next day.

 

We are renting a cottage in Anapolos Royal on the Minas basin.

 

Lots to see around there. Port Royal is the oldest settlement in Canada and has over 150 historic buildings to see. Plus the fort there.

 

Leuninberg is a nice town to see as well. Lots of small shops and the Bluenose II is docked there.

 

Blue beach is apparently pretty neat. You can walk around and pick up/find fossils everywhere.

 

Halifax is a beautiful city to tour. Lots of great food. The spot I want to see is the Citadel in the middle of the city.

[bigugli]

To give Nova Scotia fair justice, you need nearly a month to see all she offers by following the coastal circuit. For only a week, I would focus on Halifax and the South Shore. Give yourself 2 days in Halifax to take a harbour excursion/go fishing out of Eastern Passage, tour the waterfront, Museum of the Atlantic, etc. West of there is Peggy's Cove, Mahone Bay, the Ovens. Lunenberg should be given a couple of days as well. You can also pick up a whale watching excursion there, or go jigging for cod and mackerel.

[John]

 

 

What a coincidence! I'm headed there end of July beginning of August.

 

We are driving.

 

I've gotta lots of info from a friend who drives down there every other year. He said the best way is to drive 12 hrs or so to Edmunston NB and stay for the night. Then drive the rest of the way the next day.

 

We are renting a cottage in Anapolos Royal on the Minas basin.

 

Lots to see around there. Port Royal is the oldest settlement in Canada and has over 150 historic buildings to see. Plus the fort there.

 

Leuninberg is a nice town to see as well. Lots of small shops and the Bluenose II is docked there.

 

Blue beach is apparently pretty neat. You can walk around and pick up/find fossils everywhere.

 

Halifax is a beautiful city to tour. Lots of great food. The spot I want to see is the Citadel in the middle of the city.

 

Thanks Dave

 

We are probably going to rent a place on the South Shore for a week or maybe 10 days then drive over to PEI. I was thinking by flying we could save 3-4 days to spend there...

Edited February 5, 2016 by John

[John]

To give Nova Scotia fair justice, you need nearly a month to see all she offers by following the coastal circuit. For only a week, I would focus on Halifax and the South Shore. Give yourself 2 days in Halifax to take a harbour excursion/go fishing out of Eastern Passage, tour the waterfront, Museum of the Atlantic, etc. West of there is Peggy's Cove, Mahone Bay, the Ovens. Lunenberg should be given a couple of days as well. You can also pick up a whale watching excursion there, or go jigging for cod and mackerel.

 

Anywhere I can wet a line from the shore Bruce? Not sure what to expect that time of year?

[adam lancia]

I lived in Halifax for 2 years and my wife is from just outside of Sydney on Cape Breton island. I agree with needing a lot of time to soak in the entire province. That being said, if you stay in Halifax you can do a bunch of day trips to the south shore as well as up to the highlands. The Cabot Trail is a must and there are a bunch of great places to stay along the route should you want to stay overnight. You *can* knock the trail off in one day but you don't get to see much of it that way, the drive on the eastern side of Cape Breton is especially Nova Scotian. The drive down to the south shore from Halifax is beautiful, especially if you avoid the major highways. Stop in at the Bay of Fundy on your way to Halifax (or on your way from Halifax to P.E.I.), you'll be in for a treat if you time the low tide (you can find an estimate of high and low tides online).

[adam lancia]

 

Anywhere I can wet a line from the shore Bruce? Not sure what to expect that time of year?

 

Just ask around any place you stop along the coast, most folks are quite proud of sharing their productive shore fishing spots. Mackerel would be your most easily accessible mark. If you're renting a place to stay, there are a lot of great small mouth lakes out that way. Same deal for trout. lots of good trout lakes in N.S.

[fishing n autograph]

 

 

Thanks Dave

 

 

 

We are probably going to rent a place on the South Shore for a week or maybe 10 days then drive over to PEI. I was thinking by flying we could save 3-4 days to spend there...

We are booked for 4 days in PEI as well. We booked a condo in the heart of old Charlottetown

[bigugli]

 

Anywhere I can wet a line from the shore Bruce? Not sure what to expect that time of year?

Last time I was there, you could still fish any govt landing in any harbour. Squid jigging off the Lunenberg dock was a blast. Always people shore fishing out by Eastern passage. Watch out for the sculpin. Fish stripers from the mouth of the Margaree on Cape Breton

[John]

Last time I was there, you could still fish any govt landing in any harbour. Squid jigging off the Lunenberg dock was a blast. Always people shore fishing out by Eastern passage. Watch out for the sculpin. Fish stripers from the mouth of the Margaree on Cape Breton

Cool thanks

[John]

Thanks

 

I lived in Halifax for 2 years and my wife is from just outside of Sydney on Cape Breton island. I agree with needing a lot of time to soak in the entire province. That being said, if you stay in Halifax you can do a bunch of day trips to the south shore as well as up to the highlands. The Cabot Trail is a must and there are a bunch of great places to stay along the route should you want to stay overnight. You *can* knock the trail off in one day but you don't get to see much of it that way, the drive on the eastern side of Cape Breton is especially Nova Scotian. The drive down to the south shore from Halifax is beautiful, especially if you avoid the major highways. Stop in at the Bay of Fundy on your way to Halifax (or on your way from Halifax to P.E.I.), you'll be in for a treat if you time the low tide (you can find an estimate of high and low tides online)

 

Thanks Adam

[Dara]

A few years back we took a trip to NFLD. My wife went to Sears travel and told them what she wanted. They custom made a trip for her, flights, pick up car at airport, all hotels booked for the week, offered tours in certain locations, she picked and booked what she wanted.

The whole trip went off without a hitch...one of our greatest trips

[mr blizzard]

The east coast is friggin beautiful, Nova Scotia is a province as mentioned that u can spend days exploring

PEI will amaze u in so far as how prestine peoples lawns are, U can go down the red dirt sideroads thru bush and in the middle of nowhere is this immaculate lawn, and in many cases we are talking acres

 

Charlottetown is nice but found it a little to congested for us, we are a little partial to the Summerside area

Just north of Summerside is Cabot Beach provincial park which is very close to Malpeque

 

Gorgeous beaches to walk along, a drive along hwy 14 on the west side is breathtaking which leads u up to North Cape which has a quaint restaurant, light house and amazing red dirt cliffs

 

Friends of ours have taken over a motel in Summerside, they did this a few years back as the parents who started it are getting up in age, basic but very fair prices, they have been in PEI since the dinasaurs era lol

If interested pm me

Also Rustico has boat charters where u can go out and try your luck at a tuna

 

A lot of rentals do not charge mileage as long as u stay on the island

 

Both u guys are going to enjoy the area

And many cool roadside ice cream stands, best ice cream anywhere

 

Also check ahead with the chamber of commerce, some of the small communities will often have lobster dinners and the little community halls

Edited February 5, 2016 by mr blizzard

[John]

The east coast is friggin beautiful, Nova Scotia is a province as mentioned that u can spend days exploring

PEI will amaze u in so far as how prestine peoples lawns are, U can go down the red dirt sideroads thru bush and in the middle of nowhere is this immaculate lawn, and in many cases we are talking acres

 

Charlottetown is nice but found it a little to congested for us, we are a little partial to the Summerside area

Just north of Summerside is Cabot Beach provincial park which is very close to Malpeque

 

Gorgeous beaches to walk along, a drive along hwy 14 on the west side is breathtaking which leads u up to North Cape which has a quaint restaurant, light house and amazing red dirt cliffs

 

Friends of ours have taken over a motel in Summerside, they did this a few years back as the parents who started it are getting up in age, basic but very fair prices, they have been in PEI since the dinasaurs era lol

If interested pm me

Also Rustico has boat charters where u can go out and try your luck at a tuna

 

A lot of rentals do not charge mileage as long as u stay on the island

 

Both u guys are going to enjoy the area

Thanks..

[woodenboater]

if you find yourself in Moncton for a day or two, go to Tide and Boar, great food and excellent beer menu. If you have extra cash lying around, Five Fisherman in Halifax would be a spot I'd hit. You can't go east and not visit Cape Breton. I'd go clockwise. West side is where the music lives but I preferred the east side (Ingonish). Camp if you can. Get lobster off the boat that just came in and toss it in a pot, nothing better !

Edited February 5, 2016 by woodenboater

[Beavertail]

I spent a 2 week road trip touring around Nova Scotia back in 2010, it was great. I didn't have a 'base' but spent every night in a new place. It was a lot of driving (which I didn't mind) and I got to see a lot of country side. However, it still wasn't enough time. For me, the highlight of the trip was Cape Breton.(Sky Line trail was beautiful, saw whales, moose, black bear and crazy scenery) I could go back and spend the whole two weeks up there and be perfectly happy. Lunenburg was also really nice. I brought some fishing tackle along and was hoping to fish more, but only got out once. It was on the Margaree for salmon, what a beautiful river and an experience etched into my memory forever.

[davew3]

My wife and I did the same. We flew to Moncton, stayed there for 2 days. Went to the Hopewell Rocks at both low and high tide. Amazing. To me anyways. Went over to Shediac NB ( Lobster)

 

Then drove to Halifax stopping in the different towns on the way. From there did day trips, Luneberg for whale watching (no luck), Peggy's Cove another day. And spent days wandering around downtown. You have to go to the Alexander Keith's brewery/ museum. Night time downtown is another party. Lots to see and do.

 

Then flew home from there.

 

Enjoy.

[Big Cliff]

We have to get together before you plan anything. Sue and I did the East Coast thing three years ago and had a wonderful time, If all goes according to plan we'll be back down there this summer with a motor home. We loved everywhere we went but I have to say PEI was our favorite.

 

We stayed in motels and booked all our rooms through a website, it worked out perfectly for us!

 

We went clam digging, I went fishing in PEI $45.00 for a half day, we caught mackerel, grouper, learned how to dig clams and cook them. Got a really good education on lobster. The food was fantastic the people were incredable.

 

We went down through the US and came back through Canada, had a wonderful time in Trois Riviere one night on the way back, taught a very pretty young French lady some English and she taught us some French, it was a blast!

 

We never got to NFLD but that is on our list for this summer.

[John]

We have to get together before you plan anything. Sue and I did the East Coast thing three years ago and had a wonderful time, If all goes according to plan we'll be back down there this summer with a motor home. We loved everywhere we went but I have to say PEI was our favorite.

 

We stayed in motels and booked all our rooms through a website, it worked out perfectly for us!

 

We went clam digging, I went fishing in PEI $45.00 for a half day, we caught mackerel, grouper, learned how to dig clams and cook them. Got a really good education on lobster. The food was fantastic the people were incredable.

 

We went down through the US and came back through Canada, had a wonderful time in Trois Riviere one night on the way back, taught a very pretty young French lady some English and she taught us some French, it was a blast!

 

We never got to NFLD but that is on our list for this summer.

 

Thanks Cliff

 

Yes let's make sure we do get together soon. Would love to see you and Sue again and of course hear about your East Coast trip.

 

J..

[BITEME]

CAPE SABLE ISLAND NS(the very bottom end of Nova Scotia) its where mom "joann" is from

The Hawk Beach go for a walk

fried clams at Westhead Warf snack shack

[BITEME]

 

Anywhere I can wet a line from the shore Bruce? Not sure what to expect that time of year?

 

the causeway going on to Cape Sable Island fish the beach side small silver spoons or a mackeral rig can be bought anywhere 6 at a time is a lot of fun you will be there at the right time good eating and barb can leave you there and go to the beach pm me if you want to know more about the island or some of the places that are not so much known to the touristy type

Peter

[John]

 

the causeway going on to Cape Sable Island fish the beach side small silver spoons or a mackeral rig can be bought anywhere 6 at a time is a lot of fun you will be there at the right time good eating and barb can leave you there and go to the beach pm me if you want to know more about the island or some of the places that are not so much known to the touristy type

Peter

Thanks so much Peter I will be in touch closer to the date!

[pics]

Decent fishing can be found at any wharf.. I go to the local grocery store to buy fresh clams as bait.. just fish the bottom for "flat fish" or flounder. The locals usually welcome you and offer tips. No license is needed for fishing the ocean. I might be going down this year to visit family in Clare/Digby... We drive to Quebec and stop before or at Drummondville for the night so we can pick up some beer at Costco. (It gets expensive in Atlantic Canada for Alcohol).There are plenty of good motels in town... just park near the front doors..Be sure to stop for gas in Cornwall, then NB as the price is about 10 cents a litre more in QC. My cousin has a cottage near Cavendish beach and there are some great beaches nearby.. we go to Thunder cove because it isn't as busy as Cavendish beach itself and its free. Check out province house in Charlettown..so much great history. As for NS, as others have mentioned the South Shore is a great drive. I wish I could go every year....

[ckewley]

As others have stated you really need time to see all she has to offer, but a few things I tell most new comers to Blue Nose country to see is The Dutchman's Cheese http://www.thatdutchmansfarm.com/just a awesome time & fantastic Cheese.& you are only a hop skip & jump from 5 Islands which is incredible. If you are feeling up to a beautiful but long drive from there head to Cape d'Or for some amazing scenic views & then up to Joggins for some fossil collecting (ya ya the main beach you aren't suppose to take from) but a 5 min walk west will put you in some great out of the way fossil hunting territory. If you really dig fossil hunting I have a great spot on the Cape but it's a trek getting to. Any trip out east wouldn't be complete with out a stop at Willams Meats for the XXX hot pepperettes just out country side from Stewiacke. If you dig whisky then a stop at Glenora Disillery on the Cape is a must, absolutely stunning local. There is far to many things to name to do on the Cape but most require hiking inland. Someone else has mentioned Port Royal, interesting place for it's history, Halifax is a great little city & one of the best Blues Bars is called Bearly's on Barrington street, rock'n good time to be had there.

[chris.brock]

If you're heading east just for the heck of it, Nova Scotia and PEI are great, but NFLD is magical.