We're back from our trip and had a fabulous time. I'll write a summary here and hopefully help someone who's looking to make similar trip.
June, 2017 Landed in Moncton and drove the rental car to Magnetic Hill. Enjoyed the illusion and began to see the advantage of travelling in mid-June. No crowds or traffic problems in almost every place we were going to except for Peggy's Cove. Continued to our first airbnb accommodation in Port Greville, Nova Scotia. Picked this location because we were scheduled to do a kayaking tour in Advocate Harbour the next day and Port Greville is nearby. Place we stayed was good - nice scenic view including the water. Dinner at Harbourview Restaurant in Parrsboro - shrimp with mango salsa was really good and scenic location. I have to say that Parrsboro is a lovely town and we enjoyed touring Ottawa House and meeting Kerwin, wonderful man who took us for a spin in a 1929 Nash that he had restored. That car and a couple of others are on display outside in the main square and that's where we met Kerwin. The next day we were to go on the kayak trip but the winds were too high so it was cancelled. Lunch at The Beach House in Spencer's Island near Advocate Harbour. Small lighthouse next door that's fun because you can go inside and climb up to the top. I recommend the Canadian Pea Soup. Had to make the hard decision about what to do at this point because while NovaShores did not have a problem taking us kayaking the next day, our airbnb reservation was now in a place that was further away and we would have to drive back very early in the morning. We decided that it was worth it. Kayaking tour was great - you start out at low tide and end up coming back when the tide is high about 5 to 6 hours long. Kayaking is in two person kayaks and the tour does a lunch spread on one of the kayaking stops. The airbnb we stayed at in Harmony was out of the way but a real treat. The unit was built onto the host's house. It sits up high offering a full window wonderful view of the area and is very spacious, clean and comfortable. The owner, Emily, runs a hobby farm right on the property so we were treated to freshly baked muffins when we arrived and newly hatched eggs in the fridge. We were there for one night but I wish that it had been longer.
PEI: We spend 3 days in New London, PEI and stayed in a wonderful VRBO rental on the water that included the use of 2 kayaks which we never used. Too busy and to tell the truth, the mosquitoes were too much for us to brave taking the kayaks out. There was an eagle's nest right opposite the large window in our cottage and we did see the eagle on a couple of occasions. I would highly recommend going to Greenwich Interpretation Centre. We had such a good time going on the trail which takes you to a boardwalk and then you get a view of dunes which are protected and then down a hill to a lovely beach. It was deserted and we had it all to ourselves. Lunch in St. Peters at Ricks. Chowder, scallop burger and seafood pizza, very good. Near New London, the Cavendish area is very nice for the scenic cliffs and Cows ice cream. The Festival of Small Halls was occurring during our stay and we attended a couple of events and really enjoyed the local entertainment. The fiddle playing of Cynthia MacLeod, William Prince singing and The Kitson Family singing and playing various instruments. We also attended the finals of an Art Competition at a pub in Charlottetown. If you take the ferry across from PEI to Nova Scotia, you might want to stop in Pictou. There is a replica of the ship "Hector" which brought Irish immigrants over and down the road is the best soft serve ice cream with mutiple flavours 63 West River Road.
Cape Breton: We stayed in Ingonish 3 nights and Cheticamp 1 night. Airbnb in Ingonish was very nice. Our host had lots of information about the area in the living room. We went on some of the hikes: Broad Cove Mountain, Franey, Middle Head (lots of viewing areas and located behind Keltic Lodge), Freshwater Lake Look-off in the Ingonish area. All these hikes were very nice. Seagull restaurant has good food and a wonderful seaside enclosed patio. We got up early to watch the sunrise over the water from the wharf and saw the fisherman head out to sea. If you are near Pleasant Bay and want to stop for a meal, try Mid Trail Restaurant which is part of a motel property. You wouldn't notice it but we were directed there and really enjoyed the meal. They have a hill you can walk up and it has a great whale watching spot with nice chairs to relax. Cheticamp - we stayed at Nestle In and were very happy with the basement unit with kitchen and 3 bedrooms. Dinner at Harbour Restaurant and Bar was really great - Bayside Fettuccine (seafood pasta) and the BBQ Ribs. Patio looking out at the water and gave a great view of the sunset. In the morning we walked over to the dock and watched the seaman unload their catch of snow crabs. We finished the National Park with The Skyline Trail. The view from the end is amazing although the hike itself is somewhat monotonous. "Hold on to your hats" is more than just a saying here. On our way out of Cape Breton, we stopped at the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre in Judique. At the centre you can have lunch while being entertained by locals and they offer to teach you some Music, Dance & Gaelic Lessons for a fee. The lunch was very good - Chicken, apple and brei panini, the coastal summer panini or the tacos. This side dish of potato salad was also good.
Phillips Harbour, Nova Scotia: I booked this tripadvisor place in what I thought was Guysborough but it turned out that it was in Phillip's Harbour which is not exactly close to the town of Guysborough. I thought that it would be a nice place to be on the water in a rural setting. I was right. It is about a 25 minute drive to the grocery store and restaurants in Canso. The rental house is near but not on the water. We had such a good time here. Our hosts couldn't have been any nicer. They had kayaks that you could just take out and a wonderful cove to explore. We watched the sunset from the beach. We were shown how to harvest blue mussels from the rocks on the beach at low tide how to cook them over a fire on the beach along with some hot dogs. The owner named Karen and her husband Jerry treated us so well. He was a lobster fisherman and he told us many good stories about the area and the fishing industry. Visited the nearby Lighthouse Museum, small but very interesting and informative. Run by volunteers who usually had some family who were lighthouse keepers. If you are planning to be in this area over a Canada Day Weekend, there is a folk festival in Canso called the Stan Rogers Folk Festival. It is named after the great singer and songwriter Stan Rogers who died in a plane crash.
Halifax: Enjoyed walking along the waterfront, seeing the Halifax Citadel taking the ferry across to Darmouth and visiting Pier 21. Stayed in a airbnb in a good location and was very happy with the place. Eat dinner at the Bicyle Thief restaurant on the waterfront. Tip - there are places to park for free on the weekends so it's a good time to visit - the seaport farmer's market on the waterfront has free parking on the weekends. If you get there before it opens (10 am), you may be able to find a space. We drove to Peggy's Cove and Wolfville for the day. Peggy's Cove was beautiful even if you had to share the space with loads of tourists. Wolfville is a nice area for visiting vineyards and has a very nice views of the area. We stopped for dinner at The Port in Port Williams. It has a patio overlooking the river where you can watch the tide go in or out, and the distant farmer's fields and vineyards. They supply blankets if it gets a little chilly outside.
Hope you enjoyed this summary.
