kxl
Social Documentary
It will be our fist time to Nova Scotia and PEI, and unfortunately we won't have much time, probably only 3.5 days at each place. So we will probably identify a hub at each location and explore by car. My initial thoughts are to stay in Lunenburg (touristy but I'm a sucker for UNESCO world heritage sites) in Nova Scotia and in Charlottetown in PEI, but I'm open to suggestions (e.g., Advocate Harbour or Harbourville in NS looks interesting). I'm in the process of checking their tourism websites as well as general travel sites like tripadvisor, fodor, etc....
What we want to do on this trip:
I'm planning to bring my D800e with a Sigma 24/1.4 ART and a travel zoom. My wife will have a Sony RX100 mV.
Any thoughts regarding an ideal hub, interesting places, etc...?
Thanks.
What we want to do on this trip:
- "Sea-foodie" tour
- Scenic/coastal drives
- Other interesting places, national parks, etc...
- Photography: Working fishing villages, lighthouses, historic buildings, landscapes in general
I'm planning to bring my D800e with a Sigma 24/1.4 ART and a travel zoom. My wife will have a Sony RX100 mV.
Any thoughts regarding an ideal hub, interesting places, etc...?
Thanks.
Mackinaw
Think Different
We did Cape Breton National Park, Nova Scotia in late May, back in 2005. Outstanding scenery combined with a very Scottish culture. We rented a cabin at Port Hood and spent several days exploring the entire peninsula. Great trip.
Jim B.
Jim B.
kxl
Social Documentary
Thanks Jim. Anyone else have any input, stories, recommendations?
jordanstarr
J.R.Starr
Meat Cove is an amazing spot right off the Calbot Trail down a dirt road. A hidden gem not many know about (you're welcome). Also, a friend of mine opened up a community darkroom in Halifax. His name is Allen Crooks and is the nicest, most genuine guy you will ever meet. I met him briefly in NYC and we've been great friends since. Anywhere in PEI is pretty amazing. I spent some days just riding around the countryside on my motorcycle and it was just amazing to ride around the ocean and rolling hills and just walk along the beach enjoying the scenery.
newsgrunt
Well-known
If you visit Cape Breton (I mean why wouldn't you lol) drive it clockwise, imo. Louisburg is worth a visit and if you have lots of money left over, go to The Five Fishermen, in Halifax. never been to Meat Cove but friends loved camping there. In PEI, hit up church dinners, you WILL get stuffed on shellfish and blueberry pies.
kxl
Social Documentary
Thanks guys!
Laviolette
Established
Lunenburg is great, many things to do and some good places where to eat.
What I preferred :
- Blue Rocks : a small fishing village very near Lunenburg. Very photogenic, a must!
- Ironworks distillery : especially the Blue Nose Rum!
- Kejimkujik National Park (seaside) : a bit south of Lunenburg, an incredibly beautiful place where you can walk along the coast, there's a beautiful sand beach, rocks, birds and seals...maybe a good idea to bring binoculars
Peggy's Cove is nice but too touristy IMO.
Cape Breton is a really beautiful drive! But be sure to have good brakes on your car...some places are really steep. One of the best scenery is at the end of the Skyline trail...it's really breathtaking. Good chances to see a moose on the way too if that's your thing.
What I preferred :
- Blue Rocks : a small fishing village very near Lunenburg. Very photogenic, a must!
- Ironworks distillery : especially the Blue Nose Rum!
- Kejimkujik National Park (seaside) : a bit south of Lunenburg, an incredibly beautiful place where you can walk along the coast, there's a beautiful sand beach, rocks, birds and seals...maybe a good idea to bring binoculars
Peggy's Cove is nice but too touristy IMO.
Cape Breton is a really beautiful drive! But be sure to have good brakes on your car...some places are really steep. One of the best scenery is at the end of the Skyline trail...it's really breathtaking. Good chances to see a moose on the way too if that's your thing.
kxl
Social Documentary
Blue Rocks looks exactly like the type of fishing village I'm envisioning.
jpa66
Jan as in "Jan and Dean"
I'll be anxious to hear the rest of the suggestions (and to see how your trip goes) as my wife and I are going to Nova Scotia in August (never been there before).
While I can't help you out very much, I do know based on recommendations by a couple of people, that Cape Breton is a must.
Jan
While I can't help you out very much, I do know based on recommendations by a couple of people, that Cape Breton is a must.
Jan
kxl
Social Documentary
Unfortunately, we won't have any time at all to drive out to Cape Breton on this trip. We'll only have 3 1/2 days each in NS (staying in Lunenburg) and PEI (staying in Charlottetown).
The distance between Lunenburg and Cape Breton is 280 miles, so it's too far for a day trip, and besides, I think I'd like to spend at least a few days at Cape Breton if we were to make the drive. We'll do it on our next visit for sure.
kxl
Social Documentary
Back from my trip
Back from my trip
I got back a few days ago. In Nova Scotia, we stayed in Lunenburg and headed southbound on the Lighthouse Route. We also went to New Ross, Canning and drove around the Annapolis Valley. We opted to take Confederation Bridge to and from PEI rather than the ferry. In PEI, we stayed in Charlottetown and drove to neighboring villages. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and would certainly like to visit again in the future. We especially enjoyed the food. Here are some photos:
Back from my trip
I got back a few days ago. In Nova Scotia, we stayed in Lunenburg and headed southbound on the Lighthouse Route. We also went to New Ross, Canning and drove around the Annapolis Valley. We opted to take Confederation Bridge to and from PEI rather than the ferry. In PEI, we stayed in Charlottetown and drove to neighboring villages. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and would certainly like to visit again in the future. We especially enjoyed the food. Here are some photos:
sevres_babylone
Veteran
Lovely colour. It's got kind of sixties look which fits how I view the region (probably inaccurately since outside of a quick trip to Fredericton in the nineties, I haven't been to the Maritimes since 1975 or so; hitchhiked east in 1970).
kxl
Social Documentary
Thanks - it's just a beautiful, idyllic region with fishing villages and working farms. It was also kind of refreshing to drive on highways where, for long stretches, there would be no other cars -- very different for someone used to possibly the worst daily commutes in the US (So Cal).
Scapevision
Well-known
I just came from Nova Scotia, I'd skip Kejimkujik National Park (seaside) and instead go to Polly's Cove, which is right after Peggy's Cove, and it's basically a viking country landscape trails on the seashore. It's totally stunning and not very hard to do. Big boulders standing on rocky and mossy landscape. The drive around the coves is also really nice and reminded me of California 1. Watch for black bears 
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
+100 to everything! Let me add, don't miss New Brunswick, the less visited province in the Maritimes, if you can spare the time. five days or ideally a week will easily get you to all the main places to see.
In the '50s and'60s I spent my childhood summers in a small town called Shediac, but later moved on to Toronto and New Mexico and now Tasmania, Australia, as far removed from a Canadian childhood as one could imagine. Such is life, as the Aussies say.
So Keith's strikingly beautiful images brought back a flood of memories of my languid summers in the Maritimes. So little seems to have changed Down East. A visit to Atlantic Canada is like going back three, four, even five decades in time, to a slower, more calm life.
In September and October we will be returning to Atlantic Canada, my first visit in 12 years and for my partner, the first time.
Our plans are so far tentative but we want to travel slowly.
First, we'll fly to Halifax, for a few days. It's a unique place with much local color and folklore and offers many opportunities to the candid photographer willing to get out and walk the city streets. The locals ("Haligonians") are courteous, friendly and very hospitable to visitors. We want to do one or two day trips out, but not too far. I found Peggy's Cove was overhyped in 1979 and I hope it has improved, but it has many photo ops, pretty if cliche'd.
Then on by car to Cape Breton, one of North America's small corners of earthly paradise. Sydney on the east coast has little to offer, but we will see Baddeck and Louisbourg with its French fortress dating to 1750. Ancestors on my mom's side landed there and settled in French Acadia (Grand Pre) before moving to New Brunswick, so there is a family connection there.
On to Prince Edward Island and Charlottetown. PEI is small and can be "done" as a day trip, but it's a world far removed from the hurdy gurdy of big cities even like Halifax. Keith, did you eat a PEI lobster roll? They are highly addictive, generally available everywhere, not cheap but affordable.
Onwards. Across the Strait (avoid the new bridge and opt for the slower ferry if you have the time) to New Brunswick and to Shediac. This pleasant small town hosts a lobster festival in August, and is laid back and almost serenely quiet at other times. Ideal for slow photography. French Acadian culture, farming and fishing.pleasant scenery, water views, fishing harbors with small docks and boats, good food. The local beaches are almost Australian, sadly autumn is too cool to swim. I have no family in Shediac Cape now and I'll be visiting with an Asian partner, two aliens with no fixed itineraries or plans.
Then to Saint John, with a brief stop in Moncton, a charmless industrial center with an muddy river and a tidal wave aptly named The Bore. Meh.
Saint John is interesting, a sea port with a colorful, even lurid past. Louis Mayer and Walter Pidgeon grew up there. The city center is compact (and walkable) and Old World charming, with the oldest farmer's market in Canada. few tourists, well worth a day and night. Nearby St Martin's, a fishing village on the Bay of Fundy, is right out of Scotland and an easy day trip, with a stark gravel and stone beach, fishing boats typical to the Bay (much like Shediac) and a covered bridge. Pleasantly bucolic, et tres tres photogenique.
In all, a long trip, heavy with nostalgia and for me, deja vu. I'll shoot updates to my archive of Ektachromes and Kodachromes from the '60s-'70s, this time with a Nikon D700, and my Rollei TLR bought in "Sinjon" 1966 and used a lot there.
As many others have confirmed (see Keith's images), the Maritimes have many stunningly beautiful places to photograph. Out of July and August the three provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI) will be literally all yours to enjoy. Fewer tourist amenities but you can enjoy local services at local prices. Food is surprisingly good. Distances not great - Halifax to Charlottetown, 200 miles, to Shediac 70 miles, to Saint John 70 miles, to Fredericton 50 miles. go by car if you can, as flying to anywhere in Canada will cost you akidney, some limited train services from Montreal or Halifax (via Moncton), inter city buses but these limit your photo stops. The car is the way to go.
Roll on September, and my first two lobster rolls with lettuce, tomato and fresh mayo and a glass of cold Sauvignon on the waterfront in Shediac.
In the '50s and'60s I spent my childhood summers in a small town called Shediac, but later moved on to Toronto and New Mexico and now Tasmania, Australia, as far removed from a Canadian childhood as one could imagine. Such is life, as the Aussies say.
So Keith's strikingly beautiful images brought back a flood of memories of my languid summers in the Maritimes. So little seems to have changed Down East. A visit to Atlantic Canada is like going back three, four, even five decades in time, to a slower, more calm life.
In September and October we will be returning to Atlantic Canada, my first visit in 12 years and for my partner, the first time.
Our plans are so far tentative but we want to travel slowly.
First, we'll fly to Halifax, for a few days. It's a unique place with much local color and folklore and offers many opportunities to the candid photographer willing to get out and walk the city streets. The locals ("Haligonians") are courteous, friendly and very hospitable to visitors. We want to do one or two day trips out, but not too far. I found Peggy's Cove was overhyped in 1979 and I hope it has improved, but it has many photo ops, pretty if cliche'd.
Then on by car to Cape Breton, one of North America's small corners of earthly paradise. Sydney on the east coast has little to offer, but we will see Baddeck and Louisbourg with its French fortress dating to 1750. Ancestors on my mom's side landed there and settled in French Acadia (Grand Pre) before moving to New Brunswick, so there is a family connection there.
On to Prince Edward Island and Charlottetown. PEI is small and can be "done" as a day trip, but it's a world far removed from the hurdy gurdy of big cities even like Halifax. Keith, did you eat a PEI lobster roll? They are highly addictive, generally available everywhere, not cheap but affordable.
Onwards. Across the Strait (avoid the new bridge and opt for the slower ferry if you have the time) to New Brunswick and to Shediac. This pleasant small town hosts a lobster festival in August, and is laid back and almost serenely quiet at other times. Ideal for slow photography. French Acadian culture, farming and fishing.pleasant scenery, water views, fishing harbors with small docks and boats, good food. The local beaches are almost Australian, sadly autumn is too cool to swim. I have no family in Shediac Cape now and I'll be visiting with an Asian partner, two aliens with no fixed itineraries or plans.
Then to Saint John, with a brief stop in Moncton, a charmless industrial center with an muddy river and a tidal wave aptly named The Bore. Meh.
Saint John is interesting, a sea port with a colorful, even lurid past. Louis Mayer and Walter Pidgeon grew up there. The city center is compact (and walkable) and Old World charming, with the oldest farmer's market in Canada. few tourists, well worth a day and night. Nearby St Martin's, a fishing village on the Bay of Fundy, is right out of Scotland and an easy day trip, with a stark gravel and stone beach, fishing boats typical to the Bay (much like Shediac) and a covered bridge. Pleasantly bucolic, et tres tres photogenique.
In all, a long trip, heavy with nostalgia and for me, deja vu. I'll shoot updates to my archive of Ektachromes and Kodachromes from the '60s-'70s, this time with a Nikon D700, and my Rollei TLR bought in "Sinjon" 1966 and used a lot there.
As many others have confirmed (see Keith's images), the Maritimes have many stunningly beautiful places to photograph. Out of July and August the three provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI) will be literally all yours to enjoy. Fewer tourist amenities but you can enjoy local services at local prices. Food is surprisingly good. Distances not great - Halifax to Charlottetown, 200 miles, to Shediac 70 miles, to Saint John 70 miles, to Fredericton 50 miles. go by car if you can, as flying to anywhere in Canada will cost you akidney, some limited train services from Montreal or Halifax (via Moncton), inter city buses but these limit your photo stops. The car is the way to go.
Roll on September, and my first two lobster rolls with lettuce, tomato and fresh mayo and a glass of cold Sauvignon on the waterfront in Shediac.
kxl
Social Documentary
I would love to see New Brunswick and also Cape Breton in NS on our next trip. We just didn't have the time to really explore on this trip. It was our first time in the Maritimes and my wife and I just loved the slow pace, the food and extremely nice people. I didn't sample the lobster roll, but did feast on lobster, scallops and oysters. The oysters in PEI were especially tasty and briny. I think our cholesterol levels went up a few points on this trip.
I'm sure you and your partner will enjoy your visit, and sounds like it would be an especially meaningful and nostalgic homecoming for you.
Cheers!