Regions in Brief

Mabou & Vicinity

The little village of Mabou (pop. 600) sits on a deep, protected inlet along the island's western shore. This former coal-mining town has made itself over as a lobster-fishing town, though you don't come here for crustaceans; instead, scenery and culture beckon. Attractive drives and bike rides are easy to find in the area; almost any road you choose will yield opportunities to break out the camera or just lean against your vehicle and enjoy the panorama. The town itself consists of a short main street, a clump of homes, a gas station, a few eateries and services, and (if you can find it) a scenic little beach.

But there's a hidden bonus to the area, giving it an importance disproportionate to its size: Local residents are strongly oriented toward music, even more so than is usual on already-musical Cape Breton Isle. The local kids, nearly all of Scots descent, grow up playing instruments, singing, and dancing; amazingly, this tiny town has produced not only several international hit Celtic music acts, but also the current premier of Nova Scotia (Rodney MacDonald), a former step dancer and fiddler elected to the post in February 2006 at the age of just 34.

Evening entertainment here revolves around fiddle playing, square dancing, or the traditional gathering of musicians and storytellers known as a ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee). These events take place in pubs, civic buildings, outdoors, people's homes . . . anywhere.

To find out where things are going on, your best bet is to stop by the village grocery store and The Mull pub across the road and scope out the bulletin boards there. You might also check out the calendar for the Strathspey Place Theatre (tel. 902/945-5300; www.strathspeyplace.com) on Route 19. This is a more formal place, but it does serve up Celtic music. Tickets for performances generally run C$15 to C$20 (US$14-US$18/£7.50-£10) per person.

In a handsome valley between Mabou and Inverness is the distinctive post-and-beam Glenora Distillery (tel. 800/839-0491 or 902/258-2662). This modern distillery -- said to be North America's only single-malt whiskey producer -- began producing spirits from a pure local stream in 1990 and began selling it in 2000; they'll tell you that the Cape Breton water is what makes all the difference and is the reason the owner chose to put the factory here -- seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Glenora has since modified the process slightly to employ Kentucky bourbon casks, which its distillers believe impart a mellower taste to the spirit than the traditionally used sherry casks.

Production runs take place in the fall, but tours of the facility are offered throughout the year. Tours cost C$7 (US$6.30/£3.50) and last about a half-hour (offered daily 9am-5pm), culminating in free samples; they also conveniently end near the gift shop, where you can buy local music CDs, gift glasses, and even bottles of the whisky itself for about C$80 (US$72/£40) a pop. The owner can't call the product Scotch, by the way, since it isn't made in Scotland (hence "Canadian single malt whiskey") -- but that's what it is. Swing by and savor this newer contribution to the island's lore.

The distillery complex also includes an adjoining restaurant (open late June to late Oct) and a nine-room hotel with rooms and some pretty spiffy chalets with knockout views on a hillside overlooking the valley ; traditional music is often scheduled for weekends or evenings in the contemporary pub.

Margaree Valley

West of Baddeck and south of Chéticamp, the Margaree Valley region consists of the area from the village of Margaree Valley near the headwaters of the Margaree River to Margaree Harbor, down the river on Cape Breton's west coast. Some seven small communities are clustered along the valley floor, and it's a world apart from the rugged drama of the surf-battered coast -- it's vaguely reminiscent of, say, the rolling farm country of upstate New York. The Cabot Trail gently rises and falls on the shoulders of rounded hills flanking the valley, offering views of the farmed floodplains and glimpses of the shining river. In autumn, the foliage here is often among eastern Canada's best.

The Margaree River has been accorded celebrity status in fishing circles -- it's widely regarded as one of the most productive Atlantic salmon rivers in North America, and salmon have continued to return to spawn here in recent years, which is unfortunately not the case in many other waterways of Atlantic Canada. The river has been closed to all types of fishing except fly-fishing since the 1880s, and in 1991 it was designated a Canadian Heritage River.

Learn about the river's heritage at the Margaree Salmon Museum (tel. 902/248-2848) in North East Margaree. The handsome building features a brief video about the life cycle of the salmon, and exhibits include fisherman photos by the score as well as antique rods (including one impressive 5m/16-footer), examples of poaching equipment, and hundreds of hand-tied salmon flies. Museum docents can help you find a guide to try your hand on the water; late spring and early fall are the best times to get a catch. The museum is open June to mid-October daily from 9am to 5pm. Admission is C$1 (US90¢/50p) adult, C25¢ (US25¢/15p) child. The whole area is best explored by slow and aimless driving, or by bike or canoe if you've brought one along with you.

Make a point of dropping by Cape Breton Clay (tel. 902/248-2467; www.capebretonclay.com), northeast of the salmon museum. Margaree Valley native Bell Fraser's work is truly unique. Fish, crab, lobster, starfish, ear-of-corn, and other motifs are worked into her platters and bowls in ways that will surprise and delight even pottery haters. Her colorful hand-painted lobster and starfish platters, for instance, bring a whole new interpretation to the serving plate, while Bell's fish-handled serving bowl is reminiscent of the Margaree's leaping, silvery trout. Open daily year-round from around 9am to 6pm, it's definitely worth a stop; pieces run from C$60 to C$300 (US$54-US$270/£30-£150). Don't miss the "Koop" next door, a place where real -- and Bell's ceramic -- chickens mingle.

Chéticamp

The Acadian town of Chéticamp is the western gateway to Cape Breton Highlands National Park and the center for French-speaking culture on Cape Breton. The change is rather obvious as you drive northward from Margaree Harbour -- the family names suddenly go from MacDonald to Doucet, and the cuisine turns on its head all at once.

The town itself is an assortment of restaurants, boutiques, and tourist establishments spread along Main Street, which closely hugs the harbor. A winding boardwalk follows the harbor's edge through much of town and offers a good spot to stretch your legs and get your bearings. (Chéticamp Island sits just across the water; the tall coastal hills of the national park are visible just up the coast.) This is an adequate stop for provisioning, topping off the gas tank, and finding shelter.

Chéticamp is noted worldwide for its hooked rugs, a craft perfected by early Acadian settlers. Those curious about the craft should allow time for a stop at Les Trois Pignons, which houses the Elizabeth LeFort Gallery and Museum (tel. 902/224-2642; www.lestroispignons.com). It is located on Main Street in the north end of town and displays some 300 fine tapestries, many created by Elizabeth LeFort, who was Canada's premier rug-hooking artist for many decades until she passed away in 2005. It's open daily from 8am to 7pm in July and August, 9am to 5pm spring and fall, and 8:30am to 4:30pm in winter. Admission is C$4.50 (US$4.05/£2.25) adult, C$4 (US$3.60/£2) seniors, C$3.50 (US$3.15/£1.75) students, C$15 (US$14/£7.50) families, free for ages 12 and under.

In the 1930s, artisans formed the Co-operative Artisanale de Chéticamp, located at 5067 Main St. (tel. 902/224-2170). A selection of hooked rugs -- from the size of a drink coaster on up -- are sold here, along with other trinkets and souvenirs. There's often a weaver or other craftsperson at work in the shop. A small museum downstairs (admission is free) chronicles the life and times of the early Acadian settlers and their descendants. It's closed from mid-October to May.

Several boat tour operators are based in Chéticamp Harbor. Love Boat Seaside Whale and Nature Cruises (tel. 800/959-4253 or 902/224-2400) sets out in search of whales, seals, and scenery, and has hydrophones on board for listening to any whales you may encounter. (No, Captain Stubing will not be your captain.)

The most pleasing drive or bike ride in the area is out to Chéticamp Island, connected to the mainland by road. Look for the turn south of town; the side road is just north of Flora's gift shop on the Cabot Trail.

Pleasant Bay

At the north end of the Cabot Trail's exhilarating run along the western cliffs, the road turns inland at the village of Pleasant Bay. The attractive, active fishing harbor, protected by a man-made jetty, is a short walk off the Cabot Trail and sits at the base of rounded, forested mountains that plunge down to the sea.

The newly opened Whale Interpretive Center (tel. 902/224-1411), built on a rise overlooking the harbor, features exhibits to help explain why the waters offshore are so rich with marine life -- not to mention life-size models (yes, really) of some of the local whales. It's open June through mid-October from 9am to 5pm; admission is C$4.50 (US$4.05/£2.25) adults, C$3.50 (US$3.15/£1.75) children and seniors, C$14 (US$13/£7) families.

Whale-watching tours are offered daily June through mid-October from the harbor by Capt. Mark Timmons of Capt. Mark's Whale and Seal Cruise (tel. 888/754-5112 or 902/224-1316; www.whaleandsealcruise.com). The 2 1/2-hour cruise on the 42-ft. Bay Hookup provides unrivaled glimpses at the rugged coast both north and south, and often a close-up look at whales (almost always pilot whales, frequently finbacks and minkes, occasionally humpbacks). The boat has a hydrophone on board, so you can hear the plaintive whale calls underwater. Trips are C$25 (US$23/£13) per adult, C$12 (US$11/£6) children, and reservations are encouraged. The outfit runs three to five tours daily during the season. Zodiac sea tours are also offered in those 21-foot inflatable boats, though you'll spend more -- and get considerably wetter -- if you take one.

As you entered town you may have noticed the Timmons Folk Art Studio (tel. 902/224-3575) near the fork in the road. Inside and out you'll find colorful, whimsical folk art by Reed Timmons (Capt. Mark Timmons's cousin). Reed carves fish, cows, seagulls, and sailors that are rustic and visually arresting.

If you bear right at the "Y" and continue northward, the road wraps around the coastal hills and turns to gravel after 5km (3 miles). Keep going another 4km (2 1/2 miles). Here you'll come to a spectacular coastal hiking trail, which runs to Pollett's Cove, about 10km (6 miles) up the coast. A dozen families once lived here; all that remain are two cemeteries. The cove and the trail are on private land, but hiking and other quiet recreation are allowed.

Cape North

Cape North is a much-recommended detour for adventurous travelers hoping to get off the trafficked Cabot Trail. Folks say that Cape North is much like the Cabot Trail used to be 20 or 30 years ago, before the travel magazines started trumpeting its glories and large numbers of tourists started showing up. It's worth the extra driving and backtracking.

Cape North is reached via a turnoff at the northern tip of the Cabot Trail, after you descend into the Aspy Valley. You'll soon come to Cabot Landing Provincial Park, where local lore claims that John Cabot first made landfall in North America in 1497. You can debate the issue near the Cabot statue or take a long walk on the lovely 3km (2-mile) ochre-sand beach fronting Aspy Bay. The views of the remote coast are noteworthy.

The road winds onward to the north; at a prominent fork, you can veer right to Bay St. Lawrence, where you can sign up for a summertime whale-watching trip. Try Captain Cox's Whale Watch (tel. 888/346-5556 or 902/383-2981) or Oshan Whale Cruise (tel. 877/383-2883). Both offer 2 1/2-hour whale-watching cruises for about C$25 (US$23/£13) adults and C$12 (US$11/£6) children; the Oshan folks can also take you deep-sea fishing (and clean your fish for cooking afterward), and their cruise schedule operates longest, usually until the end of October.

Turn left at the fork and continue along a remarkable cliffside road to Meat Cove. The last 5km (3 miles) track along a dirt road that runs high along the shoulders of coastal mountains, then drops into shady ravines to cross brooks and rivers. The road ends at this rough-hewn settlement that's been home to fishermen (seemingly all named McClellan) for generations.

There's a private campground here, the Meat Cove Campground (tel. 902/383-2379), which is open June through October. The 25 campsites here may have the most dramatic ocean views of any campground in Nova Scotia; they start at about C$20 (US$18/£10) apiece. Whether you're staying or not, ask owner Kenneth McClellan about the hiking trails in the hills above the campground (there's a day-use fee for noncampers).

Baywatch -- The 8km (5-mile) trip from Bay St. Lawrence to Meat Cove is ideal for a mountain bike ride if you thought to bring one along. This is one of very few places in Canada where you can pedal and whale-watch at the same time -- a terrific daily double, to be sure.

White Point & Neil's Harbor

From South Harbor (near Dingwall) you can drive on the speedy Cabot Trail inland to Ingonish, or stick to the coast on an alternate route that arcs past White Point, continues onward to Neil's Harbour, then links back up with the Cabot Trail. If the weather's agreeable, the coast road is the recommended route. Initially, the road climbs upward along abrupt and jagged cliffs with sweeping views of Aspy Bay; at White Point, you can veer out to the tip for even more expansive views of the coast.

The road then tracks inland before emerging at Neil's Harbour, a postcard-perfect fishing village. On a rocky knob located on the far side of the bay is a square red-and-white lighthouse (now an ice-cream parlor). Just beyond that is the Chowder House (tel. 902/336-2463), a low-key, pine-paneled takeout restaurant that specializes in excellent, stuffed-with-seafood chowder and platters of good deep-fried fish and crab cakes. Meals cost about C$4.50 to C$16 (US$4.05-US$14/£2.25-£8). It's open as late as 8pm some nights. There's a grassy area outside the restaurant for picnicking as you admire the panorama of the rocky shoreline shaded with pinkish-orange rock. Consider yourself warned, though: It's a popular spot with bus tours. From Neil's Harbour, it's just a 2-minute drive back to the Cabot Trail.

Ingonish

The Ingonish area includes a gaggle of similarly named towns (Ingonish Centre, Ingonish Ferry, South Ingonish Harbor), which together have a population of 1,300 or so. Like Chéticamp on the peninsula's east side, Ingonish serves as a gateway to the national park and is home to a park visitor information center and a handful of motels and restaurants. Oddly, there's really no critical mass of services here -- instead, they're spread along a lengthy stretch of the Cabot Trail, so there's never any real sense of having arrived in town. You pass a liquor store, some shops, a bank, a post office, and a handful of cottages. And that's it -- suddenly you're there, in the park. Highlights in the area include a sandy beach (near Keltic Lodge) good for some chilly splashing around, and a number of shorter hiking trails.

For golfers, the windswept Highlands Links course (tel. 800/441-1118 or 902/285-2600; www.highlandslinksgolf.com) -- adjacent to the Keltic Lodge but under completely separate management -- is considered one of the best in Nova Scotia, if not all of Atlantic Canada. Rounds cost about C$88 (US$79/£44) per golfer, less if you tee off in the late afternoon, in spring and fall, or if you're a teenager or child. Ask about packages whenever booking a hotel room in the area, and be sure to reserve your tee times well in advance -- it's popular.

South of Ingonish, the Cabot Trail climbs and descends the hairy 300m-high (984-ft.) promontory of Cape Smokey, which explodes into panoramic views from the top. At the highest point, there's a provincial park where you can cool your engine and admire the views. An 11km (6.8-mile) hiking trail studded with unforgettable viewpoints leads to the tip of the cape along the high bluffs.

Sea kayak tours are offered in protected Ingonish Harbor by burly and gregarious raconteur Mike Crimp of Cape Breton SeaCoast Adventures (tel. 877/929-2800 or 902/929-2800). Both full-day and half-day tours are offered from June through October, and both are designed for novices who've never set bottom in a kayak. You'll look for whales but are more likely to spot bald eagles or blue herons. The landscape hereabouts is dramatic, with Cape Smokey rising powerfully to the south, Middle Head to the north, and marsh grasses serving as home to a mix of shorebirds.

St. Ann's

Traveling clockwise around the Cabot Trail, you'll face a choice when you come to the juncture of Route 312. One option is to take the side road to the Englishtown ferry and cross over St. Ann's Harbor in slow but dramatic fashion. The crossing of the fjordlike bay is very scenic, and takes just about 2 minutes (when there's no line). The ferry runs around the clock, and the fare is nominal.

In Englishtown, one of Nova Scotia's more unique museums is the Giant MacAskill Museum, on Route 312 (tel. 902/929-2925). This spot honors the memory of local Angus MacAskill, who lived from 1825 to 1863. At 7 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 425 pounds, MacAskill was the tallest natural giant who ever lived, and, according to the 1981 Guinness Book of World Records, the strongest man in history. Children will enjoy sitting on his massive chair (if they can reach it) and trying on his sweater. The replica coffin that MacAskill was buried in is astounding, as are many of the stories about him. The museum is open daily mid-June to mid-September from 9am to 6pm. Admission is C$1 (US90¢/50p) adults, C75¢ (US70¢/40p) seniors and youth, C50¢ (US45¢/25p) under 12.

Your second option for making the Cabot Trail circuit is not to cross via ferry but rather to stay on the Trail, heading down along the western shore of St. Ann's Harbor. A good launching point for exploring the waters is North River, where kayak guide Angelo Spinazzola offers tours through his North River Kayak Tours (tel. 888/865-2925 or 902/929-2628) from mid-May through mid-October. The full-day tour (C$99/US$89/£50 per person) includes a steamed-mussel lunch on the shore; there's also a romance tour offered, where couples camp overnight on a remote beach -- the owner cooks dinner, then departs for the night. Most every trip, says Spinazzola, includes sightings of a bald eagle or two. Kayaks can also be rented.

In the village of St. Ann's you'll pass the Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts (tel. 902/295-3411), located 1km (2/3 mile) off the Trans-Canada Highway at Exit 11. The school was informally founded in 1938, when a group of area citizens began offering instruction in Gaelic language in a one-room log cabin. Today, both the campus and the curriculum have expanded significantly, with classes now offered in bagpiping, fiddle, Highland dance, weaving, spinning, and Scottish history.

The 140-hectare (346-acre) campus is home to the Great Hall of Clans, where visitors can get a quick lesson in Scottish culture. A number of exhibits provide answers to many questions, such as, what is the deal with tartan plaid, how did Scotsmen get reputations as fierce warriors, and what do Scotsmen really wear under a kilt? (Alas, the question "Is bagpiping really music?" is not addressed.) Poet Robert Burns's walking stick is on display, and you can buy intriguing clan histories as well. The Hall of Clans is open daily June through September from 9am to 5pm; admission is about C$5 (US$4.50/£2.50) per adult, C$4 (US$3.60/£2) students, C$15 (US$14/£7.50) families. A campus crafts shop has shelves full of Gaelic items, including bolts of tartan plaid and tapes of traditional music. Live performances are also offered throughout the summer; call ahead or ask at the crafts shop for a schedule.

Baddeck

Although Baddeck (pronounced Bah-deck) is at a distance from the national park, it's often considered the de facto "capital" of the Cabot Trail. The town offers the widest selection of hotels and accommodations along the whole loop, an assortment of restaurants, and a handful of useful services like grocery stores and laundromats. Baddeck is also famed as the summer home of inventor Alexander Graham Bell, memorialized at a national historic site here. It's a compact and easy town to explore by foot, scenically located on the shores of Bras d'Or Lake and within striking distance of the fortress at Louisbourg. That makes it the most practical base for those with limited vacation time who are planning to drive the Cabot Trail in 1 day (figure on 6-8 hr.).

If, however, your intention is to spend a few days exploring the hiking trails, bold headlands, and remote coves of the national park (which I recommend), you're better off finding a base farther north; the town's single street, frankly, can get claustrophobically packed with tourists and tour buses, and beyond Bell's home there's little of lingering interest here.

The useful Baddeck Welcome Center (tel. 902/295-1911) is located just south of the village at the intersection of routes 105 and 205. It's open daily in season (June to mid-Oct) from 9am to 7pm.

Bras d'Or Lake

With so much beauty around the perimeter of Cape Breton Island, Bras d'Or Lake hardly gets noticed. This in itself is remarkable. Almost anywhere else in the world, Bras d'Or (pronounced brah-door), a vast inland sea that nearly cleaves Cape Breton Island right in two, would be a major tourist attraction ringed by motels, lodges, boat tour operators, water parks, and chain restaurants. But today, along the twisting shoreline of this 114km-long (71-mile) saltwater lake, you'll find . . . almost nothing. Granted, roads circumnavigate the whole lake, but you'll generally run into few services for tourists, or tourists themselves, for that matter. Is this good or bad? It really depends on your outlook.

Bras d'Or is a difficult lake to characterize, since it changes dramatically from one area to the next -- wilderness here, rolling farmland there, a summer home colony at another bend of the road. But wherever you go around this lake, keep an eye peeled for the regal silhouettes of bald eagles soaring high above, or for the telltale spot of vivid white in the trees, indicating a perched eagle. Dozens of pairs of these eagles nest along the lake's shores or nearby, making this one of the best areas in the Maritimes -- heck, North America -- for eagle sightings.

Sydney

The province's third-largest city (pop. 30,000) was northern Nova Scotia's industrial hub for decades, and to this day three out of four Cape Breton Islanders live in or around Sydney. Recent economic trends have not been kind to the area, however, and the once-thriving steel mills and coal mines are no longer so prosperous. This gritty port city has thus been striving to reinvent itself as a tourist destination, though success has been elusive -- in part because Cape Breton's other natural charms offer such tough competition.

Although the commercial downtown is a bit workaday, some of the historic residential areas might appeal to architecture and history aficionados. Three early buildings are open to the public in summer, and all are within easy walking distance of one another. The Cossit House Museum, 75 Charlotte St. (tel. 902/539-7973), is Sydney's oldest house, built in 1785. It's been lovingly restored and furnished with a fine collection of 18th-century antiques. It's open June through mid-October, Monday through Saturday from 9:30am to 5:30pm and Sunday from 1pm. Admission costs C$2 (US$1.80/£1) adults, C$1 (US90¢/50p) seniors and children age 6 to 17. The Jost Heritage House, 54 Charlotte St. (tel. 902/539-0366), was built in 1787 and had a number of incarnations in the intervening years, including service as a store. It's open June through August Monday through Saturday from 9:30am to 5:30pm, Sunday from 1:30pm; hours are shorter during the fall. Highlights of the home include an early apothecary, and again there's a small entry fee to view it.

St. Patrick's Church Museum, 87 Esplanade (tel. 902/539-1572), locally known as "St. Pat's," is in Cape Breton's oldest Roman Catholic church (which dates to 1828) and opens to the public Monday through Saturday in summer from 9:30am to 5:30pm (1:30-5:30pm Sun). There's an old burying ground and a collection of local artifacts. It's free. Plan to spend a few hours visiting this trifecta if you're a fan of old buildings.

Louisbourg

In the early 18th century, Louisbourg on Cape, Breton's remote and windswept easternmost coast, was home to an ambitious French fortress and settlement. Despite its brief prosperity and durable construction of rock, the colony virtually disappeared after the British finally forced the French out (for the second time) in 1760. Through the miracle of archaeology and historic reconstruction, much of the imposing settlement has been re-created, and today Louisbourg is among Canada's most ambitious national historic parks. It's an attraction everyone coming to Cape Breton Island should make an effort to visit.

And a visit does require some effort. The site, 36km (22 miles) east of Sydney, isn't on the way to anyplace else, and it's an inconvenient detour from Cape Breton Highlands National Park. As such, it's easy to justify skipping it. But if you're interested in Louisbourg, commit yourself to going. A few hours spent wandering the wondrous rebuilt town, then walking amid ruins and out along the coastal trail, might be one of the highlights of your trip to Atlantic Canada.