The South Shore -- that stretch of coast between Yarmouth and Halifax -- serves to confirm popular conceptions of Nova Scotia (small fishing villages, shingled homes), but the 113km (70-mile) shoreline from Digby to Yarmouth seems determined to confound those same conceptions. Look for Acadian enclaves, fishing villages with more corrugated steel than weathered shingle, miles of sandy beaches, and spruce-topped basalt cliffs that seem transplanted from Labrador.
The unassuming port town of Digby is located on the water at Digby Gap -- where the Annapolis River finally forces an egress through the North Mountain coastal range. Set at the south end of the broad watery expanse of the Annapolis Basin, Digby is home to the world's largest inshore scallop fleet, which drags the ocean bottom for tasty and succulent Digby scallops. The town is an active community where life centers around fishing boats, neighborhoods of wood-frame houses, and no-frills seafood restaurants. It also serves as Nova Scotia's gateway for those arriving from Saint John, New Brunswick, via ferry. The ferry terminal is on Route 303, west of Digby.
Aside from the Digby Pines Golf Resort and Spa, which warrants its own trip , the town is worth checking out if you have a few hours to kill before catching your ferry back to Saint John. If you're arriving by ferry and want to visit the town before pushing on, watch for signs directing you downtown from the bypass, otherwise you'll end up on Route 101 before you know it.
