Side Trips

Blue Rocks is a tiny, picturesque harbor a short drive from Lunenburg. It's every bit as scenic as Peggy's Cove, but without the tour buses. Head out of town on Pelham Street and keep driving east. Look for signs indicating either THE POINT or THE LANE and steer in that direction; the winding roadway gets narrower as the homes get more humble. Eventually, you'll reach the tip, where it's just fishing shacks, bright boats, and rocks, with views of spruce- and heath-covered islands offshore. The rocks are said to glow in a blue hue in certain light, hence the name. There's a small bike shop along the road to the neighborhood, the Lunenburg Bike Barn (tel. 902/634-3426; www.bikelunenburg.com) at 579 Blue Rocks Rd., whose helpful owners rent bikes for exploring the surroundings. They can also fix or otherwise service your bike in a pinch.

If you continue on instead of turning toward "the point," you'll soon come to the enclave of Stonehurst, another cluster of homes gathered around a rocky harbor. The road forks along the way; the narrow, winding route to South Stonehurst is somewhat more scenic. This whole area is ideal for exploring by bicycle, with twisting lanes, great vistas, and limited traffic.

Heading eastward along the other side of Lunenburg Harbor, you'll end up eventually at the Ovens Natural Park (tel. 902/766-4621; www.ovenspark.com) in Riverport, a privately owned campground and day-use park that sits on 1.6km (1 mile) of dramatic coastline. You can follow the seaside trail to view the "ovens" (sea caves, actually) for which the park was named. A closer view can be had on a Zodiac boat tour of the caves. The park also features a cafe that serves up basic meals and a great view. Entrance fees are C$8 (US$7.20/£4) adults, C$4 (US$3.60/£2) seniors and children age 5 to 11, and campsites cost C$25 to C$45 (US$23-US$41/£13-£23) per night, with discounts for weekly stays. The park opens from May 15 to October 15.

The Dauntless Bluenose

Take an old Canadian dime -- one minted before 2001, that is -- out of your pocket and have a close look. That graceful schooner on one side? That's the Bluenose, Canada's most recognized and most storied ship.

The Bluenose was built in Lunenburg in 1921 as a fishing schooner. But it wasn't just any schooner. It was an exceptionally fast schooner.

U.S. and Canadian fishing fleets had raced informally for years. Starting in 1920, the Halifax Herald sponsored the International Fisherman's Trophy, which was captured that first year by Americans sailing out of Massachusetts. Peeved, the Nova Scotians set about taking it back. And did they ever. The Bluenose retained the trophy for 18 years running, despite the best efforts of Americans to recapture it. The race was shelved as World War II loomed; in the years after the war, fishing schooners were displaced by long-haul, steel-hulled fishing ships, and the schooners sailed into the footnotes of history. The Bluenose was sold in 1942 to labor as a freighter in the West Indies. Four years later it foundered and sank off Haiti.

What made the Bluenose so unbeatable? A number of theories exist. Some said it was because of last-minute hull design changes. Some said it was frost "setting" the timbers as the ship was being built. Still others claim it was blessed with an unusually talented captain and crew.

The replica Bluenose II was built in 1963 from the same plans as the original, in the same shipyard, and even by some of the same workers. It's been owned by the province since 1971, and it sails throughout Canada and beyond as Nova Scotia's seafaring ambassador. The Bluenose's location varies from year to year, and it schedules visits to ports in Canada and the United States. In midsummer, it typically alternates between Lunenburg and Halifax, during which time visitors can sign up for 2-hour harbor sailings (C$35/US$32/£18 adults, C$20/US$18/£10 children age 3 to 12). To hear about the ship's schedule, call the Bluenose II Preservation Trust (tel. 866/579-4909).