Confederation Bridge

After arriving in Truro we realised firstly that the bad weather would continue into the next day and that we could instead have an extra night in Prince Edward Island and hopefully enjoy better weather while we were there. 

This turned out to be a great move as we really liked Prince Edward Island and also heard on the news the following evening that parts of Nova Scotia and in particularly Truro where we had left that morning had been deluged with rain and homes, businesses and motels were flooded out.

From Truro we drove North some way through open country, looking out for moose (didn’t see any on this particular day)

Our route took us North through Nova Scotia just over the provincial border into New Brunswick where we then turned North East to cross the Confederation Bridge that would take us to Prince Edward Island.

At 12.9 kms (8 miles) the bridge is the longest in the World over winter-ice-covered waters and was built over four years, opening in 1997.

Views of the bridge from the visitors centre on the New Brunswick side before we cross.

Views of the dirty Cape Jourimain lighthouse.

Dad, Mum and I with the Confederation Bridge behind.

The New Brunswick flag.

We take the 8mi drive across the bridge.

It’s not long before we’re on the Prince Edward Island side, so much quicker than a ferry !

The bridge from the PEI side, note the red soil & sand which was everywhere on the island.

Then we take the easy going country roads across the south shore of the island to the provincial capital of Charlottetown where we stay for the next three nights.  Even the roads had a red hue to them !

Fort Anne National Historic Site, Annapolis Royal

The location of Fort Anne National Historic Site in Annapolis Royal has been a fort since 1629 when the Scottish came to colonise and create New Scotland (now Nova Scotia) however they didn’t keep it long and in the 1630’s the land fell back under French control and renamed Port Royal. In 1702 the French built the earthworks that remain today.

In 1710 the French lost control of Nova Scotia to the British marking the defeat of the French Acadians. With the fall of Quebec from French rule in 1759 the fort no longer held important military important although it was used as a secure outpost during the American Revolution and War of 1812.

In 1920 it was designated a National Historic Site.

Monument of Pierre Dugua de Mons was named Lieutenant General of Acadia & New France and set out in 1604 to create a colony.

Restored cannons

Views from Fort Anne across the Annapolis River

More cannons

Views from the site

The preserved Captains Quarters which were built in 1797.

We take a short walk through the village of Annapolis Royal before the weather turns even wetter and windier and we get back on the road.

The weather was particularly rough on this day as Hurricane Leslie passed some distance offshore but dumped a lot of wind and rain on us.  We didn’t do more sightseeing rather headed for our base that evening in the town of Truro.

Peggy’s Cove–Mahone Bay–Lunenburg–Digby

The following day we collected our rental car we would use for the remainder of our vacation, a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The first stop on todays drive was in the village of Peggy’s Cove, about an hour South of Downtown Halifax. 

The village is well and truly on the tourist circuit as a quintessential unspoilt East Coast fishing village lighthouse.  Peggy’s Cove is also known for being the nearest village to the site of the 1998 Swissair 111 flight that crashed just off the coast in St Margarets Bay, a memorial for this event is found a short distance West of Peggy’s Cove.

Sculptor and painter William E deGarthe lived in Peggy’s Cove and created a Fisherman’s Monument in the form of 30ft engraving in a granite outcrop depicting 32 fishermen, their wives, children and St. Elmo the patron saint of sailors. He donated the rock and land it sits on to the village of Peggy’s Cove before his death and it is now protected as parkland.

Views of pretty Peggy’s Cove as we walk up to the lighthouse, the morning fog still burning off.

We reach the lighthouse.  Huge waves are crashing over the rocks around us.

At this time Hurricane Leslie was off the coast in the Atlantic only a day or two away so while the weather here on land was still fine the first effects in the sea could be seen.

Peggy’s Cove lighthouse and village as the sun is breaking through the mist.

Me on the rocks near the lighthouse.

Final view of the lighthouse……

….and of the village before we continue on our drive along the coast.

We take the coast road along the South Eastern side of the province which winds through small villages and hamlets beside the water which is dotted with small rocky islands.

Soon we reach the village of Mahone Bay, easily identified by its three distinctive churches side-by-side along the bay.

The three churches of Mahone Bay

Shortly after passing Mahone Bay we reach the quaint fishing village of Lunenburg where we stop for lunch.  The view from our table in the restaurant overlooking Lunenburg Harbour.

David and Dad both enjoyed an excellent full lobster lunch.

After lunch we walk along the Lunenburg waterfront.

The village has a pretty harbour which is still quite active and working as well as being a popular tourist attraction.

A memorial to those who are lost at sea.

The ‘main street’ of Lunenburg Montague Street which is lined with preserved historic homes and businesses.

After our visit to Lunenburg we continue the longer drive across Nova Scotia through rolling forested hills and farmland.

Eventually we see the sea again as we reach the west coast of this small province.

And our base for the evening, the Summers Country Inn in Digby.