jignall

Hi everyone. I'm planning on doing a tour of Nova Scotia this year because I hear it's a great place. I want to do about a week of riding and average roughly 50-75 miles a day. I would like to stay in hotels as well (would like hotels to relatively inexepensive but not dumps). Anyone have any suggestions on:

1) the area in general/quality of touring (i'm most interested in visual beauty and quality of roads, etc...)?
2) potential route?
3) where to stay?
4) timing - planning on late june - is the weather okay then?
5) other tips/comments?

Thanks in advance.

Jeff

raybo

This page at www.biketouringtips.com holds two links to Nova Scotia bike touring sites.

One place that might be interesting is the Cabot Trail (linked to in the above page). Here is how it is described:

The Cabot Trail is a 300 km long highway in Northern Cape Breton, an area renowned for its spectacular unspoiled beauty. Cape Breton is an island located in the north of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Cabot Trail was named after John Cabot, the great navigator and explorer who first sighted Cape Breton Island on June 23, 1497. The Trail winds around the northern shore of Cape Breton passing through the magnificent highlands of Cape Breton National Park, one of Canada's most exceptional wilderness areas. You will find a rare blend of cultures, including Acadian, Scottish and Mi'kmaq, in these parts.


Ray

jignall

Thanks man. I wonder if there's an easy way to get to Cape Breton from Halifax Airport? For a one week tour it seems like a huge haul to ride there on bike (it looks like about 500 miles round trip).

gerv 

You can travel from Halifax to Cape Breton on the Acadien Bus Lines. Try this link, stopping in Baddeck https://www.smtbus.com/en/index.asp#

If travelling in Cape Breton, better get your legs in gear. There's a lot of hills and some of them are steeeep. But, yes, extremely beautiful area. Actually , breathtaking.... https://novascotia.com/en/home/planatrip/gettingaround/scenic_travelways/cabot_trail/default.aspx

Also not sure about the roads. I traveled there by car a number of years ago. There's no paved shoulder on much of these roads, unlike the Trans Canada Highway. I do remember having some severely smoking brakes on one descent.

gerv 

There are a couple of other tours in Nova Scotia that might be more convenient for you, too. Try this link.
https://www.atlanticcanadacycling.com...ks/novascotia/

I hear Annapolis Valley is pretty nice.

Nigeyy

Ha! That one is easy for me -after having done an aborted and abbreviated tour about 3 years ago -only tour Nova Scotia in nice weather!

I was there in June of that year, in the middle of rain batting down, and some of my friends swear they even saw horizontal sleet at one point. I only managed 30 miles before I realized it just was not fun.....

The fisherman's pub at Yarmouth was a life saver, and even to this day my friends and make the toast of "God bless Alexander Keith!".

tflo101

My family used to go to Prince Edward Island in the summer, and that place is awesome. Its pretty close, I think there is actually a bridge now that connects the two land masses. Depending on how much time you have that might be a place you would want to check out. Very cool place, I actually had a dream about a week ago about going to school there and when I woke up and I had the sudden urge to move there.

axolotl

I liked Cape Breton Island a lot, more so than mainland Nova Scotia or PEI, for that matter. BTW, the bridge links PEI with New Brunswick, not N. Scotia. I believe there is still ferry service between PEI and northern N. Scotia. The Cabot Trail was great, but other parts of Cape Breton were very nice, as well. If I had had more time, I would have spent additional time around the salt water lakes and inlets of Cape Breton.

Argus

I guess this is my first post so I will say Hello.

I lived in NS but regrettably never biked around other then commuting to work and school in Halifax.

From Halifax down the South Shore work be a very scenic ride, and if you continued riding around the tail would bring you the Annapolis Valley. The valley is the only place I've found in NS that get hot and muggy. Now the major highways are a divide hi the shoulders are not paved leaving what most cities have for a bike path past the line, but if you on the highway your not going to see much province. I would think taking the secondaries would be the way to go.

If you want to tour just Cape Breton, you could either take the bus or is cost is not an issue you could fly into Sydney (Air Canada Jazz). I haven't been on the Cabot trail but I've heard it was very beautiful but I would make sure your breaks are in good order and be ready to climb some hills.

Getting to PEI you have two options; there is the Caribou-Wood Islands ferry in the summer months from Pictou NS to PEI, the ride is approximately 1hr 30, and the Confederation Bridge at Cape Tormentine NB and Borden PEI, you can't ride you bike over the bridge but the have shuttle service that will get you and your bike over the bridge.

I hope this helpful

Sean

late

You will need to be in good shape. One time we were driving up there we saw several cars on the side of the road, overheated from the strain of dealing with the hills. Most people would use switchbacks. No such luck, the road goes straight up and straight down. Saw one gal on a heavily loaded bike, she looked like her head was going to blow off her shoulders from the strain of it.

gmacdermid

I would recommend Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail. I rode it about 15 years ago, my first trip actually. There are three steep climbs and descents and it's probably best to ride clockwise since Cape Smokey is steepest up the south side. Traffic wasn't a problem. Most drivers don't seem to be in a hurry.

I suppose you could fly into Sydney rather than Halifax, although I'd check whether they can take the bikes since the planes from Halifax to Sydney tend to be rather small and may have limited luggage space.

avatarworf

I am from Nova Scotia! There are so many nice places. Cape Breton is an obvious choice and a good one but I have a couple other suggestions.

First, contact tourism NS and ask them to send you a guide book. It's probably too heavy to carry on tour but will give you lots of good ideas and comes with a free map (or at least it did last time I checked). Late June should be fine for touring.

https://novascotia.com/en/home/default.aspx

If you look at this map, you'll see different regions:

https://novascotia.com/en/home/planat...s/default.aspx

I would suggest that the area around the Glooscap and Sunrise trail would make nice cycling. You could get the bus to Truro and then head out through farmland and along the Bay of Fundy towards Five Islands and Parrsboro. There are beaches around Parrsboro and a thriving rockhounding industry, a museum. Five Islands has some little cottage industries like a cheese shop that also does cakes and tea run by a Dutch family and the area has a nice provincial park. There are waterfalls too. More info here: https://www.glooscaptrail.com/

You could then cross to the other side of the province and cycle back to Truro along the Sunrise trail, which is really known for its beaches, warm waters. Lots of nice little towns, a few museums, the Balmoral Grist Mill. In late June you might come across some community BBQs or suppers as well which are good fun.

See if you can work a route that includes swinging by Jost vineyards? That's in the Wentworth valley.

There is so much to see in NS outside of Cape Breton, pretty though it is, and these area will have quieter roads (less steep too!) and much less tourism.

Argus

just found this link if you interested;

https://www.hedney.com/cabot.htm

MCJ

We have a self guided package for a one week tour.
https://www.cyclecanada.com/Scotia.htm