Sydney, Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

 

“I have traveled around the globe. I have seen the Canadian and American Rockies, the Andes, the Alps and the Highlands of Scotland, but for simple beauty, Cape Breton out rivals them all.”

Alexander Graham Bell

On our back to back cruises with Royal Caribbean back in October and November, we stopped at the historic town of Sydney, Nova Scotia twice. What stands out about the port at Sydney is the worlds largest fiddle which is on display at on the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion. This solid steel fiddle and bow reach up 60 feet and was designed and constructed by Cyril Hearn in 2005.

Sydney is the capital of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and is the largest city on the island.  It is known for its beauty and unique Celtic music and culture. Many Scottish people settled here thus there is a heavy Scottish influence here still. Many people speak Scottish Gaelic and you will find you can buy kilts here in town to show off your heritage. As we exited the cruise ship there was a bagpiper playing. It was just lovely.

On our first visit to Sydney, we took the Cabot Trail Tour which I reserved through Viator. Once we got off the ship, we walked about 50 feet to meet up with the excursion bus which was a 15 passenger bus with a sign on the side saying Bannochburn Tours. Our red headed driver was from here but his parents were from Scotland and he had quite the accent and was a great guy. As we took off and headed for Cabot Trail, our first impressions of this area was there was water everywhere. It was beautiful.

When we got onto the Cabot Trail, a scenic highway, we headed north and we saw part of the Bras d’Or Lake where there were two boats out on the water fishing for oysters. This lake had a connection to the sea and is tidal but also gets fresh water from the inland rivers. Our guide explained that this trail is an 186 mile drive which loops around the northern tip of the island and was named after John Cabot who landed in Atlantic, Canada in 1497. Many folks dispute this saying he was more likely to have landed in Newfoundland and not on Cape Breton. We would only see a small part of the trail due to time restraints.

We heard the tale of the 7’ 9” giant named Angus MacAskill that lived on Cape Breton after his family moved here in 1831 from Scotland. He was in the Guinness Book of World Records which stated he was the strongest man and the tallest non-pathological giant in the world. He was so big that four men could fit in his vest since he chest measured 80 inches. He was known to move boats and moved a 2,800 pound anchor to his chest and was known to be able to hold over 250 pounds with only three fingers. He died at age 28 from a fever. We passed his grave which was surrounded by an iron fence and the anchor he lifted sat nearby. The museum was closed that day. He was known to have toured around with Tom Thumb.

We were so fortunate as this day was perfectly clear and the temperature was a balmy 66 degrees. Our bus pulled down to St. Ann’s Harbor where we boarded a ferry. This was the quickest ferry ride ever, a short 10 minutes ride that crossed a very small area of the harbor but saved much time in driving. We saw an island off in the distance where the Puffins, a bird from Iceland comes and stays from May 15 to mid to late August. They are neat looking birds but none to be found this time of year. We also saw a bald eagle and heard there is an abundance here and many have been shipped to the US.

Further up the trail, we stopped at Ingonish Beach. The entire beach was full of smooth rounded cobblestones of varying sizes. These rocks were pushed on shore by the intense wave action during the winter months but by summer, all the cobblestones would be pushed back out to sea and this beach would be all sand. This amazing cycle happens every year. There are very strong currents here and I’m not sure many go into this water as it is so cold and dangerous but just a few steps away from this beach is a lake that is fresh water and calm. Maybe that water is warmer. From Ingonish Beach, we could look across the water and see the Keltic Lodge up on a hill.

We drove over to the Lodge to get a closer look. This is a premier resort and lodge in the village of Ingonish on the northeastern coast of Cape Breton Island. What a gorgeous property. The property was built in 1941 and has stunning views. There are 100 rooms in this lodge including suites and separate rental cottages and is owned by Parks Canada and operated by GolfNorth. We were able to have a bathroom break here and had time to walk the property. There was even a pool in the back which was empty but heated when we visited as it was the end of the season. In front of the building is a cement plaque on the entrance walkway that says in Gaelic – Ciad Mile failte do dh’ albainn Nuadh which part of it means A hundred thousand welcomes. Right next to this gorgeous lodge is the 18 hole Championship Highland Links Golf Course.

At the time when this lodge was built many of the fisherman population mainly spoke Gaelic and there were still local French speaking folks who were descendants of the Acadians who were frequent visitors here. As we headed further north on the Cabot Trail we noticed all the street signs near the Green Cove area are in English and Gaelic. There are still about 200 Gaelic speaking people on the island.

We got out of the bus at Green Cove which is a rocky granite coastland projecting into the sea. This is a good viewing area for whales and a great place to enjoy watching the waves splashing against the rocks. We walked down wooden steps and out onto the rocks for great views of the coastline. We all got some great pictures and then our guide pointed out all the seals on this small rock island right off the coast. I can’t believe I hadn’t noticed them before as some where laying down while others were looking around or jumping in the water and swimming. Once we noticed that, we noticed all the seals in the water. Unfortunately we saw no whales that day but that was okay as the seals were quite entertaining. What a great stop.

That was as far north as we could go today and safely get back to the ship on time. On our way back, we stopped at the Main Street Restaurant and Bakery for lunch. I got the seafood chowder and Joe got the oysters. It was delicious and the staff were wonderful. We also bought the best homemade ginger molasses soft cookies we ever had.

Then back on the bus till we came to a lovely waterfall on the side of the road where we were able to get off the bus again and get pictures. We loved this tour as there were many stops to see interesting sites along the way. We also stopped at a small picturesque fishing village called Little River for taking pictures. There was a small bridge that went over the river where we were able to get great pictures of the river.

We stopped at a Gaelic College for a bathroom break. This was a neat place to see as they teach fiddle, Gaelic, music, crafts, customs, and traditions of the immigrants from the Highlands of Scotland. It has been open since 1938. There was a small museum and shop there were they sell many items as well as hot coffee and tea. The lady working there was lovely and kind to us all.

On the way back we drove over a bridge with a lighthouse and then back to the ship to be dropped off. This was an excellent excursion that we enjoyed so much and would do again.

On our second stop to Sydney, we did not book an excursion and decided just to walk the town. When we first got off the ship that day, we headed to the commercial side of town. They were repaving the road and one of the workers wished us a great day. We chatted for a few minutes and then headed on. We headed up the hill passed St. George Church which is a beautiful sandstone church was built between 1785 and 1791. We also past the Bank of Montreal a beautiful building built in 1901 and another old looking three story building across the street.

Along our walk, we passed many beautiful murals and the lovely green colored church which was absolutely stunning called the United Heritage Church. It was built in 1918. This church represents a merger of five Protestant denominations including the Methodist Church, Congregational Union of Ontario and Quebec, Presbyterian Church, Association of Local Union Churches, and the Canadian Conference of the Evangelical United Brethren Church. After passing the church, we walked through a lovely neighborhood with trees that were still covered with fall foliage.

We went as far as Wentworth Park which is a lovely park and pond and loaded with green headed mallards that came right up to us, hoping we had bread to feed them. I wish I would have brought some bread from the ship. This park was created in 1786, just a year after Sydney was founded which makes it one of Sydney's oldest parks. There is a nice 0.7 mile loop trail that is a nice walk with many benches to sit and relax and a picturesque gazebo near the water.

We passed another gorgeous white church called Sacred Heart Church, built in 1889, with two church spirals and black roof. We saw the Eltuek Arts Centre and the Jost House Museum which was built in 1786 and has exhibits of local history and marine life plus they also have a restored apothecary displayed inside.

We walked by St. Patrick's Church Museum which is a short 5 minute walk from the cruise port.  This was originally built as a Roman Catholic Church in 1828.  They built it where an old wooden building once stood which was built for the pioneers in 1805.  This is the oldest still standing Catholic Church on Cape Breton Island.  There is a cemetery in the back.  

On the way back we walked on the Sydney Waterfront Boardwalk a just under a mile long walk.  It was a beautiful area with small parks along the way including a nice playground called the Fire Station Playground .  

It was a chilly day, so we stopped at Flavor on the Water, which is a restaurant right at the port, and I ordered a hot chocolate with Baileys. Oh my, how splendid on a cold day. Inside this building, they built a lighthouse which clearly stole the show inside this port area that also featured many shops to check out.   Very unique. 

Sydney, the town has some unique features but there is not much happening in this town. We enjoyed our time there but there really isn’t too much to see. I recommend going on an excursion and The Cabot Trail excursion is the best.  Cabot Trail is a must at this stop. You will not regret it.

Till next time. Bye for now.