From 1000 Place to See Before You Die:
“Both the natural beauty and island culture get their due on the 184-mile Cabot Trail. Following the picturesque, craggy coastline around Cape Breton Highlands National Park, the trail is one of the most scenic drives in North America… Most breathtakingof all is the 27-mile stretch from Cheticamp north to Pleasant Bay, with its remarkable views of the western coast.”
The first day was re-positioning from the Bay to Cape Breton Island. We stayed overnight in Cheticamp at an okay, but not great motel, and ate at an okay, but not great restaurant.
Overall we had really good weather on this trip. But the day we drove this 27-mile stretch….well, it started out overcast and gray. As we wound our way upwards, the fog closed in and we didn’t get the great views.
“On the east coast, the town of Ingonish is home to the Keltic Lodge, a gleaming white, red-roofed, Tudor-style resort. The views are a knockout.”
We ended the day in Ingonish staying at a pretty nice cabin in the woods. My only complaint there was a lack of comfortable living room furniture and a weird check-in/check-out process. But the cabin itself was lovely. Even if the private beach access wasn’t (according to Cort).
We woke up on the second day to beautiful sunny weather. We started went to the Dancing Moose Cafe for a freaking delicious breakfast. We both had the Dutch Pannenkoek, sat underneath a huge stuffed moose, and bought cute little stuffed animal souvenirs.
After breakfast, we decided that since the weather was so much better we’d double back and do part of the Cabot Trail again. (Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to drive the entire trail so we still missed out on those 27-mile views. /sigh)
But we did encounter a dog driving a van, sparkling ocean views, and verdant valleys. Gorgeous.
This was the day that I realized I was sick. Sure it was a cold, we carried on. I felt ok, just a little stuffy.
*Some photo credit and a lot of fun credit goes to Cort!
