The Forgotten Beach - A Day at Black Brook Beach

I first started going to Ingonish as a child but I really started spending a lot of time there when I was a teenager and a friend of mine had a camper parked at the Broad Cove Campground. That was my first real introduction to the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. I went back and forth to that camper for several summers before my parents bought one and parked it a few lots away on that same campground.  That family I had been spending summers with prior to that had moved away and no longer came to Broad Cove but I continued to go and have been going there every year since. 

I remember the first time I went to Black Brook Beach.  My friends mother packed us all into the truck and drove ten minutes north into the National Park between Broad Cove and Neil's Harbour.  Of course, having never been there before, I thought we were going to take a dip in a freshwater brook!  There is a brook there with freshwater that leads to the ocean which is lined by one of the most beautiful little beaches I had ever seen. 

For many years,  I returned to that beach but, for some reason, I stopped going and started swimming at other area beaches like Ingonish Beach and North Bay. I think it was a partially because more people started going there so it got quite crowded and the beach was getting smaller and smaller every year so there was less space on it. 

I don't know for sure how long I stayed away from Black Brook but I'd say it was at least 15 years. That streak was broken this year when I finally returned to my once favourite beach and I'm sure glad I did!

I picked up a friend at the Joyful Journey's campground in Jersey Cove and headed to Ingonish for the day.  Our intention was to swim at The Point as I've had luck there recently.  It's calm, it's sandy and I rarely see jellyfish there.  However, on this day, it was calm and sandy but it was polluted with jellyfish!  We headed to Ingonish Beach to check it out and alas, polluted with jellyfish too!  North Bay was too rough and covered in seaweed.  

Defeated, I suggested we try one last place, my old favourite, Black Brook.  When we arrived, the parking lot was almost empty which was a good sign especially since it was high tide and there would be very little space on the beach. 

Things looked decent from the parking lot.  The water looked clear, there was a gentle rolling wave and there were a few people in the water.  However, I couldn't tell if there were any jelly fish lurking on the surface!  Upon closer inspection, I saw none so the remaining test was the water temperature.  

 

 We set up on the beach and stripped down to our swimsuits.  I put my toes in first.  It felt warm.  I inched in a little more.  It still felt warm.  I beckoned for my friend to join me and, reluctantly, she did.  She found it cold.  I'm sure I have a higher tolerance for ocean water as it always seems like everyone else finds it cold!  I dove in. It was warm.  She dove in and found it just tolerable.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed swimming in those clear waters for the rest of the afternoon. 

When my friend complained about her legs being numb and headed to shore, I stayed in the water for about another hour.  I could have stayed longer if I hadn't gotten so hungry.  The option to eat out is always there while on road trips around Cape Breton and there are quite a few amazing restaurants around the Ingonish area.  However, I prefer my old standby when the weather is nice and I prefer to be outdoors by the ocean; an egg sandwich, yogurt and granola bar.  This has been my standard beach meal since I can remember.  It serves me well.  Filling and healthy. 

 When the clouds started rolling in, the wind picked up and it looked like we might get a rain shower, we packed everything up and headed for the shelter of the car just in time to miss the inevitable.  When we reached North Bay, the rain had stopped and we went for an evening stroll along that long beautiful beach before making the long journey back to the campground in Jersey Cove.  

I prefer staying in a tent when I camp but a camper trailer is the next best thing.  It's closer to nature than my apartment in town. We ate some snacks and sat around a campfire before the distant thunder sounded like it was getting closer.  I slept like a baby to the sound of crickets, thunder and the water rolling ashore at the beach nearby. In the morning, I watched some hummingbirds feeding on the deck and a bald eagle soaring above. The drive home wasn't as peaceful as the drive the night before.  It was a workday for most people and everyone was heading to jobs and appointments in the city.  But that's ok because I had the memories of the day and night before to think about as I drove back into civilization.