Summer trips to Inverness...These are the Days I Long for all Winter!

It's no secret that I love the ocean and I'm sure it's no secret that I also love swimming in the ocean.  The hot temperatures came early this year.  June was warm enough to go swimming but the jellyfish made an appearance around that time too and I don't swim when they're!  Fortunately, they had a short season and were gone just in time for me to start swimming a little earlier than normal.  Mid-July is usually when I find the water warm enough to enjoy longer dips but the water warmed to a comfortable temperature earlier this year. 

I only live about ten minutes away from Dominion Beach so that's where I spend most of my time but whenever I get the chance, I head to Inverness Beach.  It's a 2.5-hour drive to this long, sandy stretch on the northwestern coast of Cape Breton but the drive is worth it for the warm, clear water and spectacular sunsets. 

I made more trips to Inverness than usual this summer but still not as many as I would have liked.  That being said, I made the most of each trip by leaving early in the morning and spending as much time as possible enjoying the two things that draw me to this beach; the swimming and the sunsets. 

It's always my first stop of the day and my last.  After a late morning swim and long walk in the surf, I head further north to check out some of my other favorite beaches at Chimney Corner and Whale Cove.  Sometimes I stop at Plage St. Pierre on Cheticamp Island, usually I grab a coffee in Cheticamp and go for a scenic drive into the Cape Breton Highlands National Park and along the Cheticamp Back Road.  

Before heading back to Inverness, I grab something to eat at La Gabriel or Wabo's Pizza and eat on the boardwalk while watching the boats coming and going.  I always make sure to be back at Inverness Beach at least an hour before sunset.  I set up camp in the sand once again and head into those warm, clear waters to enjoy a final evening swim.  

The true magic happens just as the sun dips almost to the horizon and the last glowing rays sparkle in a strip leading from the surf to the great depths as far as the eye can see. As long as I stay in that glowing strip, I can still see straight to the bottom.  Sometimes a boat or lone paddleboarder will appear in the distance making that sparkling strip of light leading to the setting sun even more spectacular.  One evening, there was even a lone bagpiper playing high above the beach.

The air cools quickly and by the time the sun is gone and the sky darkens, I know it's time to get out of the water.  This is the hardest part of the day.  The water is warmer than the air at this time and I never know if it will be the last Inverness sunset swim of the season.  Reluctantly, I head to shore, dry off, change into dry clothes and make the long journey home.  

It's fall now but thoughts of days like this are what keep me going through the long, cold winter.  Let the countdown to summer begin!  

An Almost Ruined Beach Day Turned out to be one of the Best Days all Summer

The summer of 2022 was a strange one.  I was excited that Covid-19 was no longer a threat and the government had loosened restrictions so I was looking forward to getting back to beach days, road trips and camping excursions.  However, high gas prices, soaring inflation and work restrictions prevented me from having the summer I dreamed of while I was in pandemic isolation for the previous two years. 

Despite the hurdles, I vowed to take at least one day trip to my favorite beach, Inverness Beach in Western Cape Breton. I started to plan early because I knew I had a small window to work with when the weather would be nicest and I would have some time away from my work. I didn't care if anyone came with me or not so I didn't even try to plan the trip around anyone else's schedule.  I eyed the second week of August, I gave notice to my employer that would be taking a few days off and I got everything ready to go at a moment's notice.  My logic was that one of the days I choose to take off would be nice and I would be able to monitor the weather and head out on my way at a moment's notice when the winds and skies were just right.  Why plan a beach day if clouds, rain and wind is forecast?  I wanted the day to be perfect because I only had one chance. 

I chose the day and that day started out wonderfully.  Sunny, warm, not a cloud in the sky, at least not until I started getting closer to my final destination.  Grey clouds were moving in, the wind picked up and raindrops started to appear on my windshield. I pulled up to the beach hoping that at least the water was warm enough to keep some people swimming despite the weather but, much to my disappointment, everyone was leaving and soon there was no one left on the beach.  The surf was up and even the lifeguards didn't look like they wanted to be there.  

Thinking my beach day was ruined, I decided to try and make the best out of out anyway.  After all, I drove over two hours to get there. I stopped for a coffee in the little town of Inverness before driving toward Cheticamp. As I drove along the coast, the sky started to clear and the sun came out.  I saw cars parked along the road to Chimney Corner which I thought was strange since it had just been raining. I drove down to check it out anyway and a good thing I did; the beach was beautiful!  Low tide, no waves and all sand.  This beach is a little more sheltered than Inverness and that was my theory as to why it was so nice there.  The water was incredibly warm.  I stayed there in those warm waters for several hours, content that I got my beach day after all.  Chimney Corner is a close second when it comes to favourite beaches in this area of Cape Breton so I was perfectly fine spending the afternoon there.  

 Later that afternoon after I had walked the beach and dried off, I continued on to Cheticamp where I grabbed some Nachos from Le Gabriel and ate them on the boardwalk.  I looked off in the distance and could see nothing but clear skies towards Inverness.  The sunsets in Cheticamp are nice but the sunsets in Inverness are incredible. Inverness sunsets are one of my life's greatest joys and that day was my only chance to enjoy one that summer. I headed west and back to where I started.  I walked up to the edge of the dunes to check out the conditions of the beach and couldn't believe what I was seeing.  The seas were calm, the tide was fairly low, the horizon was clear and there were dozens of people in the water!  I didn't argue with myself for long.  I knew it was late and had to hit the road soon but I couldn't pass up this opportunity.  I grabbed my beach gear, changed into my swimsuit again, found a place in the soft, warm sand to make my base and immersed myself into that sparkling water.  The water was so clear I could see right to the bottom.  There's one thing I love more than Inverness sunsets; swimming toward those last rays of the sun and feeling as if I'm the last person on earth, one with the mighty ocean...and that's exactly what I did until the sky turned dark and the air turned cool and I made the long drive home. 

A not-so-great Day turned into an Amazing Evening at my Favourite Beach

I'm a contract worker and usually work winters and have the summers off but this past summer was very strange for two reasons: Covid-19 was still around and I had to work all summer.  It wasn't so bad.  Except for being stuck in an air-conditioned office on hot, summer evenings.  The part I hated the most though was only having two days to get away on the weekends and that meant road trips around Cape Breton Island were in short supply. 

I have many favourite beaches around Cape Breton but Inverness Beach is my all-time favourite because it has all of the things I love in one place; sand, warm, clear water and some of the best sunsets around. 

 During a usual Cape Breton summer, I travel to Inverness at least once a week.  Unfortunately, since I was working five days a week in the evenings, it was impossible for me to make that 2.5-hour drive that often and I only made it there once this past summer.  

I choose the long weekend during the first week of August as my one shot at a beach day in Inverness. I picked this weekend because the water is still cool in early July and late August can be iffy too with storms threatening the coast.  In the past, that weekend seems to always be nice. Unfortunately, that was not the case this year. 

When I left in the morning, it was with mild disappointment.  The wind was from the north, the skies were grey and the temperature was unseasonably cool.  My only hope was that the west coast of the island might be seeing some better weather. I arrived to much of the same with the added disappointment of the ocean being too rough to swim in. 

The parking lot at the beach was my first indication that it was not a beach day in Inverness.  It's usually so full that you have to park down the road and walk up.  That day, there was hardly a car in sight.  The ones that were there were either leaving or getting ready to leave because the conditions were not ideal. 

I grabbed my towel and chair and ventured to check it out.  Nope.  Not a soul in the water! The water was too rough.   Even the lifeguards, who were all bundled up in their warm sweaters,  looked like they didn't want to be there. The only people using the beach that morning were the beach glass pickers and they were bundled up too.  Disappointed, I returned to my car thinking I had just wasted my only chance to swim in the clear, warm waters of Inverness Beach.  

Inverness isn't the only nice beach along the west coast of Cape Breton.  Two more of my favourite beaches are only a short drive away.  I thought that maybe there was a small chance one of those beaches might be suitable for swimming. Chimney Corner is quite protected on both sides by high cliffs and Whale Cove is also protected and faces another direction. It was a small chance but worth checking since I drove so far to get there.  

I arrived at Chimney Corner first and it looked promising.  Unfortunately, there were cars parked all the way up to the highway and there was nowhere safe for me to park.  I kept driving to Whale Cove.  Again, many cars were parked along the road, a good sign.  Luckily, I found a spot and looked out over the embankment to see scores of people in the water, jumping off the floating dock and walking barefoot in the surf.  How could this be?  It was like a fall day only 20 minutes down the highway and here, it was like a typical mid-summer beach day!

For two hours, I enjoyed the clear, warm waters of Whale Cove.  I should add that the water was very calm as well.  Much different from the rough waters of Inverness that greeted me earlier that morning.  

When I left Whale Cove, I headed for Cheticamp to grab some of those delicious nachos from Le Gabriel and ate them at a picnic table near the entrance of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. I drove along the Cheticamp Backroad and over to Cheticamp Island before heading back towards Chimney Corner.  My hope was there were more parking spaces available so I could maybe go for a quick swim at another one of my favourite beaches.  

I was able to drive right to the end of the road and park near the path that led to the beach.  The water was calm, clear and warm here too.  The crowds were starting to disperse as they usually do around supper time so I had the beach almost to myself for a while.  Until well past 7 O'clock, I enjoyed a relaxing dip.  I wanted to stay there all night but something was telling me I had to check out Inverness Beach one last time.  Often, the winds die down in the evening and the possibility that I just might be able to grab a quick dip in the water right at sunset was what made me drive back to my original destination.  

 Only a few cars were parked in the beach parking lot when I arrived.  Not a bad sign since that was the time most people go home for supper. If they return, it would be at sunset.  I stepped out of the car still dripping wet from my swim at Chimney Corner only 15 minutes earlier and walked to the beach to see a handful of people in the calm, clear waters! 

The wind had gone, the water was almost still and was so clear, you could see straight to the bottom. I didn't care that I would be driving all the way home in wet clothes.  I didn't even care if the sun was no longer out to keep me warm after a dip in the ocean.  I didn't care if I froze walking back to the car nor did I care if my car seats got wet. You only live once, right? And there are only a few things I love more in this world than a swim in the calm, clear, warm waters of Inverness Beach at sunset. 

 I took off my shoes and beach coverup and slipped into the water with the last rays of sunlight starting to slip below the horizon.  A young man on a paddleboard headed out to sea at just that moment too. Looked like something out of a movie.  Would have made a nice picture. I wasn't getting out of the water to grab my camera though.  I was going to enjoy every last moment I could in that moment because I knew it might be the last one like it for a long time. 

 

Margaree Harbour is Central with Plenty to See and Do Nearby

If you choose to start your Cabot Trail Journey near The Red Barn just past Baddeck, early in your journey around, you'll arrive at Margaree Harbour.  While many people just drive on through and keep driving towards Cheticamp, others stop for a while and take in the many things that make this area of the island one of my favourites. The scenic views are just the beginning!

The beach on the other side of the breakwater is sandy and has very warm water for swimming.  It's also one of the best places on the island for enjoying spectacular sunsets.  

If you continue for a little bit along the road to Chimney Corner and St. Rose, you'll find two of the island's best beaches only minutes apart; Whale Cove Beach and Chimney Corner Beach.  If you keep going even further, you'll find the town of Inverness and its beautiful, long sandy beach.  The whole coast is known for sunsets, warm waters and sandy beaches.  This little extra drive from Margaree Harbour to Inverness only takes you about a half hour off track (longer if you grab something to eat, spend time at any of the beaches or golf at the world-class golf courses in Inverness) but it's worth it.  You can always jump back onto the Cabot Trail where you made the turn off at Margaree Bridge.  

A beautiful sunset at Margaree Harbour

Labour Day Weekend in Cheticamp

Since I moved back to Cape Breton almost six years ago, I developed a yearly tradition of taking a road trip every Labour Day Weekend. Usually I end up going on these road trips by myself and usually I go around the Cabot Trail or to Halifax. A few years ago, I went to Digby and stayed at the Digby Pines resort for a night. This year's Labour Day weekend was a little different. I still went away for the weekend but this time I had company.

A friend of mine has a birthday that falls on the Labour Day long weekend. This year she wanted to go out of town for a weekend so she asked me if I would like to join her. I love a road trip and a few days out of town so when she informed me it would be a 3-day long birthday celebration at a bed & breakfast is Cheticamp, I jumped at the chance.

While there is no doubt the weather in Atlantic Canada can be unpredictable any time of year, it's at it's most unpredictable during the late summer and fall. It can do anything that time of year. It can rain one second with temperatures in the high twenties and within a mere few hours be below 0 and snowing. This is especially true of long weekends. It always seems that the weather takes a turn for the worse right before Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day and Thanksgiving. What a surprise we got when this Labour Day weekend arrived and the forecast was calling for warm temperatures and sun all weekend. While I wasn't totally convinced this would remain the case for the next three days, I tried to keep a positive attitude while I was loading up the car with the weekend's provisions.

We reached the Cheticamp Outfitters B&B in mid-afternoon. Check-in was a breeze as our host Veronica set us up in a cozy room with a fantastic view. The property is set quite a ways from the main road and the closest neighbor is quite a ways away too so there is virtually no noise around the property.

Cheticamp Outfitters B&B

After we unpacked, settled into the room and had a tour of the property, we went for a drive and a nice walk on the beach. Plage St. Pierre is a beautiful sandy beach and on this day, it was perfect for wading into the crystal clear waters. Although the air was a little cool with the wind coming from the northwest, the water was still very warm. On this day, there were no rocks or seaweed so it was perfect. We walked the entire beach before heading into the town of Cheticamp to grab something to eat at Wabo's Pizza.

Plage St. Pierre, Cheticamp

For the longest time, I thought Wabo's Pizza only served pizza. It wasn't until a few years ago when I stopped there to get something to eat that I realized they have a pretty extensive menu, pizza being just one of those items. On that occasion several years ago, an item on the menu caught my attention; deep fried cheesecake. I tried it and fell in love. My intention was to order it for dessert that night and to introduce my friend to the wonderful world of deep fried cheesecake...but it wasn't meant to be. The sit-down restaurant area was closed when we arrived so that left us with the pizza take-out upstairs. We ordered a medium pep & cheese pizza to go. A couple of beers on the porch enjoying the clear night sky and peace and quiet of the country before heading to bed and that was how day one of Labour weekend 2016 went.

We awoke early the next morning and headed upstairs for breakfast. Now usually, when I get an included breakfast, it's a few pieces of fruit, some toast and maybe some cereal and juice. Well, the breakfast at Cheticamp Outfitters was certainly nothing like that! Eggs whatever way I wanted, the fluffiest and quite possibly the most delicious pancakes I've ever had along with homemade muffins, toast and juice. Put it this way; I didn't have to have lunch the three days I stayed there because breakfast kept me going until dinner!

I was hoping for at least one last beach day of the summer and it came that second day in Cheticamp. After breakfast, we headed down to the Frog Pond Cafe and grabbed some coffees for the road and embarked on a mission I've been wanting to do for a few years; search for the Cheticamp Gypsum Quarry. For years, no one would tell me where this secret swimming hole was but nothing stays secret for long with the internet! Someone let the cat out of the bag and with the newly-posted directions all over the internet, I was able to find it very easily. It was nowhere near where I thought it would be and was in an area that I drove by all the time. A fifteen-minute hike took us to the quarry which, I must say, is a very nice body of water surrounded by high cliffs. Of course, I forgot my camera in the car so I don't even have the proof that I finally found it after so many years. You'll just have to take my word for it!

The Frog Pond Cafe in Cheticamp

We didn't swim that day at the quarry as the water felt very cold. Instead, we drove to Chimney Corner Beach near Margaree. Chimney Corner has been my favourite beach as of late. Any time I go there there's no rocks, no seaweed and no jellyfish...except this day. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen as much seaweed on any beach as there was on that beach that day. The piles were almost as tall as me. We waded into the water a bit but were too grossed out by the large amount of debris floating around and thousands of these strange little green fish swimming around us. We dried off and drove toward Inverness to see if we would have better luck there.

Massive piles of seaweed on Chimney Corner Beach

By the time we got to Inverness, the air had cooled so we didn't bother changing into our swimsuits before going down onto the beach. We walked for a bit enjoying the last rays of the early evening sun and collected some beach glass. (I've recently developed an addiction to beach glass and pick up every piece I see. I recently found a piece of rare blue glass, which is the equivalent to winning the lottery in the beach glass world). The water looked rather cloudy, rough and rocky until we got to the end of the beach closer to the wharves. There, the water was crystal clear much like the water you see in pictures of beaches in the Caribbean. No Seaweed, no rocks, so jellyfish. It looked very enticing and when I put my feet in to check the temperature, it too was much like the waters of the Caribbean. That did it for me. I decided right than and there to go back to the car and change into my swimsuit and go for an evening duck. The cool air made the water seem so warm that it ended up being more than just a duck. The sun was setting when I got enough nerve to leave the warmth of the early-September ocean and brave the chilly, evening air. I soaked up every moment of that refreshing swim thinking it would be the last one of the year. Little did I know that more than month later, I would again be again taking a dip in that exact same spot. We've certainly had a nice fall this year on The Cape!

Some sort of stone monument built by beachgoers at Inverness Beach

That evening, we were supposed to meet friends at Le Gabrielle for supper. Our little jaunt in the ocean set us back a little and we were running late. In fact, we were so late that we didn't have time to stop at our room to change! Into the restaurant we strolled with our damp swimsuits under sundresses, sandy flip flops and dripping hair. We got a few stares from curious onlookers but things like that don't bother me anymore. The older I get, the more I realize that opportunities need to be jumped on when they appear as they may never arise again. The conditions were perfect for that evening swim and it's a memory I will never forget. I'm willing to accept a few stares from total strangers I will never see again in order to jump on an opportunity like that.

We sat in the lounge area at the back of the restaurant where some live music was being enjoyed by a fairly large crowd. I ordered some delicious nachos (some of the best nachos I've ever had actually!) and enjoyed listening to a mix of modern and classic rock mixed with some traditional Acadian songs. Later, back at Cheticamp Outfitters, I retreated to the porch and cracked open a beer to enjoy on that clear, crisp evening. I was only sitting there a few minutes when I heard a very loud commotion in the bushes a few feet away. I didn't stay out there long enough to see what it was. I bolted inside and stayed inside until the next morning when the culprit revealed himself. I was sitting on the porch checking my email and phone messages when I heard a commotion in the bushes a few feet away from me. Yes the same sound and the same bushes as the night before. The brightness of the morning sun made me more bold and I stood up, eyes on the bushes to await for the creature to make an appearance. With the amount of noise being made, I was expecting a coyote or a bear or something fairly large to come out. I waited...and waited....and out popped a rambunctious little chipmunk! Imagine. A little chipmunk scared me enough to send me running indoors! He ran around in circles knocking everything in his path over. Little flower pots and ornaments went flying. He stopped and stood up on his back legs, took a good look at me and retreated to a hole in the ground.

The rambunctious little chipmunk that frightened me the night before he posed for this picture.

First on the agenda for our last day was a hike of the Skyline Trail. I've done this trail hundreds of times over the years but my friend had never done it. I agreed to take her which was no problem for me since it's one of my favorite hiking trails. I often take people on hikes along this trail. So much so that I think I should be officially named the Skyline Trail Ambassador. Cape Breton Island experienced a record-breaking year in tourism for 2016 and the traffic that lined the road near the trail head of the Skyline was one of many indications of just how many tourists were around at any given time. I'd never seen so many cars parked along there before. The trail itself was the same. People everywhere. Crowds of people of every nationality on the planet. I heard languages that I didn't even recognize and saw license plates I had never seen before in these parts. For example, I saw my first Alaska license plate in Cape Breton this past summer. New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Arkansas and Texas were some others I spotted multiple times this past summer. That day on the trail, I spotted my first moose of the season. Poor thing was being tortured by tourists. I stood watching as, one by one, people left the trail and went into the woods where this poor moose was trying to get some rest. They got right in his face with their cameras. It was a bull too. I tried to explain to several people that it was very dangerous to be getting that close to a bull moose but to no avail. This has always been a problem on The Skyline Trail where moose are fairly common. It hasn't happened yet, but it won't surprise me one bit when I someday hear that a tourist got mowed down by a giant bull moose who finally got tired of having a camera shoved in his face.

Since we were already in the area, I drove to Pleasant Bay to show my friend where Gampo Abbey is. She had heard there was a monastery somewhere around the Cabot Trail but didn't know where. I love going to Gampo Abbey, especially after a long hike or drive. It's such a quiet, relaxing place with little nature trails and spectacular scenery.

Gampo Abbey

We drove straight to Cheticamp Island after our restful stroll at Gampo Abbey and tackled another hike we had heard about in the area. I never attempted this one before so I was quite excited to be hiking a new trail. There was some confusion as to where it started and what way to go once we came to a fork in the trail but we managed and got to see some great views. Part of the trail winds around one far end of the island around a grassy area and along rocky cliffs. An old graveyard lies near the trail and someone obviously still takes care of it although the headstones date as far back as 1846.

The old gravesite near the hiking trail on Cheticamp Island

On the way home that evening, I planned to stop at the Dancing Goat to grab a coffee and snack for the road. I thought that place never closed but lo and behold, it was shut down that night when we drove by. Disappointed, I decided to do the next best thing; Make a detour to Baddeck and get some of that ice cream I love in the little ice cream shop on the main street. Thankfully, that was open. After a little walk around the town, we were on the home stretch and unfortunately, close to the end of the Labour Day long weekend.

Part of the oceanside trail on Cheticamp Island