It's not a True Cape Breton Summer without at least one Visit to the Fortress...or Two!

Many years ago, when I first moved back to Cape Breton, my family started a tradition of going to the Fortress of Louisbourg every Canada Day.  This year, we thought about doing something different for a change and we did.  But before the day was done, we ended up at the fortress like we always do.

The day started off with some indecision on everyone's part.  At first, I was going to go to Ingonish to attend a concert at Cape Smokey.  When no one else wanted to travel that far, we thought it might be nice to stay close to town and take my little nephew to some festivities at Colliery Lands Park. 

 We did end up at the park and it turned ok.  Little Liam was nervous of the crowd at first but he warmed up to it and took a liking to the duck pond area.  We stayed there for about an hour or so and when Liam got tired and cranky, him and his mom headed home, leaving me and Dad wondering what to do next, if anything. 

It's like the car knew just where to go because we ended up in Louisbourg. There was a good crowd and the weather was decent.  We walked around the fortress, took some pictures, watched some musket firings and wandered around some of the buildings before heading back home.  

Some summers, I don't get the chance to visit the fortress a second time but I did end up back there again in late July when my other sister was home visiting from Alberta. Her boyfriend is from Quebec so the whole French aspect of the Fortress and its history is of particular interest to him.  

There was a lot going on that day at the fortress!  We got there at a good time to see many demonstrations.  We got to watch a public shaming of a thief, some musket firings, some cannon firings and a lively dance. And we had time leftover to walk around and explore the grounds a bit more. 

 

 

 

Spectacular Mountain Views are in no Shortage on Cape Breton Island

Whether you are in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, cruising through the Margaree Valley or enjoying the views from the many scenic look-offs that are located around the Cabot Trail, mountain vistas are a common sight! Some of the most notable mountains on the island include:
 

Kelly's Mountain, which is located in the Trans Canada Highway, has two scenic look-offs and stunning views of the Seal Island Bridge. Elevation: 267 metres.
 

Cape Smokey Mountain, which is located along the Cabot Trail via Englishtown, is home to a provincial park, exciting hairpin turns and ocean views.  Elevation: 322 metres.
 

French Mountain, which is situated between Cheticamp and Pleasant Bay, is mostly-known for being the location of one of Atlantic Canada's most iconic hiking trails, The Skyline Trail.  Elevation 430 metres. 

North Mountain features beautiful mountain views and, in the winter, is known for having giant snow squalls that easily tower over the tallest of vehicles. Elevation: 479 metres
 

MacKenzie Mountain features lovely views of Pleasant Bay.  Elevation 355 metres.
 

Franey Mountain, which is located in Ingonish, also has a scenic hiking trail and some of the best views around.  Elevation: 430 metres

It's a fairly steep climb to the top but the views from the trail on Franey Mountain are incredible.

My dad and I hiked the Franey Mountain Trail a few years ago and I can't wait to hike it again this fall!

The view from the Skyline Trail on French Mountain.

The view of Cape Smokey Mountain from Ingonish Beach

The Fortress of Louisbourg - A Must see on Cape Breton Island

The Fortress of Louisbourg is quite a distance away from the Cabot Trail but it's just as much an absolute must-see for anyone visiting Cape Breton Island.  I've gone to the fortress at least once every year since I was born.  I have a family connection to the Fortress since my mother worked there for quite a few years and I have French ancestry.  Although Covid-19 prevented me from getting out to the fortress so far (summer is not over yet!), I miss it and not getting there will leave a huge void in my summer plans.

The grounds features a reconstructed 18th-century French fortress and the site saw two major battles in the 1700s. Although only a small fraction of the original fortress was reconstructed, the site today is quite impressive.  Staff in period costumes, a restaurant serving 18th-century meals and building interiors fashioned in the way they would have been almost 300 years ago.  

Throughout the year, special events are held at the fortress and occasionally, world-renowned reenactments and grand encampments are held where costumed volunteers participate in mock battles that simulate the original ones. 

A reenactment at the Fortress of Louisbourg

Participants in period costumes getting ready to go to mock battle

The Old, Abandoned Homesteads of Cape Breton

A few hundred years ago, Europeans (mostly of French and Scottish descent) started settling on the island.  The now quiet rural areas of Cape Breton were once bustling communities.  The very remote area of Framboise on the south coast of the island was much busier 100 years ago than it is now.  Today, it's much like a ghost town.  Businesses that once flourished closed and old family homesteads were left to deteriorate after residents headed out west and to the eastern United States in search of work.  When I come across an old home like this one pictured, I often wonder if there are grandchildren and great-grand children somewhere, perhaps in Calgary, Toronto or Boston, who have no idea that their old family home still stands in a desolate corner of Cape Breton.  Unfortunately, this old home burned down not long after I took this photo but many more just like it are still standing in remote areas of the island.  Left just as they were when their inhabitants reluctantly walked away, perhaps thinking that, someday, they would return. 

This old home must have once been beautiful before it was left to deteriorate. At well over 100 years old, it's owners are long gone but it's rugged and aged beauty graced an overgrown plot of land on Crooked Lake Road until it burned down a few years back.  My curiosity got the better of me one day and I peaked inside and on the floor in the porch was old newspapers from the 1930s.  Imagine newspapers almost a century old and still intact!