Month: September 2023

Docking in Ingonish Harbour brought us the discovery that we were in a wonderful place – next to our dock is the Cape Breton Highlands National Park with 26 trails! Despite the rainy and foggy weather, we decided to stay here longer and explore the surrounding areas. In addition, Hurricane Lee heading towards Southern Nova Scotia required us to change our plans with our arrival in Halifax and stay longer in Cape Breton. Well, our folding bicycles again were in use in our movement on land, together with hiking. Unfortunately, the photos are not of very good quality due to the constant formation of drops on the lens, but I think that they were able to convey the atmosphere of our stay on the Cabot Trail.

After four days spent on the amazing Magdalene Islands, we decided to sail to Nova Scotia and the Atlantic Ocean. Since the wind was light, we decided to go through the Cape North, which we had previously visited during our road trip along the Cabot Trail. We spent the first night at an anchorage near the Cape North – hurray, we reached Nova Scotia! The night passed under the lull of the swell, and the next morning we set off further south, crossing the border between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean. After a day of sailing in the Atlantic Ocean, we reached Ingonish Harbour, where we docked at an abandoned marina.

After repairing the furler, we decided to spend the day exploring the island, especially the part with the famous red cliffs. Once again our folding bicycles came in handy and we went on a bike ride around Cap aux Meules island. After a couple of villages, we went to the North Shore lighthouse, where began our Red Cliffs Velo-tour. The cliffs are red sandstone, a sedimentary rock made of quartz covered in iron oxide.  Wind, waves, and tides sculpt them into spectacular shapes. Enjoy!