The Cabot Trail - Cheticamp and Pictou - September 21 - 24th

Monday morning, not raining yet. Not in a big hurry this morning. It's only a 2 hour drive to our next overnight location at the Castle Rock Inn, just before Ingonnish. We'd intended to go into Baddeck to see the Alexander Graham Bell Museum on the way but since we have already seen it, no need to back track a bit.

First picture stop is the Seal Island Bridge, just west of Sydney.

The drive took us to Cabotto Chocolates. Yay for Ray.

With treats in hand we're off again.

We stopped for a pastry and coffee at the Clucking Chicken Cafe and Bakery. It's quite busy in the parking lot so we knew it should be good. lol

Some of the Cabot Trail "pull-off" views as the road winds around the overlooks.

We reached Ingonish way too early to check-in so we drove into the Keltic Lodge for a look around. It is a huge complex, some badly in need of a paint job. After checking, this facility is owned by Parks Canada and is in serious need of renovation to the tune of $70 Million! A bunch of it's been closed since 2024 due to mold and mildew.

Main Street Diner is our choice for a late lunch. Pretty good food. I ordered a fried chicken sandwich and Ray, lobster tacos.

We went to the Inn at 1:30 and were able to check-in. Good thing as we're both very tired, not sleeping well and Ray's back not doing good today. Snooze time! We slept for 1.5 hours!

The outside looked really cute but the inside could use some updating. They have trouble keeping staff so their restaurant is closed other than a bit of a breakfast. Fabulous views though.

Here is a video Ray took.

Unfortunately our room didn't have a view, so we spent the evening here as I couldn't take my beer out of our room apparently.

Tuesday morning we woke to sun and clouds again. Only a little sprinkle overnight. Should be a good day to drive the Cabot Trail. After a quick breakfast, not the greatest but something ... we headed out at 7:30 am. 

The park kiosk's still closed so we carried on. We'd made the decision not to do the Skyline Trail as it's 6.5 km (4 miles) and we are just too darn tired and sore after all the walking we've done over the past few weeks. Lots of other places to stop for pictures and a bunch of side roads we took off the highway.

MacKenzie Over look

Outside of the Park is Neils Harbour, a cute little fishing village.

In the summer they serve ice cream out of this lighthouse.

Another off-shoot road had this old lighthouse as a museum on private property.

Dingwall, another side road.

Back on the highway for the Cabot Trail. The highway took us up and down and around the tops of the mountains. Some colours starting to show in the trees.

Just after the Rusty Anchor Restaurant is the turnoff for Beulach Ban Falls. It's about a 2 km drive up a gravel road but the falls are right beside this parking lot. Gorgeous. This was a longer stop as Ray hauled out his tripod and lens filters .....

Back in the car to continue on.

Looking down on the highway from the overlook.

Zooming in we could see the people hiking the Skyline Trail.

The last shot Ray took from the moving car. There's road construction all along the coast and all pull outs were closed on this section. Some of the best views were missed.

Before checking in, we drove onto the peninsula across from Cheticamp to the Enragee Point Lighthouse. A pretty little drive along a gravel road surrounded by free-range cows. 

Looking across to the Cabot Trail from the Lighthouse.

We were hungry, so it's time for lunch. We chose the Seafood Stop Restaurant and Fish Market. Great choice. Ray had his best lobster roll so far, and me a 1piece fish and chips. 

Not only is their food delicious, we picked up 2 live lobsters for me to cook for dinner with their accompanying garlic butter. The inn we're staying has a full kitchen and laundry facilities.

Other Cheticamp Pictures:

After this it still's a little early to check-in, so we drove back to the other end of town to the bakery for Ray's breakfast tomorrow.

Situated along the renowned Cabot Trail and framed by the scenic Chéticamp Harbour, Maison Fiset House is a harmonious blend of history, luxury, and comfort. Built in the late 19th century, our home stands as a testament to the region’s rich past, offering modern-day travelers an experience that marries the charm of yesteryears with contemporary conveniences. 

(Pictures from Google) as I messed up the space with our stuff pretty quick lol.

After a great meal, and all our laundry done and repacked, we're ready for bed. Wednesday morning we woke to a nice sunrise.

We have a long driving day to Pictou, NB, so we were out the door and on the road by 7:30 am. Lots of stops on the way. 

First is Inverness Beach. I'd heard that it's a great beach for finding seaglass. Sorry Pat, after a 20 minute walk, we found nothing. lol Sure is pretty though,with very fine sand.

There's a road that inland towards Baddock then turns south to the causeway linking to the mainand. We took the coast road instead to catch more attractions.

Next we stopped at the Red Shoe Pub, owned by the Rankin Sisters, a musical group that makes great music, a lot of it Celtic. We watched a Christmas Special with their family many years ago and they also "River Dance". We were too early for the pub to be open though, so an premise picture will have to do.

The Rankin Family are a Canadian musical family group from Mabou, Nova Scotia. The group has won many Canadian music awards, including 15 East Coast Music Awards, six Juno Awards, four SOCAN Awards, three Canadian Country Music Awards and two Big Country Music Awards.

Down a side road to Mabou Harbour.

Passed a bog that is starting to change colour.

Once we crossed the bridge at Port Hastings into New Brunswick, we stopped at a Mary Brown's Chicken for lunch as we were both starving with no breakfast.

Back to the main road, and then taking the exit for Antangonish and Cape George Point. More ups and downs and round and round through farming fields of hay, corn and other things. Cape George Lighthouse, not much of a view other than you can see where we drove from. lol

Finally we arrived in Pictou (pronounced pick toe) a little early for check-in so we walked around the waterfront.The town's name derives from the Mi'kmaq meaning exploding gas, probably due to the highly sulpheric coal found in the area.

The Ship Hector

The building of this replica is all being done by donations.

The old Train Station, Circa 1905

Grohman Knives. Unfortunately I didn't get to see this place ... it would have cost Ray $$$.

Origins in Europe and Canada

The Move to Canada: Rudolph Grohmann worked as a production manager at a knife factory in Czechoslovakia. After World War II, his family moved to Nova Scotia in 1949 after being invited by the provincial government to help start Pictou Cutlery. 

The Garage Workshop: Pictou Cutlery closed down in 1952. Refusing to quit, Rudolph and his son-in-law, Michael Babinec Sr., started making and engraving their own folding knives out of a home garage. 

Company Establishment: 

Grohmann Knives Limited was officially formed in 1961. Generational Leadership: Management later passed to Berta (Grohmann) Babinec and her husband Michael Sr., followed by their sons. Today, the company is run by Michael Jr. and his daughter Michelle (Babinec) Jamieson, employing a small team that still hand-finishes every blade in Pictou, Nova Scotia.

Time to check in at Willow House Inn. A fabulous place with the hosts with the most! George and Brenda.

We were still 10 minutes early, so we sat out in the yard.

You will be polite and respect our home!

George and Brenda. They are the most gracious hosts and made the most delicious breakfasts.

View out our bedroom window the next morning. Gorgeous!

Today after our wonderful breakfast, we headed up to Tatamagouche. A very surprising little town. They have a creamery, that wasn't open but the proprietor took us on a tour anyways. 

They have huge market/craft fairs here every weekend. They are famous for their "Giants".

Tatamagouche is famously associated with Anna Haining Swan, the renowned "Nova Scotia Giantess" who was born near the community in Millbrook, Nova Scotia, in 1846.

Anna Swan's Life and Legacy

Stature: She grew to an extraordinary height of 7 feet 11 inches (2.41 meters) and weighed around 400 pounds.
P.T. Barnum: She was employed at P.T. Barnum’s American Museum in New York City and later toured Europe and America.
Marriage: While touring, she met Martin Van Buren Bates (the "Kentucky Giant," who stood 7 feet 9 inches tall), and the two married in London in 1871. They were billed as the "Largest Married Couple in the World".
Museum: The Anna Swan Museum is located within the Creamery Square Heritage Centre in Tatamagouche. It features life-sized replicas, personal artifacts, and the history of her remarkable life.

This door is from the original post office in Tatamogouche.

The next surprising thing we found is the Tatamogouche Train Station Inn. The Train Station Inn in is a historic railway station built in 1887 by the Intercolonial Railway that was saved from demolition by an 18-year-old local and transformed into a unique boutique hotel and restaurant.

Final Freight: The tracks continued to handle freight and supplies until 1986, when the very last train on the line famously got stuck in the snow.

Rescue and Transformation (1974–1989)

Saved by a Teenager: By the early 1970s, the unused station was scheduled for demolition. In 1974, 18-year-old local rail enthusiast James (Jimmy) LeFresne bought the building for $500 to prevent it from being knocked down. 
Opening the Inn: After years of hard work and waiting out the final freight operations, LeFresne officially opened the Train Station Inn to travelers in 1989.

Expanding the Experience (1990s–Present)

Adding Cabooses: Beginning in the 1990s, LeFresne started purchasing decommissioned, vintage Canadian railcars and cabooses (dating from 1911 to 1978) to convert them into unique overnight suites.
Current Layout: The property features the original two-story station—housing a railway museum, cafe, gift shop, and stationmaster quarters—alongside a vintage dining car restaurant and nearly a dozen restored cabooses and boxcars for guests.
We toured some of the overnight rental accomodation. Pretty cool. If I'd known about this I would've booked an overnight here. But then we would've missed our spectacular accomodations with Brenda and George for one night.  

Getting ready for Octoberfest!

As their overnight guests had left, the cleaning staff let us go in and take a look at a few rentals.

You can still smell the grease and oil from the old train. Unfortunately, the restaurant isn't open until dinner on the weekend  but you eat in the dining car. Oh well, we got to see it.

Next we stopped at a little park called Patterson Wharf Park. The colours have started to turn here.

Time to go back to Pictou and eat lunch. We were going to eat in Tatamagouche, but their brewery only have a food truck option for food. 

This time we chose the Harbour Ale and Spirit Restaurant for a late lunch on Water Street in Pictou.

 

Back at the B & B for the rest of the afternoon. For dinner Ray had my leftovers. :)

Tomorrow on the ferry to PEI.