24 Aug Cycling #Staycation Around Cape Sable Island
After two weeks of self-isolation I was very much looking forward to a cycling #Staycation! My husband had researched the idea of cycling around #CapeSableIsland.
We were joined by another couple, Kent and Margaret. Kent is my husband’s law partner, and also joined us last September to do the 68km ride at the Grand Fondo in Claire.
We left Halifax at 10 a.m. on Saturday and stopped for lunch at the Quarter Deck Resort in Summerville (Exit 21) — what a spectacular spot for a resort; I was so impressed when I walked in the restaurant. It had a very modern design and it was beautifully situated on the water. Apparently, it was totally rebuilt in 2016!
We then drove to Barrington Passage and left our cars at the Sobeys parking lot, and started our 40km ride around Cape Sable Island on Highway 330.
What incredible scenery and a pleasant ride too! The weather was perfect with the ocean breeze… and there was very mild inclines, so it was a very easy ride compared to our previous cycling weekend staycation (60km ride in Annapolis Royal to Bridgetown).
There were very few cars that passed us on the island, specifically after 4 p.m. — we practically had the road to ourselves.
We saw so many lobster traps and fisherman houses… there was even one boat that was larger than the house! We also checked out a couple of fish processing plants.
We saw many beautiful birds, including a Heron, and a few wild turkeys as well! (See photo in album).
The highlight of the day was Hawk Beach… it is known to be one of the most beautiful beaches in Nova Scotia, and I would have to agree! The sand was packed hard like clay. Our friend Kent cycled, while the 3 of us took our shoes off and walked the long beach.
I was also told by a local to go to the 1500 year old ‘Drowned Forest.’ Unfortunately, we did not have time to cycle to it!
Our 4-hour ride, with a few short stops, meant we were late checking in at the Inner Harbor Inn in Shelburne and late finding a restaurant that would serve us food after 7:30pm… however, the Inn we were staying at served us dinner at 7:30 p.m. We ran into the same issue at Annapolis Royal — so for our next #Staycation in #NovaScotia, we will book a restaurant for 7 p.m. and will plan to be back from cycling before 6 p.m.
Sunday, we woke up and strolled around the waterfront in Shelburne; what a gorgeous waterfront. You feel like you are on a movie set! I actually learned that a lot of the buildings were used in many movies and built as movie sets, such as: The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible.
On Sunday, we cycled 35km from River Hills Golf and Country Club to Port Latour and back.
We had an amazing weekend!