The Tranquility and Solitude of Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore

April 8, 2021 Jim Byers

This isn’t the time to travel right now, but when that time comes you’ll find Nova Scotia waiting for you with open arms. Here’s a look at the tranquil and delightful Eastern Shore of the province. Given the times, you should call ahead or check online to see what’s open.

If you love crowds and chain hotels and restaurants with golden arches, the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia is not for you.

But if you delight in beautiful coastlines, quiet beaches, funky folk art and tons of space to spread out, and if you love tiny towns with quirky names like Ecum Secum, Mushaboom and Head of Chezzetcook, you’re looking in the right direction.

Just north and east of Halifax, the Eastern Shore stretches on for a couple hundred kilometers and is one of the most delightful areas of a province I’ve had the pleasure of visiting at least a half-dozen times.

From west to east, here are some great things to enjoy in the region.

Lawrencetown Beach Provincial Park: Just a few minutes past Cole Harbour (childhood home of Canadian hockey star Sidney Crosby) and maybe a half-hour from downtown Halifax, you’ll find pretty dunes and a beach and, depending on the weather, very good surfing. There’s plenty of parking, and there’s supervised swimming in July and August for extra safety.

Lawrencetown to Head of Chezzetcook: This is a pretty drive with a couple of fun places to stop along the way. Seaforth Country Store has all-day breakfasts. In the delightfully named Chezzetcook you’ll find the Acadie de Chezzetcook, which celebrates the area’s Acadian history with a small museum and a café called La Cuisine de Brigitte’s.

Past Chezzetcook, Highway 7 slides past glorious bays with hardly any cottages or homes to mar your view. It’s mostly just you and the coast and the sparkling water and deep green trees. You’ll pass handsome villages with pretty churches and tidy homes, with the occasional waterfall and hiking trail to boot.

It may not be open just yet, but the Fisherman’s Life Museum in Musquodoboit Harbour is worth a look-see to get a glimpse of the simple life that many folks still live in these parts.

Just past Ship Harbor is one of my favourite places in the province, Barry Colpitt’s Black Sheep gallery. Colpitt makes truly remarkable (okay, borderline crazy) folk art that’s colourful as a box of crayons and goofy as all get out. When I was there a few years ago he was displaying a series of four carved heads in a wooden box with the words “Barry’s Head Museum” painted on it. Below one head were the words “To Cure Baldness, Rub Darren’s Head.” I did, and I still have most of my hair four years later. I also found blue and green fish in bold, primary colours, wooden Mounties and brightly coloured cows and birds. Tons of fun.

In Tangier, Coastal Adventures offers trips to what are called the 100 Wild Islands, sometimes called “the most valuable islands you’ve never heard of.” They’re one of the last remaining intact and ecologically rich island groups of its size in North America. They’re also rugged and beautiful. Coastal Adventures offers full and half-day trips out of Tangier, as well as kayak instructions. They can rent you a kayak if you know a thing or two about them already. They also can put you up for the night at Paddler’s Retreat B&B.

Taylor Head Provincial Park has a pretty beach and outstanding rugged hiking trails. Ecum Secum is a small village with a pretty white church, while Sheet Harbour has a pretty waterfall that’s easy to reach from the road. There’s also a boardwalk, walking trails and an historic home called the MacPhee House Community Museum with an art centre and visitors’ information space.

One of the best places to stay on the Eastern Shore is Liscombe Lodge, about two and-a-half hours from Halifax without stopping (which, of course, would be a huge mistake). There’s an attractive main lodge and then a series of large cottages that are spread out along a pretty river, which makes this an ideal place for physical distancing. You can use their canoes or kayaks, or, of course, bring your own. I didn’t find the food terribly fancy but it was fresh and good and the servers were lovely. The dining room also has fine views of the river, where you can take a guided boat ride. There’s also an indoor heated pool, shuffleboard, a basketball court, croquet, bikes you can use, a bonfire pit and several hiking trails. An outstanding, low-key family resort.

A little further east is the pretty seaside village of Guysborough, with deep red, canary yellow and royal blue homes that punch up the palette and make for great Instagram photos. Some local communities were among the first in North America settled by free people of African descent. Tor Bay is a beautiful beach that’s almost never crowded, while the Guysborough Trail — the first section of the Trans-Canada Trail to open in Nova Scotia — offers a spectacular view from the McAlister Bridge. The town also is home to excellent live theatre; something you might not expect in a municipality with less than 1,000 people.

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