It was almost mid-August and we needed a little refresher. What a better time to head home to Cape Breton and relax in nature? Okay, to be honest, my favourite season on the island is autumn (hello, beautiful fall colours?), but summer is a close second. 

The Rough Road to Sight Point

I’ve hiked in the Cape Mabou Highlands trail system before, but I have never hiked on the Sight Point side. This side is completely is accessible from the village of Inverness. I was curious, so we had to go.

When taking Broad Cove Banks Road it quickly turns into a very rough gravel road. If you don’t have a high-clearance vehicle take your time and you’ll cover the 11-km distance from Inverness to the trailhead in about 30 to 40 minutes. 

Steep Climb for a Lovely View

At the trailhead we decide to take the Poet’s Ridge trail, as it takes you up high for views of the coast. You start out on the MacKinnon’s Brook Trail, which is nice and flat. There were a few interpretive panels along the way highlighting the rich history of the area. When you reach the Poet’s Ridge Trail (also called the Braighe à Bhaird Trail) the steep climb begins. It was a very hot and humid day, so we stopped for water and rested often, it was a great way to take in the scenery around us.  At the top, the expansive views were a wonder: glistening ocean waters stretching to the horizon, rolling tree-covered hills and rugged cliffs diving down the shoreline.

Glenora Distillery: The Washback Pub

After building up our appetites, we decided to head to The Washback Pub at Glenora Distillery for supper. The grounds are truly lovely at Glenora. Being rather balmy out, we decided to sit outside on the terrace for our meal. It is a true delight to be able to eat outside in such a serene setting. It was vegetarian pasta for me and fish and chips for hubby. Even for hungry hikers, these meals satisfied and although it was very tempting we did not have room for dessert. 

“Glamping” in a Geodome

Often referred to as “glamping”, which might suggest a slight bit of roughing it, the geodomes  at Archer’s Edge were essentially self-contained hotel rooms disguised as oddly shaped tents. But, there was no roughing it here as we had a fully equipped bathroom.

Perched on the edge of the Northumberland Strait, we sat on our little deck and watched the sun set over the water and then enjoyed shooting stars zipping across the sky while sitting by a fire. The morning gave us a lovely view from the bed of the strait through the huge geodome windows.

Stop Sign in a Lagoon

In researching Little Judique online, we found an article about a stop sign situated smack in the middle of a body of water. We were determined to find this sign. The next morning, as we left Archer’s Edge, we indeed found it sticking out of the middle of the lagoon off Shore Road, opposite Little Judique Harbour. It made us wonder if the shore birds and fish obey the sign as they swim passed.