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Nova Scotia Itinerary

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We are planning a short trip to Novia Scotia (first time visit). We will be going in mid October. I made a quick itinerary as follows:
Day 1- Travel day, staying in Halifax
Day 2- Visit Lunenberg & Peggy's Cove, staying in Halifax
Day 3- Sightsee Halifax 1/2 day, Drive to Baddeck to stay the night
Day 4- Early start to drive Cabot Trail to Skyline Trail to hike. Want to see Meat Cove and the sights along the way. Stay the night in Chencamp.
Day 5- See any sights in this area or possibly Skyline Trail hike if we didn't have time the day before. Drive to Halifax later in the day to stay the night in Halifax
Day 6- Fly home

We only have the 6 days/5 nights for the trip, could possible do 6 nights/7days. It is myself, my husband (we are early active 60's) and our adult daughter. We did a road trip in Ireland last year and loved driving the countryside- our favorite memory I think is just having dinner in a local pub with music, chatting with a couple of the locals. Would love a similar experience in Novia Scotia.

We will be going in mid October, possibly could do last week in September. Would this be a good time? Is my intinerary doable? It may seem quick- we don't mind a fast pace.
Thanks for your help!

Posted by
6622 posts

Mid October should put you outside the main tourist season, for sure. Bring layers and rain gear for Cape Breton. Temps will have daytime highs of 10°C, night time lows in single digits C. Average rainfall for the month is 7", so portions of the trail may be slippery if wet. If you have free time in Baddeck, you might check out the Alexander Graham Bell historic site.

Posted by
1087 posts

We just returned from Nova Scotia and loved it! When we visited Peggy's Cove, we left our hotel in Halifax by 7:45 a.m. in order to beat the hordes of tour buses, and that was a wise decision. Matadora Tapas Bar in Halifax is terrific; excellent food and even better service, with both indoor and outdoor seating. About 35 minutes from Baddeck is Leatherworks by Jolene, which is lovely shop with handmade leather items that are very reasonably priced. Many local artisans also have shops along that road. We also enjoyed the Middle Head Trail which is located close to Ingonish Beach. There is an information center at the entrance to the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, where you can pick up a very helpful map that describes the various hiking trails. Have a wonderful trip!

Posted by
403 posts

Mid October is when all the fall colours are out, although this summer, we have had quite a drought. Mid October is also when the Celtic Colours Festival is on in Cape Breton. That week will likely be one of the last weeks for the seasonal places.

NS is bigger than it looks with lots to see. It’s a 4 hour drive to Cheticamp from Halifax and 3.5 hours to Baddeck from Halifax. Hiking the Skyline is 1.5 to 3 hours plus depending on route and stops. The trail just reopened on Friday after having been closed for a month due to the drought and risk of wildfires. Some areas of NS still have bans on going in wooded areas.

Posted by
2716 posts

Be sure to make time to see the Maud Lewis house in the Art Gallery in Halifax just wonderful. Look up.her story before you go, it is fascinating. We also took one of those boat/land tours and learned so much. Am just sorry I hadn't done some more research before we went, great connection between Halifax and Boston. Enjoy.

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