Nov Scotia

As with any place, it depends on how much you want to see along the way.  If you use Nova Scotia's 100 series highways, you bypass a lot of the small communities and miss a lot of what the Province has to offer.  Assuming this, starting at Amherst on the New Brunswick/Nova Scotia border, allow about four hours to drive across Mainland Nova Scotia to the Canso Causeway, which is the link to Cape Breton.  You can also us the old Route 6, which runs along the Northumberland shore, but that takes much longer.  Far more scenic, though.

Option 1:

At the end of the causeway, you can choose to do what the locals call the "long trail", which is to go up the north west side of Cape Breton through Port Hood, Inverness, and Cheticamp, (allow two or three hours for this).  You have a very good option here of camping in Highlands National Park ( see my previous posting).  From this point you actually enter the Trail, which is a more or less circular route which terminates on Highway 105 in Baddeck.  Allow a full day for this part of the trip.  There are plenty of hills, many switchback turns, and fabulous look-offs.  If you are returning homeward at this point, head back to Mainland NS via the 105, which is quicker and still quite picturesque.

Option 2:

At the end of the causeway,  head directly toward Sydney on the 105.  About an hour or so later make a left turn (it's well marked) and go along the Margaree River.  This is a fabulously beautiful area.  It will take you to Cheticamp, and then go around the Trail as in Option 1, terminating at Baddeck on the 105.

Option 3:

Start off the same as in Option 2, but drive by the Marahree turn-off, but turn left about twenty minutes later at Baddeck.  This will take you around the Trail toward Cheticamp, but in the reverse direction.  When I lived in that area (Sydney), people favoured this route less than Option 1 or 2 because there are more left turns.  You are on the "outside" of the turns more often, therefore are closer to the edge more often.  Frankly, I didn't see much of a difference, because there are simply a lot of turns, and speeds don't get up very high anywhere along the trail.  That said, the Trail is well maintained, fully paved, and guard rails are anywhere there is any danger, so it is a very good road.

Make sure your TV is in good working order (cooling, brakes), and the brakes on your 'pod are good.  I'd set them up a bit "stronger", using the control, when I entered the Trail, though.  Have your camera ready with lots of memory on it.  There are plenty of gas stations (expect the gas price to run a bit higher in this neck of the woods) along the way, so that's not an issue.  I would also limit the amount of water I carry on board as well to keep the weight as low as possible. 

Those three options assume you will tow your 'pod the whole way.

Here's what I did three years ago (towing a pop-up).

I started as in Option 2' and camped that night in the National Park in Cheticamp.  I left the camper there, and drove around the trail.  I returned to Cheticamp by going up the Margaree.  The next day we returned to Mainland NS by heading back down the coast through Port Hood to the Canso Causeway.  This way we saw everything we could.

Of course, follow what I'm saying on a map, and you'll see the choices that are available more clearly.  

I've driven the Trail with and without a trailer, and I far prefer leaving the trailer behind for this particular drive.  

Whew... that's about the best I can do from memory.

Thanks!

Gonna need a bigger bucket...

fred