Nova Scotia - Historic South Shore Seaports

Our time in Nova Scotia was coming to an end. We’d sailed the South Shore in Nine of Cups and we wanted to visit several of the most memorable spots. We wandered around Yarmouth for an hour then headed east to Shelburne. The day was gorgeous… brilliant sun with a coastal breeze.

Follow our route

We had anchored in Shelburne Harbour back in 2002 and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We’d never ventured from Dock Street and we didn’t this time either. The Dory Shop Museum was the big draw then and it was quite busy with visitors now. It was too nice to be indoors, so we wandered the wharf, enjoying the scenery and the day, the smells and the ambiance. Watching sailboats gently rocking at anchor brought back wonderful memories.

DORY sHOP mUSEUM, sHELBURNE

dOCK sTREET vIEW, sHELBURNE

Yikes… we’ve certainly changed a bit since 2002!

nINE OF cUPS ANCHORED IN sHELBURNE - 2002

We passed Sandy Point Light on our way to Liverpool.

sANDY pOINT lIGHTHOUSE

In Liverpool, we visited Fort Point Lighthouse Park. It was a lovely park where we intended to spend the night. As a matter of course, we always ask if it’s okay to overnight even though there were no signs to the contrary. When we asked, we were told it wasn’t allowed.

Instead we were directed to the Hank Snow Hometown Museum, a large open area able to accommodate vans and RVs and even a dump station at no charge. A Canadian country-western singer, my mom who loved country music knew all of Snow’s songs. A little trivia… it was Snow who employed Elvis as his opening act in 1955 and introduced him to Colonel Tom Parker. The rest is history.

Hank Snow Hometown Museum, Liverpool

Hank Snow, Canadian country-western singer

The new day was foggy and drizzly. We followed the Lighthouse Route aka Bluenose Coast along the South Shore and checked out Port Medway Lighthouse. Fog buoys were sounding repeatedly. The coast was rocky and forbidding-looking; the sea was churning.

Port Medway Light

We reached Lunenburg in late morning. The rain had stopped and a humid haze had set in. We walked along the historic waterfront, remembering our time here. David had purchased mahogany wood here and woodcarving tools which he later carved into Nine of Cups’ name boards.

Scenic Lunenburg Wharf

David carved Our Nine of Cups' Nameboards with wood and tools purchased in Lunenurg back in 2002.

Mahone Bay is known for its three churches… St. James Anglican, St John’s Lutheran and Trinity United Church of Canada… standing proudly next to each other on the bay shore.

Mahone Bay''s Three Churches

Driftwood sea serpents ply the waters of Mahone Bay

Fog drifted in and out like a tentative critter. Wisps floated across the road. Our last tourist stop of the day was Peggy’s Cove. Unfortunately, it was too foggy to see or do much. We took a couple of photos, had lunch in hopes the fog would clear, then headed back to the light, but we were out of luck.

Peggy's Cove Light barely visible in the fog

Things didn't improve after lunch

At day’s end, we headed to Dartmouth and the Walmart parking lot for the night. Blanche was in need of some attention. She needed two new tires, an oil change and an alignment. The tires David wanted had not been in stock, so we’d ordered them two weeks prior. They were finally in and appointments were made for Blanche’s spa day… new shoes, front end alignment, oil change, fluid checks, etc. She enjoyed the attention while we waited around… my least favorite thing to do.

Another hot, humid day dawned and we drove north along the Northumberland coast towards New Brunswick. The Seafoam Lavender Farm invited visitors for a tour at no charge and we stopped to stretch and inhale the sweet scent of lavender fields.

A gravel turnout near Tatamagouche served as our overnight parking spot. In the evening, we planned our New Brunswick itinerary. The next morning after a very long, gravel road detour, we crossed into New Brunswick, the last province on our Maritime Canada route.

Welcome to New Brunswick

Next time, join us for the World’s Largest Lobster (statue) and a visit to Kouchibouguac National Park.