Roads Lead to Spencer Island, Nova Scotia

Bay of Fundy Mist at low tide near Advocate Harbour, Nova Scotia

We must move on… there is so much to discover and share about Nova Scotia, Canada. With our business being done in the Amherst Shore region of the province we packed up base camp and hit the road. The road trip would transport us from one diverse eco system and drop us into another… from forest drives to white sandy beaches to the low tides of the Bay of Fundy.

The day started traveling from Amherst through the Northumberland Strait region located on the north coast of Nova Scotia. We stopped in the town of Amherst to reload and refresh, gather our wits, load up on Timmies (famous Canadian coffee) and take some more pictures. Being we were in the heartland of the Highlander we could not resist a picture with the local downtown Scottish statue.

We tend to stick to the backcountry roads for the scenery and because of the opportunities for adventure and the lack of traffic. There are exception when a popular tourism destination or community drags us back out onto the main highway circumnavigating the province.

From Amherst travelers can follow the main highway called the Glooscap Trail (dissects down the centre of the peninsula) or follow the less explored forested coastline highway to Cape Chignecto and Advocate Harbour, Nova Scotia. Not a tough decision for us… we took the backcountry Highways #242 and #209 and hugged the coast all the way to the cape because it is at the cape that adventures calls.

Spencer Island Base Camp Front Yard

Near Advocate Harbour is the Cape Chignecto Provincial Park, the Three Sisters Hiking Trail, the Cape d’Or Lighthouse and the Ward’s Brook Waterfall Trail. All on our wish list in the next few days starting with a hike to Seals Cove on the 51 kilometre backpacking trail following the high cliffs of the Bay of Fundy (World’s Highest Tides). There are backpacking wilderness campsites for long haul backpackers. If only there was more time!

Arriving in Advocate Bay we settled in an oceanside campground on the Bay of Fundy in a small village called Spencer’s Island (main photo). Our campsite is on the doorstep of the ocean.. When the tide is low the ocean seems to melt away to another world and disappears out of sight.

Down the road in the marina the boats who did not go out at low tide rest on the ocean sea floor waiting for the lazy tides to come back home and lift their spirits off the ground. There is a general store, a restaurant across the street and an art studio down the road… small town with big views and big tides.

Spencer Island Lighthouse Museum on Bay of Fundy

As we prepare for the next day the tides are at our feet, the sun is setting low and the breeze comes with a warm touch. The ocean will be a welcomed bedtime tune this night on Spencer Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.