Last Updated: May 2026
Cape Breton Island turned out to be one of the most stunning and surprising stops of the entire summer. We arrived by ferry from PEI, drove the Celtic-flavoured southwestern shore, explored Alexander Graham Bell’s summer retreat in Baddeck, watched bald eagles pluck fish from the sea, hiked to a hidden 50-foot waterfall, and spent days on the Cabot Trail — a coastal road that belongs in the conversation with Big Sur for sheer scenic drama.
Northumberland Ferry
Rather than backtrack over the Confederation Bridge, we took the Northumberland Ferry from Wood Islands, PEI to Pictou, Nova Scotia — saving about three hours of driving. Sandy spent the 75-minute crossing with her coloring book. The upper decks have a large cafeteria, travel information centre, and an outdoor observation deck. We just showed up without a reservation and got on with no issue, but a week prior all the big-rig slots were fully booked. Next time, we’ll reserve in advance.
It rained heavily after disembarking — genuinely scary driving for about half an hour — but it cleared and we were on our way up into Cape Breton.
Ceilidh Trail
The Ceilidh Trail runs along the southwestern shore of Cape Breton — a beautiful coastal drive through fishing villages, harbours, and scenery that makes it easy to understand why Celtic immigrants felt at home here. The name itself signals the character of the place: a ceilidh is a Gaelic social gathering built around music and dancing.
Celtic Music Interpretive Centre
The Celtic Music Interpretive Centre combines a museum, restaurant, and live music venue. We had a beer, some appetizers, and listened to live Celtic fiddle. The fiddler mentioned her current instrument cost $500, but the one she really wanted ran $5,000 — and her bow alone was another $500. Cape Breton fiddling is a tradition of serious craft.
Glenora Distillery
Glenora Distillery is Canada’s first single malt whisky distillery, set in a glen on the Ceilidh Trail. Beyond the whisky, they have a restaurant, live Celtic music, and a small inn. We tried the sampler — the strongest clocked in at 70% alcohol. Impressive, but we’ll be honest: we much prefer wine or a good martini.
Baddeck
Baddeck is a picturesque small town at the centre of Cape Breton, situated on the shores of Bras d’Or — a vast inland saltwater lake that cuts deep into the island’s heart. It is also considered the gateway to the Cabot Trail, sitting at the beginning and end of the loop. Bald eagles are everywhere here. We took a short ferry to Little Narrows and watched one perch near the dock in the light drizzle. Sandy also spotted a red fox running across the road.
Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site
Bell chose Cape Breton as his summer home, and this exceptional Parks Canada site tells the full story of his life and work. Born March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland, Bell came from a family steeped in speech — his father, grandfather, and brother were all involved in elocution. Both his mother and his wife were deaf, which profoundly shaped the direction of his research. With his assistant Thomas Watson, he filed the first patent for the telephone in 1876.
The arc of Bell’s life is remarkable. He invented a wheat-husk remover at age ten. As a young man he believed electricity could be used to transmit speech. He studied in Edinburgh and was accepted to University College London, but both his brothers died of tuberculosis. His father’s health deteriorated, recovered with a stay in Newfoundland, and the family sold their European home and emigrated to Canada when Bell was 23. In Canada he learned the Mohawk language and was awarded the title of Honorary Chief. He eventually moved to Boston, where he opened a school of vocal physiology and mechanics of speech — one of his students was Helen Keller.
The financial success of the Bell Telephone Company gave him the freedom to pursue a remarkable range of interests: the photophone (transmitting sound on a beam of light), a metal detector, hydrofoil boats, aeronautics, and — more troublingly — eugenics. He served as the second president of the National Geographic Society. Bell died on August 2, 1922, right here in Cape Breton, from complications of diabetes, at age 75. The phone lines across North America fell silent for a minute in tribute.
Uisge Ban Falls
Uisge Ban (“white water” in Gaelic) Falls is reached via a two-hour round-trip hike through a forest of sugar maple and yellow birch. The payoff is a 50-foot waterfall tucked into a narrow gorge. The trail is well-maintained and not particularly difficult — enough to tire Jake out thoroughly, which is always a win.
Donelda’s Puffin Boat Tours
This was a highlight of the entire summer. The 2.5-hour tour out of Bay St. Lawrence delivered an extraordinary concentration of bald eagles and Atlantic puffins — far more than we expected. Sandy’s eagle photo series is the best wildlife sequence she’s captured.
Puffins are sometimes called “sea parrots” — a fitting name. They lay a single egg per year, both parents share incubation duties, and their stubby wings beat 300–400 times per minute in flight. They move fast. Getting a clean shot requires patience and a little luck.
Sandy captured an amazing sequence of a bald eagle catching a fish. It’s worth noting: the eagle is wild, but it knows the captain will toss fish over the side. Somewhat staged in that respect — but the bird is genuinely wild and the catch is completely real. The result is spectacular photography either way.
Cabot Trail
The Cabot Trail is a 185-mile loop through the northern reaches of Cape Breton, passing through Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The scenery is flat-out spectacular — dramatic ocean cliffs, deep river valleys, and highland plateaus that drop suddenly to the sea. It genuinely reminded us of Big Sur on the California coast. This is one of the great scenic drives in North America.
In summer, most of the roads were under construction. Beyond the construction zones, large stretches ranged from terrible (potholes) to non-existent (gravel). The road is also extremely hilly and curvy — and yet there were quite a few cyclists on it, with no shoulder or bike path at all. Crazy brave. It also served as a preview of what we imagined Alaska roads would eventually feel like.
Meat Cove
Meat Cove is the northernmost occupied area of Nova Scotia — a tiny community perched at the end of a dirt road at the top of Cape Breton Island. The views are extraordinary. We had dinner there: seafood chowder that was genuinely among the best of the trip, along with cold beer and a walk on the beach. The rocks on the beach were flat and smooth, and people had been stacking them into cairns — the beach was dotted with towers of balanced stones.
Benjie’s Lake
An easy, quiet hike to Benjie’s Lake through the highland plateau. Few people on the trail, no wildlife encounters to spook Jake — just open space and the kind of still, clean air that’s hard to find. Jake got a long off-leash run, which he needed.
Chéticamp
Chéticamp is a strongly Acadian town on the western side of the Cabot Trail. We found a seafood wholesaler with an attached restaurant — bought a couple of lobsters for dinner and had a lobster roll and bacon-wrapped scallops for lunch. One of the better meals of the whole trip.
Bog Trail
The Bog Trail is a short walk on a raised wooden boardwalk over a fragile plateau bog ecosystem of sphagnum moss and aquatic plants. Pitcher plants were everywhere — the carnivorous kind that trap insects in their water-filled leaves. It’s an ecosystem that feels like it belongs on another planet.
Sydney
Sydney was founded in 1785 by the British — gotta love Canadian humour. It’s the population centre of Cape Breton Island and sits on a deep natural harbour. We drove around looking for a brewery or wine bar serving food. No luck, so we settled on a Walmart run. Sometimes the trip is like that.
World’s Largest Fiddle
At the Sydney waterfront stands a 60-foot steel fiddle — a genuine landmark celebrating Cape Breton’s Celtic cultural identity. It’s an entirely appropriate monument for an island where the fiddle is essentially a second language.
Arm of Gold Campground
Our base camp for the Sydney area was Arm of Gold Campground in Little Bras d’Or — a well-run site on a hilltop with nice water views. Fifty-amp service, 50-psi water pressure, a large level pad, Wi-Fi good enough for browsing, and a pressure washer to clean vehicles after the Cabot Trail dirt roads. The Jeep and RV were absolutely filthy — the wash was long overdue. Good Dish satellite reception, and a 0.8-mile loop trail with a large open area for Jake to run. The RV had accumulated about 20 mosquitoes. Sandy cleared them rapidly with the Executioner.
No privacy between sites, but the amenities more than made up for it: gym, ping pong, pool table, clean showers, and two private rooms with spa tubs for those post-Cabot-Trail aches and pains.
Cape Breton is amazing. Two hearts.
Visitor Information
Donelda’s Puffin Boat Tours departs from Bay St. Lawrence at the northern tip of Cape Breton. Book in advance — tours fill up, especially in peak summer. The 2.5-hour tour consistently delivers eagle and puffin sightings. Bring a long lens; the wildlife shots are worth the preparation.
Cabot Trail: Allow at least two full days to drive the loop and stop properly. The road is challenging in a large RV — very hilly, very curvy, and in summer, heavily under construction in sections. Most experienced RVers drive it counterclockwise (west to east along the north shore) to keep the RV on the inland side on the steepest descents. Check road conditions before you go.
Meat Cove is at the end of a rough 5-km unpaved road — accessible in a car or camper van, but not recommended for a large motorhome. Worth the effort in a tow vehicle.
Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site is in Baddeck, well-signed and easy to find. Parks Canada entry fees apply; free for Parks Canada pass holders. Allow 2–3 hours. The museum is genuinely excellent — more than just the telephone story.
Uisge Ban Falls: The trailhead is on the Trans-Canada Highway between Baddeck and Ingonish. The 2-hour round-trip hike is suitable for most fitness levels. Bring bug spray in July and August.
Practical Tips
For RVers: Arm of Gold Campground in Little Bras d’Or is the best-equipped site we found in the Cape Breton area — 50-amp, good water pressure, satellite reception, and the pressure washer is genuinely useful after the Cabot Trail. Cornwall KOA in PEI is a good staging point before taking the Northumberland Ferry.
Northumberland Ferry: Big-rig reservations book out early in summer. If you’re planning to cross from PEI to Nova Scotia, book your slot weeks in advance at ferries.ca. Walk-on passengers and cars can usually get on without a reservation.
Bald eagles are genuinely everywhere in Cape Breton — along the Bras d’Or lakeshore, at river mouths, and especially around fishing wharves and ferry docks. You don’t need a tour to see them, though Donelda’s provides by far the best concentrated viewing and photography opportunity.
Glenora Distillery: The Inn makes a romantic overnight stop on the Ceilidh Trail. Rooms book out in summer; reserve ahead if you want to stay. Day visitors are welcome for tours and tastings.
