Perhaps the absolute best way to experience waterfront scenery is from the comfort of a kayak. You cannot beat it for the ability to get up close to things you want to see, so long as you’re willing to invest the energy for paddling. And there is something incredibly peaceful and serene about being so close to nature. The morning of our last full day in Cape Breton was spent out on the water and it was simply phenomenal.
Our tour was arranged with Eagle North Kayaking, based just outside of Dingwall, Nova Scotia. They have several different option available, depending on demand. Unfortunately we were the only pair interested in a full day tour so that wasn’t on offer; we settled for the half day option. Thanks to our previous kayaking experiences in Alaska and Norway we were ready to go when we got to the facility and before long we were on the water and enjoying nature up close and personal.
An hour or so into the trip we took a snack break on the shore of a desolate beach, just south of the end of the island. Looking north we could see where the Cape ends and the Atlantic Ocean begins. It was pretty awesome.
After that was some open water paddling. No longer protected by the cove things got a bit bumpier on the water, but nothing particularly rough. We were paddling through a seat of lobster trap floats, dreaming of the tasty deliciousness below when we happened upon one of the fishermen, out harvesting the daily catch.
The last segment of the trip was also the roughest. We no longer were in the bay and we no longer had the benefit of the cliffs blocking the wind. It got nasty in a hurry. Needless to say, I put the cameras away as we paddled through the white caps. That section definitely required the most effort, but it was also the most fun, with the cool sea spray splashing up into our faces and actually needing to work a bit to make progress through the waves.
Alas, the three hour tour ended much too quickly (and after only about 90 minutes of paddling). We were back on shore and then in the van riding back to the shop. This portion of the adventure ended much too quickly.
Read more of our Maritimes adventures here!
Related Posts
- Paddling the fjords of Norway (Part 1)
- Paddling the fjords of Norway (Part 2)
- Paddling the fjords of Norway (Part 3)
Never miss another post: Sign up for email alerts and get only the content you want direct to your inbox.
Real men don’t use a rudder.